Did you watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution? There were only six episodes from March to April, and the episodes I saw drew me in and kept me glued to the television. I am always inspired by passion, and Jamie Oliver is extremely passionate about educating people about healthy eating. He has critics, naysayers, people telling him he can't do it - but I find some people tend to name-call the person starting the revolution. For too many, change is easier to ridicule than embrace. Jamie Oliver was out there, using his passion to try and help people for the better. I applaud him for that.
It was timely for me to watch the Food Revolution, as I have recently started making myself more aware of what I am eating and actively trying to make healthier food choices. I'm not on a diet, but I am cutting back on all the junk that I have been eating for the past while. I have a few bad habits when it comes to food, the worst of which is late night snacking. The later I stay up, the worse it is. And it isn’t just snack food that I have - many times I have ‘second dinner’ late into the night. I am well aware that this isn’t the best way for me to treat my body. With summer on it's way, I needed to change my bad habits. So far I have made three specific changes regarding what I consume.
First, I made a Do Not Eat list. Basically I brainstormed a bunch of foods that I should not eat on a regular basis. Some foods that made the list are: doughnuts, chips, pop, fried chicken, fast food, and entire bags of candy. I am not yet willing to completely cut these foods from my life, but I don’t want to eat them very often either. My new mindset is that treats should be just that - treats. Believe me, I love food. I find it to be one of the most satisfying, comforting, and social things to do. So for one day a week (generally a weekend day) I have set myself a ‘treat day’ where I can eat any of the bad foods on my list. The other six days in the week, I respect the Do Not Eat list.
Second, I scheduled healthy snacks and keep them on hand. I know that I love to eat late at night, so I have scheduled snacks to eat late so I don’t just eat a hot dog. My favourite snacks currently are almonds, applesauce, yogurt, fruit smoothies, air popped popcorn, and granola bars. Having these options in the house has definitely kept me from making bad choices. The logic is simple: if the decision has already been made before I get hungry, I won’t impulsively eat something unhealthy.
Third, I (mostly) measure my food. I don't follow any real guidelines, I just have either 1/2 cup or 1 cup of most things. Or if there is an option to have more than one of something, I try to stick with just one (i.e. potatoes, dinner rolls, etc.). I feel full when I eat, so I am not starving myself by any means, I am just not eating a giant plateful of food now.
I have been on this ‘plan’ for about two months and I like that it is simple and easy going. I am too obsessed with food to have strict rules about it, but having some general guidelines has been beneficial. Some days it is incredibly easy to stick to the plan, other days it is practically painful. I just have to remember to take it one day at a time. I recently made an amazing discovery that is encouraging me to keep with it, though: my thin jeans fit. Those jeans have not fit for a few years now, and it definitely feels good to get back into them. Beyond that, I’m pretty sure my body is happy to not have to process french fries while it is trying to fall asleep. On the whole I would say, so far so good! :)
It was timely for me to watch the Food Revolution, as I have recently started making myself more aware of what I am eating and actively trying to make healthier food choices. I'm not on a diet, but I am cutting back on all the junk that I have been eating for the past while. I have a few bad habits when it comes to food, the worst of which is late night snacking. The later I stay up, the worse it is. And it isn’t just snack food that I have - many times I have ‘second dinner’ late into the night. I am well aware that this isn’t the best way for me to treat my body. With summer on it's way, I needed to change my bad habits. So far I have made three specific changes regarding what I consume.
First, I made a Do Not Eat list. Basically I brainstormed a bunch of foods that I should not eat on a regular basis. Some foods that made the list are: doughnuts, chips, pop, fried chicken, fast food, and entire bags of candy. I am not yet willing to completely cut these foods from my life, but I don’t want to eat them very often either. My new mindset is that treats should be just that - treats. Believe me, I love food. I find it to be one of the most satisfying, comforting, and social things to do. So for one day a week (generally a weekend day) I have set myself a ‘treat day’ where I can eat any of the bad foods on my list. The other six days in the week, I respect the Do Not Eat list.
Second, I scheduled healthy snacks and keep them on hand. I know that I love to eat late at night, so I have scheduled snacks to eat late so I don’t just eat a hot dog. My favourite snacks currently are almonds, applesauce, yogurt, fruit smoothies, air popped popcorn, and granola bars. Having these options in the house has definitely kept me from making bad choices. The logic is simple: if the decision has already been made before I get hungry, I won’t impulsively eat something unhealthy.
Third, I (mostly) measure my food. I don't follow any real guidelines, I just have either 1/2 cup or 1 cup of most things. Or if there is an option to have more than one of something, I try to stick with just one (i.e. potatoes, dinner rolls, etc.). I feel full when I eat, so I am not starving myself by any means, I am just not eating a giant plateful of food now.
I have been on this ‘plan’ for about two months and I like that it is simple and easy going. I am too obsessed with food to have strict rules about it, but having some general guidelines has been beneficial. Some days it is incredibly easy to stick to the plan, other days it is practically painful. I just have to remember to take it one day at a time. I recently made an amazing discovery that is encouraging me to keep with it, though: my thin jeans fit. Those jeans have not fit for a few years now, and it definitely feels good to get back into them. Beyond that, I’m pretty sure my body is happy to not have to process french fries while it is trying to fall asleep. On the whole I would say, so far so good! :)
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