Some Nutrition Tips

So I've gotten a few comments from people saying that they have similar health-related resolutions and I wanted to put down some things that I've found helpful in the past (and present.)

The first thing is CARBS. They are not bad despite what a lot of people may say. The important thing is that you eat whole grain carbohydrates and not the white stuff. Examples of whole grain carbs are wheat bread, wheat pasta (Barilla is a good brand), oatmeal, brown rice, and whole wheat couscous. Anything that says "Enriched wheat flour" is not the same thing as whole grain/whole wheat flour so be sure to read the labels. When eating carbs, try on most days to eat them with your breakfast and lunch but not with dinner. This is because carbs are foods that we use for energy and by the end of the night, we're not using as much--therefore the carbs turn into sugar which then turns into fat in your sleep!

A pet peeve of mine that I see people do quite often (myself included when there are no other options) is to eat processed foods. That means ANYTHING that comes from a package. I know a lot of you are busy and don't have time to cook absolutely everything on your own but its SO important to check and see if that packaged food that you're about to eat contains partially hydrogenated oil. This ingredient is very bad and it quite often means that there's trans fat in that product. When you eat trans fat, it aids in clogging your arteries AND the scariest part is that once its in your body, it will stay there for the rest of your life! It is a chemical and should not be eaten! So again, check your labels!

What else? Oh yeah...artificial sweetners=BAD. These things are found in all kinds of things--splenda, diet sodas, some waters, and low-fat or fat-free yogurt. Any kind of artificial sweetner is a chemical. Just think about it. Is it really healthy to drink a sweet drink that has zero calories knowing that it is a chemical? I know a lot of people that love this stuff. I used to drink diet coke all the time in college. Even now, if I feel a craving and there's a diet soda option, I may drink it. It's okay if you have that stuff everyone once in a while, but having it on a daily basis is not a good thing. I mainly drank diet sodas for their carbonation...such drinks made me feel full. Now if I'm at a restaurant, I always order water with lemon. That's it. If seltzer water is an option, then I'll have that with a lemon and still get my carbonated-full feeling! There are so many natural waters at grocery stores that have natural flavorings in them and are carbonated. Get out there and try them!

I know you guys all know that fruits and vegetables are extremely important. Colorful vegetables are great such as peppers, beets, sweet potatoes, carrots, and leafy greens. Eat lots of berries, apples, clemintines and oranges. Just include them in your diet. That's all I need to say.

The main things I can tell you are: don't diet...don't count calories...and don't weigh yourself. Not right now. When just starting off, get used to your new way of eating. It's overwhelming to exercise and eat healthy. There are days when you will go out to eat and dine at a friends house so you won't have an exact routine of what you should eat everyday. That's good because you're training yourself to making healthier choices outside of the comfort of your own kitchen.