Monday, October 16, 2006
Nutrition and Healthy Eating?
Following on from the Healthy Living post, I don't know about you, but I regularly used to buy-out the magazine stand when I do food shopping. At least when it came to those glossy slimming, or dieting magazines. I was forever on the lookout for any information that I could find on these subjects and although I tried hard to stick to the healthy living principles I outlined previously, I found I could still do with losing a few pounds and therefore found the true-life stories of some of those people to be positively inspiring, (at least emotionally).
In one of these magazines though, I once stumbled across a nutrition article about types of eating habits, and started reading through it quite idly, as you do. On that occasion I was stunned to find that I could barely put the magazine down though and actually went to the coffee bar so that I could sit and finish it before taking the groceries home, it was that interesting.
Basically it helped me to face up to the kind of eater I was – (the boredom eater, - I ate when I was bored or tired) – and it showed me a few great ways in which I could try and control my bad eating habits. For example, because I ate when I was bored it was recommended that I choose cookies and cakes carefully if I needed to buy them for the family to have around (ie. pick ones that I didn't like so much so that I would think twice before nibbling at them) and keep a few nutritious snacks that I particularly like around the house to help assuage my boredom hunger when it struck. This was fairly easy to do since I love my fruits and all I did was stock up more on the fruits I especially like and kept them handy.
The next suggestion was slightly more difficult because I'm a bit of a chocaholic, but the nutrition article was adamant about this, so I stopped buying chocolate as a regular part of the shopping. The article pointed out, (quite rightly) that if and when I had a chocolate craving it would be more of a deterrent if I had to go out and buy it. Unfortunately, the same applies to ice cream, but you know what they say about "no pain - no gain".
The nutrition article went on to tell me about the various foods that I should include in my everyday diet, and which ones I should stay away from. It explained the food guide pyramid in great detail and gave me a great insight into how I could better manage my meals. I also found that I was eating most of the “right” foods but that I was eating them in the wrong quantities, and my main problem was that I was also including the boredom snacks...
The nutrition article that I came across that day was to me heaven-sent, it's weird isn't it how you come across one thing that suddenly switches on that light bulb in your head, enabling you to just make that change that you have longed for for so long? I now have trained myself to eat healthier snacks of fruit, and sometimes carrots if I do get caught by the boredom demon. However I also indulge myself in the finer things in life by eating all the good-for-me food that I want and even include the occasional chocolate or ice cream in my regular menu - just never when I am reaching for it simply because I am bored! On those occasions I either find myself something else to occupy my thoughts or I choose a piece of fruit or a couple of carrot sticks.
In one of these magazines though, I once stumbled across a nutrition article about types of eating habits, and started reading through it quite idly, as you do. On that occasion I was stunned to find that I could barely put the magazine down though and actually went to the coffee bar so that I could sit and finish it before taking the groceries home, it was that interesting.
Basically it helped me to face up to the kind of eater I was – (the boredom eater, - I ate when I was bored or tired) – and it showed me a few great ways in which I could try and control my bad eating habits. For example, because I ate when I was bored it was recommended that I choose cookies and cakes carefully if I needed to buy them for the family to have around (ie. pick ones that I didn't like so much so that I would think twice before nibbling at them) and keep a few nutritious snacks that I particularly like around the house to help assuage my boredom hunger when it struck. This was fairly easy to do since I love my fruits and all I did was stock up more on the fruits I especially like and kept them handy.
The next suggestion was slightly more difficult because I'm a bit of a chocaholic, but the nutrition article was adamant about this, so I stopped buying chocolate as a regular part of the shopping. The article pointed out, (quite rightly) that if and when I had a chocolate craving it would be more of a deterrent if I had to go out and buy it. Unfortunately, the same applies to ice cream, but you know what they say about "no pain - no gain".
The nutrition article went on to tell me about the various foods that I should include in my everyday diet, and which ones I should stay away from. It explained the food guide pyramid in great detail and gave me a great insight into how I could better manage my meals. I also found that I was eating most of the “right” foods but that I was eating them in the wrong quantities, and my main problem was that I was also including the boredom snacks...
The nutrition article that I came across that day was to me heaven-sent, it's weird isn't it how you come across one thing that suddenly switches on that light bulb in your head, enabling you to just make that change that you have longed for for so long? I now have trained myself to eat healthier snacks of fruit, and sometimes carrots if I do get caught by the boredom demon. However I also indulge myself in the finer things in life by eating all the good-for-me food that I want and even include the occasional chocolate or ice cream in my regular menu - just never when I am reaching for it simply because I am bored! On those occasions I either find myself something else to occupy my thoughts or I choose a piece of fruit or a couple of carrot sticks.
