Health: Balancing your Health Part II: Food Choices

Welcome back! So how have we managed to incorporate healthy eating through different food choices into our lifestyle to help provide balance and health? 

We choose more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and eat smaller meals throughout the day. Limit caffeine, sugar, salt, soda, alcohol, processed foods with harmful preservatives, trigger foods, and eating out regularly at restaurants.

One way we have incorporated this change into our daily lives has been through creating a weekly menu. We also have an ongoing grocery list of what is about to run out or what has run out so when we go to the store or order our Nutrilite, Legacy of Clean, or Artistry products we know exactly what is needed and what is planned for to help save the budget, avoid buying "junk" we do not need, and live healthier. It helps relieve stress knowing I have what I need to cook, saves time because I can lay the meat out in the morning to thaw or put in the slow cooker to simmer through the day or overnight depending on the recipe.  

There are many free cooking apps and channels to get quick, healthy inspirational recipes to keep things from getting boring in the kitchen:) If you don't feel like what is on the menu for Monday night - you can flip flop days for another meal and have Taco Monday instead of Taco Tuesday. You have the food items already in your pantry or fridge to do so. 

I do not cook with salt unless a recipe calls for it when baking. I use products such as Mrs. Dash or natural herbs and vegetables. We grow our own herbs such as rosemary, mint, basil, and cilantro. Living in the desert, I have not perfected growing a full blown vegetable garden like my mom does in the Midwest, but we do what we can. The rest of the vegetables we buy fresh from stores like Sprouts or local Farmer's Markets. They are fresh, organic, and inexpensive. Growing your own foods is a great way to spend time with kids and incorporate items such as science and agronomy into their learning and development while developing them to live a healthier lifestyle. 

I try to make most of my baked goods and dishes from scratch. I really try to avoid processed foods and buying mix from the box. This way, I can monitor the ingredients going into our bodies and feel peace knowing my family is getting the nutrition they need. Life happens and sometimes we have to just grab the box. I used to beat myself up about it, but then I realized we are really busy and as long we are mostly doing things healthy - it will not hurt us to grab a box once in a while. It's all about balance and moderation. 

Try to avoid eating out at restaurants too often. We try to limit ourselves to once a week or less because you cannot be sure what is being added, how many calories you are actually taking in, and how much salt is being used. The portions are often too large for what we actually need. When we do go out - we eat until we are content (not full) and feel good about boxing up the leftovers for later. Speaking of portion sizes, try to keep your plate half filled with vegetables and fruits, 1/3 of your plate with a whole grain, and 1/4 of your plate with a lean meat or protein. You need to have 1-2 servings of dairy and a small amount of good fats/oil every day. Good fats includes items such as unsalted nuts, seeds, and avocados.

We do have pizza night once a week usually on Friday's. This is our splurge to just kick back and have a family night while still getting some grains, dairy, vegetables, and protein ;) I feel another important thing to point out is vacation eating. It is often challenging to avoid fast food or restaurants when vacationing. We try to stay in places where we can cook or serve a decent breakfast and lunch. We will usually buy dinner. It's vacation, so while we try to eat healthy - we know this is not how we live most of the time and just enjoy the short time indulgence. We often find we pick healthier items on the menu because when you have been eating healthy - you don't like how you feel when you go back to eating "junk" or more unhealthy foods. 

Time also affects health. Time management and planning is important to be successful with this.  Making it a family effort has been fun and allows the kids and hubby to have a say in what we are eating this week. The girls especially have fun searching for recipes they want to help cook. The boys are learning to cook meals making it fun for them while teaching them to be independent as they will be on their own too soon ( they are already 16 and 14). I always keep healthy snacks available at home and at work, make my own meals so I can control what I am putting into my body and the body of my children. I try to shop more around the outside of the grocery store avoiding processed foods with harmful preservatives.

We keep fruit on the counter within reach as well as a "cookie" jar that is sometimes filled with homemade cookies but more often filled with healthier items such as low salt pretzels, whole grain items, or plain popcorn for kids to munch on if they feel like snacking. Whole grain chips and homemade salsa are also another go to snack for our family. Choose more whole foods and leaner meats with fresh vegetables and fruits.

If we take it in, it should taste good and help our bodies function at a more optimal level.  Eating should be enjoyable, tasty, and nutritious all at the same time :)

PRAISE. ENCOURAGE. STAY POSITIVE. FOCUS. PURPOSE. LIFESTYLE.