HEALTHY EATING HABITS

Rome wasn’t built in a day. It has taken you a lifetime to develop your current eating habits. Any changes you decide to make should be gradual. If you go cold turkey and change all your habits overnight, you are less likely to create lasting changes.

Eat when hungry. Many people go hungry for hours before eating. Some eat out of habit, or because "it is lunchtime" or to keep someone company. Listen to your body - if you don't want breakfast first thing in the morning - plan for something a little later. Otherwise you WILL be starving before lunch.

Hungry or Thirsty? Many confuse being thirsty with being hungry. Drink some to see if your hunger is actually thirst. If you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated drink six to eight glasses of water a day. (Coffee and other drinks containing caffeine are dehydrating, so for every cup of coffee, add a glass of water.)

Choose Organic. Not EVERYTHING you eat has to be organic. Sometimes it IS much more expensive, sometimes quality is not up to par. But more often than you think, it will be fresher, equally priced and much healthier for you.

Go to the Farmer's Markets in your area!

Three square and then some. Eating three times a day is good. Eating five or six times a day is better. Too keep your blood sugar, energy level and your mood up, don't forget to snack on healthy foods between meals. You will also avoid getting too hungry, cranky or overeating when dinnertime comes.

Read "Eating Well for Optimum Health" by Dr. Andrew Weil. We think it is the best book ever written that deals with healthy eating. It makes sense, it is not dogmatic, and you really understand why eating healthy is important, and learn what healthy eating is. (I have bought everyone I know a copy, and wish I could give them away for free to everyone I meet.)

Eat unrefined foods; whole grain instead of white breads, brown rice and whole wheat pasta instead of the white varieties. Choose natural honey instead of white sugar, or artificial sweeteners. Many times the light versions of commercial foods are laden with artificial ingredients.

Avoid the artificial fats. In our low-fat, fat-free craze, we eat more of the dangerous fats. Hydrogenated oils and fats are one of the main enemies to your arteries. Try to avoid them the best you can. Almost all commercially produced baked goods contain them. Start checking the labels!

Virtual Variety. You have heard "eat a balanced diet" a hundred times. But what is a balanced diet. Try to keep a food diary for a month (or even just one week.) At the end, check how many times you ate the same things. We are creatures of habit. Get out of the rut and try not to eat the exact same meal more than once every two weeks. Get as many different foods as possible in your diet.

Cut back on the meat. Not only will your body be healthier - you will save the earth's resources. It takes 3.25 acres of land to feed a meat eater for a year, but only one sixth of an acre to sustain a vegetarian for a year. If you choose to eat meat, eat less of it, fewer times per week. Choose meats that come from farms with sustainable practices where they do not use antibiotics, artificial growth hormones, and where animals are humanely treated throughout their lifecycle.