Pizza, bacon, cheese fries, OH MY!

Here are a few tips to start eating a healthy, balanced diet.

1. Cherish your fruits and veggies!! Seriously. I can't say this one enough. When you take a look at your plate next time you go to eat, what seems to be overpowering it? Is it the protein, or the veggies? More often than not, if you go to a restaurant especially, the protein will take up more than HALF of the meal with a tiny portion of veggies. It really should be the opposite. Half a plate of veggies, and a quarter plate of protein.
2. TREAT YOSELF! Yep. I said it. Treat yourself. I absolutely love chocolate, and there is no way I am ever going to give that up. I still eat dark chocolate (quite regulatory actually), I still make banana bread every few weeks, I still eat bagels, I still order pizza every now and then and I still make homemade french fries. This is where "everything in moderation" comes in. People who claim to "eat clean" because they are following a strict diet and never eat anything that is anything less than "healthy", are only depriving themselves and will most likely end up binge eating junk food afterwards. The trick is, to find healthy alternatives. I'm not talking about the "reduced fat" stuff (we will talk more about this later), but maybe having dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate, having whole wheat bagels instead of regular, or making french fries at home rather than getting them from a fast food place. 
3. Stay away from processed. Try to eat as whole as possible. I still struggle with this one but I do my best to stay away from it as much as possible. So, back to this "reduced fat" situation. Many people think if they are getting reduced fat wheat thins, or reduced fat yogurt they are doing themselves a favor. Logically yes, I can definitely see why you would think that. But the problem with these foods is that they may take away the fat, but then they just dump in the sugar- which generally causes more problems for the average person than fat does. 
4. Don't overthink it. Most diets end up failing because people are so concerned about sticking to a specific way of eating that they end up binge eating on whatever the diet isn't. That is why it is SO important to eat balanced, to treat yourself, and to cherish your fruits and veggies :)

Pizza, bacon, cheese fries, donuts, OH MY!... I know. Your mouth is probably watering.

When I was in my teenage years, I pretty much ate whatever I want. I had a relatively skinny frame and it was pretty hard for me to gain weight. During my senior year of high school I was at taco bell 3 or 4 times a week... Seriously, that wasn't a joke.

As I grew older, the eating habits didn't stop, but the way my body reacted did. Around my 21st birthday was when I really started to see some major fluctuations in my weight, some reshaping that I wasn't very fond of.

I went to the doctor for my yearly checkup and realized that I had gained a whopping thirty pounds within the year, and I knew that I had to do something.

I tried my hardest, with all of my might to eat healthy. But to be honest, because I had never really been taught... I didn't even know what "eating healthy" really was.

Honestly, most of our society had become so accustomed to the way Americans eat, many of us really don't know what eating healthy really is. Many people believe if you eat bread you get fat. A lot people believe if you drink diet coke you can lose weight. TOO many people believe that "reduced fat" anything is good for them. Also, on the other end of the spectrum, far too many people believe that "clean eating" is the way to go...

What I mean by people believing in "clean eating" is sticking to a strict diet. The new "fad" lately is meal prepping. Which if that is your thing, then go for it. But eating the same food every single day, not giving your body (or taste buds) any variety, is a concoction for failure. Not giving yourself some much deserved treats every now and then, and cutting out every single little thing that could be the slightest bit unhealthy, is almost depriving. We all want to succeed when it comes to health and wellness, so lets set ourselves up for success with a balanced, dominantly whole food diet. 

Yep. It's really that simple. Balancing out what we eat and reducing processed foods; rather than focusing solely on one problem, one food, one "sugar"- and letting ourselves eat a variety of foods in moderation.

Everything in moderation. This is something that has haunted me my entire life. I totally understand if you feel the same way, because it seems as a society we have a big problem with this. America is all about "Go big or Go home!" and when it comes to food, this isn't the best choice.

What I have learned through my on-going journey to a healthy lifestyle; is that the more vegetables, fruits, starches and whole proteins you eat- the more satisfied you will feel. In a good way, too. Without feeling like you need a wheel barrow to roll you around because of how uncomfortable your tummy feels. The more satisfied you feel, the less you will crave the unhealthy foods that no longer have any purpose for you. The crazy part is, my PALLET has even changed! I enjoy fruits and veggies now more than I ever have. Once your body gets used to the feeling of being healthy, and taking in healthy foods, it starts to crave them- rather than craving the fatty fried foods that surround our streets and stores.

Namaste.