Everyone is looking for the secret to losing weight, getting fit, and feeling comfortable in their own skin. New drugs, vitamins, exercise equipment, fad diets become the new rage promising a slimmer, healthier you at every moment.
The truth of the matter is there really is no magic secret, pill, or food that will help you to achieve and sustain your goal. This can be achieved without busting your butt at the gym for hours or living off of cabbage soup, diet pills, or protein shakes which give you terrible gas.
For the most part, society has gotten away from the very basics of healthy wholesome nutrition; real whole foods in their natural form which make our bodies feel good.
Think of our bodies as one might a vehicle, if we fueled our vehicle with sugar water it wouldn’t run and the engine would seize. The same goes for our body, feed it junk and it won’t thrive. Our bodies are not designed to ingest artificial additives such as antibiotics, artificial colorings, and refined and overly processed foods.
Our food suppliers have created foods that appeal to the taste buds by enhancing the flavor to make them sweeter, bolder and more flavorful with very little thought on how those unnatural flavorings and colorings affect our bodies.
In the taste department, a brussel sprout pales in comparison to the bold salty flavor which comes from a bag of potato chips.
As you contemplate your next diet program, rather than counting fat grams or sodium grams or even calories I invite you to consider the following. Rate your Food scale with one simple question in mind; “On a scale of 1-3, How Real is This Food?” For example, A Rating of 3 would be given to packaged snack foods such as prepared baked goods, chocolate bars, chips, enriched White bread, meals in a box, sugar in all sorts of different packages etc . These foods are loaded with artificial food colorings and flavors which do not complement and in fact cause our bodies to work harder to eliminate the additives and impurities.
Often these foods do not have any real food as a primary ingredient. A rating of 1 would be given to Fresh Vegetable and Fruits; nothing added nothing taken away. They haven’t been altered, canned, or jarred and have no added sugar to enhance the flavor.
Where possible, Organic should be the preferred choice. Humanely raised Meat and Fish without the addition of antibiotics and hormones. There are also a number of grains with little processing and preservation such as quinoa, brown rice, and millet which are full of nutrients and fiber to naturally assist the body. All these foods would be given a rating of 1.
A rating of 2 would be frozen fruits and vegetables, canned vegetables and fruit. The food started from a natural state and then are altered slightly to preserve them.
Eating consciously is a choice requiring some thought and at the same time promises many benefits including optimal health and Wellbeing, increased self-confidence, and a healthy body image.
If you wish to be fit and healthy; eat foods grown from the Earth 90% of the time. Then when you do have the occasional treat food it is just that; a treat, not your lifestyle. It would be my pleasure to assist you in the creation of a real food program centered on optimal health and wellbeing. If this sounds like something you are interested in learning more about please find me here.
About Gina: Gina is a Certified Personal Trainer and Holistic Nutritionist with a passion for food, fitness, and conscious living.