As promised, here it is! My guide to eating healthy! a client/friend of mine was posting about how nothing is healthy and the meat is bad and the produce is poisoned and she just doesnt know WHAT to eat anymore.... i offered to school her but didnt want to overwhelm her and she said I WANT TO KNOW! so im letting her know :) i also realize people dont know what HEALTHY is. this is because every day someone in my feed is posting a picture of a "healthy dinner!" that makes me slap my forehead. showing off the food they feed their kids, because theyre proud and dont know better. i even have a friend who posts that her mom raised her right because she cooks for her family now. her mom certainly did a great job, but her mom taught her how to stop hunger- not eat for health. so i figure this is a good way to help people understand the difference between cooking to eat and cooking for health.
first id like to make a disclaimer before i get sued. I am not a doctor or nutritionist. i have no formal nutrition training. I only know what i have learned from countless hours of research and reading and watching and listening AND experience. Consider this advice from a friend, not a professional.
Portion Control
everyone knows the secret to healthy eating is portion control. you need to eat smaller amounts. because when we go to a restaurant the plate is so huge we think thats what a portion is supposed to be. most restaurant meals are enough for 2 or 3 people. i suggest you read the portion size on EVERYTHING you put in your mouth. most candies and chips and sodas have multiple servings in a bag. as far as health food- they have a portion size too! so just becuase youre eating brown rice doesnt mean u get to eat 2 cups of it. read the box, find out what a SERVING IS, and eat a serving. no chips straight out of the bag, no ice cream straight out of the gallon, no dipping carrots in hummus right from the container (hummus adds up REAL quick if you dont scoop out those 2 table spoons.... ive eaten like a half cup of hummus in one sitting because i didnt pre-measure!) portion control also makes it possible to indulge in "bad" food. you CAN have cake, but you can only have ONE slice. and normal 2" or less slice, not a frieken monster slice (that is NOT portion control, eating a whole pizza isnt portion control because you only ate ONE- portion control is one or 2 slices and DONE.)
Eat LOTS of small meals
since youre eating less at a time, you will prob need to start eating more times a day. you might get hungry faster, since youre eating less at a time. also, small meals eaten frequently will help your metabolism keep going. we could really learn from cows. they graze all day. they eat until theyre no longer hungry and in a few hours they eat again, only until theyre no longer hungry. cows may be huge, but they are by design, not because of their diet. theres very little fat on cows, mostly muscle.
we are trained to think that in order to lose weight, we need to eat less. mostly because ignorant assholes are constantly telling fat people they need to stop eating. totally untrue. most fat people i know dont even eat 3x a day. and because of that, when they do eat their body automatically stores all the food as fat so it has enough to burn the next time you dont eat often enough. in the beginning i was embarrassed by my constant eating, but when i realized IT WORKED i stopped giving a shit what anyone thought. for example, if i was with someone for like 5 hours, chances are they will see me eat something twice in that time frame... when youre still chunky most outsiders are thinking "i thought she was trying to lose weight, why is she always eating?" let them think that and EAT EVERY FEW HOURS! it also makes it easier to eat smaller portions when you know you get to eat again in a few hours.... if you know its 7am and lunch isnt until noon you will want a BIG breakfast. in reality you should prob be having a small meal or snack between 930 or 10 and THEN lunch at noon.
make a PLAN
whether u do it on sunday nights or you plan for the next day the night before, you REALLY should make a plan. most of my "bad" meals are NOT planned, and they say all of your cheat meals should be ON PURPOSE not just because you said "aw fuck it". if youre tired and had a long day grabbing take out (prob a poor choice, how many of us really hit up a drive thru for a garden salad?) is prob going to be a lot more appealing than slaving away in the kitchen! when i have a PLAN it doesnt matter if im tired, it doesnt matter if its late. i have a plan and i stick to it. if i never have to wonder "hmm.... what am i gonna eat?" i never make an eating decision on a whim. this can be tough if you have kids or a crazy schedule but it IS possible. sometimes i have a lunch planned that requires a good 30 minutes of cooking and then i get a last minute appointment and have to go to the salon. in cases like that i drink my shakeology instead. if youre not drinking shakeology you can order it here for when you get into that situation. make a plan & more importantly, STICK TO IT!
what are CALORIES?
calories are NOT something to be avoided. calories are actually ENERGY. what you do want to avoid is "calories from fat". if something has 200 calories per serving that doesnt mean you shouldnt eat it. if there are not fat calories its actually good for you to eat! however, if there are 200 cals and 120 of them are "calories from fat" you really should pass. if youre trying to get into shape you should avoid anything that has 20% or more of its calories from fat.
READ THE INGREDIENTS
lets make this easy. IF YOU CANT PRONOUNCE IT, DONT EAT IT! ingredients are listed by volume, so whatever is first there is the most of, and whatever is on the end there is the least of. if your ketchup or bbq sauce has "high fructose corn syrup" as a top 3 ingredient (most do) you should PROB replace it with something natural. ingredient are more important than the nutrition info. i dont CARE if its a "100 calorie pack" and marketed to be great for a "diet". when theres a list of 40 ingredients and half of them i cannot pronounce, its NOT GOOD FOR YOU! is it only 100 calories? yes. is something all natural with double the calories better for your body? YES. this is assuming you want to be HEALTHY not just SKINNY. if you dont give a shit about your health and you just want to be skinny, you might as well skip all this food BS and go for anorexia. (totally kidding, but is eating poison to lose weight REALLY better for you than starving? id say not!)
Processed Foods
the healthiest foods are foods in their natural state. your body is able to identify them as what they are and therefore break them down more easily. so whats a processed food? simple. anything NOT in its natural state. unless you start a raw diet youll never only eat things in their natural state, but its a good rule to know to get some help. lets take an apple. an apple is NOT processed. the next level would be sliced apples. then we have apple sauce, apple pie, apple granola bars, etc. the slices (these have been pre-sliced and purchased at the store, for examples sake) may appear to be JUST apples, but think about it. how fast does an apple turn brown after you cut it? pretty quick! so how on earth do they keep the apple slices from turning brown? CHEMICALS. check the ingredients, APPLE will NOT be the only ingredient. therefor this food is not in its natural state. if u want a sliced apple buy one and slice it yourself. heres a few other examples. whats better for you, a potato or a potato chip? the potato, the chip has been processed. anything with a shit load of ingredients listed has been processed. anything that does not have SIMPLE ingredients its over processed. sometimes in the ingredients it will literally say "BLEACHED FLOUR". thats exactly what it sounds like. flour thats been BLEACHED white. or even better, "ENRICHED FLOUR" thats just bleached flour that has had nutrients put back into it! WHY dont we just eat FLOUR?! it may not be as white and pretty but it sure as hell has nutrients in it NATURALLY, so its doesnt need to be enriched. same goes for sugar. if your ingredients list "raw cane sugar" or even "cane sugar" that actually has NUTRITIONAL PROPERTIES! thats right! natural sugar (in moderation) is GOOD for you! however, refined white sugar made to be all pretty and white is TERRIBLE for you! idk when the food industry decided we needed everything to be white and fluffy but they really fucked us with this. in order to know if a food is processed or not, the easiest way is to READ THE INGREDIENTS. corn isnt bad for you, but high fructose corn syrup is! all it is, is processed corn that the sweetness has been sucked out of to use as sugar. your body doesnt identify it as corn, it has none of the nutrition of corn. is it the devil? nah, it prob wont kill u... but keep in mind those commercials that say your body cant tell the differnce between sugar and corn are made by the CORN INDUSTRY and are lies. if your body cant tell the difference, how come if i make cupcake with agave (a true natural unprocessed sweetener similar to honey) i can give it to a diabetic and their blood sugar doesnt change, but if i give the same cupcake made with HFCS to a diabetic they could go into a damn coma? YOUR BODY KNOWS THE DIFFERENCE. a little bit of HFCS isnt gonna kill you. the problem is its SO cheap and SO sweet that they put it in everyyyyyything. the ONLY WAY to consume it in moderation is to make a concious effort to consume less of it. go check your cabinets and condiments. its EVERYWHERE. chocolate milk, ketchup, crackers, cookies, bread, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc!
GMOs and ORGANICS
what is a GMO? a genetically modified organism. what does genetically modified mean? it was not grown with a natural seed. the seed has been altered in a lab to either 1- withstand the application of pesticides or 2- it has a pesticide built into it. i will not get into why you do not want to eat pesticides. it really isnt rocket science, so google it if your brain hasnt already figured it out.... ill just note that the way these pesticides (like monstantos ROUND UP) kill bugs is by making their stomachs explode. since the introduction of pesticdes on our food diesease that begins with inflammation has exploded. so maybe its not enough to make our stomachs explode, but its doing something to them. maybe "a little chemicals dont hurt"... but when chemicals are on EVERYTHING it hurts. every time you put produce or something made from produce into your mouth, say out loud I AM EATING POISON and soon enough you will realize how much poison you really eat.
what is organic? organic means it is not a GMO and it hasnt been sprayed with a topical pesticide. its the good ol fashioned produce (or farm animal) they used to make way back in the day before the food industry lost its mind and decided it was OK to eat chemicals (afterall, health care [or should i say sick care?] is a BUSINESS and nothing else). chances are, if it doesnt say its organic, it has chemicals on it. MOST companies want the organic bragging rights, although getting something certified organic can be a very costly process so some small companies choose not to certify. i dont know a TON of info about that. but it can be found here if you want to read.
i have a great app called TRUE FOOD and its a guide to GMOs. you can literally type in a food (by brand and all) and it will tell u if its GMO or not.... if it is, it will give you contact info to make a stink or ask questions or whatever you want to do.
the good news is although practically ALL of our produce is sprayed with pesticides, only a small amount are approved to be sold as GM in the US. the approved produce includes PAPAYA, PLUMS, CORN, POTATO, YELLOW SQUASH, & RADICCIO. that means if you cant switch your entire grocery list over to organic, start with these items and products made with these items (ex: tortilla chips are made from corn, if theyre not organic, theyre GMO. everything with high fructose corn syrup in it was made with genetically modified corn! organic companies dont use that shit) this list, however, is being updated regularly, as most other produce is currently undergoing field trials. i would strongly suggest downloading the TRUE FOOD app to keep you updated! the list of "invisable GM ingredients" is HUGE. literally, more than 30 items that i am not taking the time to type out. DOWNLOAD THE APP!
i know this can be overwhelming, and as happened to my friend Hannah, make you feel like SHIT! I CANT EAT ANYTHING! but there is plenty to eat. the thing is, it can be challenging to avoid all this garbage. but most of us would prefer a challenge than willingly poisoning ourselves and our children. it does get easier. i was confused and overwhelemed at first too. but less than a year later this is second nature. i reccomend saturating yourself in information. the more times u hear it, the less likely youll be to forget or need to pull out an app to remember whats good and whats bad.
the truth about CARBS
there are 2 kinds of carbs. simple and complex. simple carbs are basically sugar and do nothing for your body. their quickly digested and make your ass fat. complex carbs take longer to digest, making you full and giving you energy. i deff wouldnt go on an all carb diet, but eating carbs will not kill you. i ate carbs my ENTIRE weight loss. and this "dont eat fruit, it has too many carbs" is BULLSHIT. yea fruit has carbs. but fruit (real fruit, were talking apples- not apple sauce) has NEVER made anyone fat. like in the history of the world. there are actually people who had fruit ONLY diets. if fruit is as bad for you as people on carb scared diets think it is, those fruit specific dieters would all be obsese. theyre not. this one is a marathon runner. i remember one time my sister sent me the nutrition info for this juice and it had like 10 million carbs. on first reaction you think NOOO!! but when i looked at the ingredients it was ALL FRUIT, no added sugar. it was actually a GREAT juice. dont be scared of fruit! and dont be scared of carbs if they come from fruit. and READ THE INGREDIENTS!
generally, white carbs are bad. so just remember that. white sugar, bad. white potato. bad. white pasta or rice? bad bad. replace white potato with sweet potato. white pasta with whole grain pasta. white rice with brown rice.
WHOLE GRAINS ARE THE BEST WAY TO EAT CARBS! whats a whole grain? just as it sounds, its a grain in its whole form. its not "bleached enriched flour" intstead its just "wheat" or "qunoa".... not some processed bullshit. whole grain is a nice way to say "less processed and better for you". however dont forget to read the ingredients! just becuase it says whole grain on the package doesnt mean its good for you.... if the ingredients are whole grains and SUGAR and CHEMICALS it might be worth skipping.
What about MEAT?
protien is EVERYWHERE. its in grains, beans, and leafy greens to be specific. i am VEGAN and i have never had to consiously eat more protien, yet i STILL get enough. when i did the weight loss surgery blog, angela had told me she needed to consume atleast 60g of protien a day post op, as instructed by her dr. that was such a cool fact to learn because i track everything i eat, and i eat between 60 and 80g a day.... by coincidence. without effort to add protien, i get a TON. you dont need meat to get protien. there are countless studies that suggest humans arent even able to absorb animal protien well.... but im not trying to force veganism on you here, i just want you to be aware that you DONT have to eat so much meat. if you do decided to eat meat, you should be sticking with birds.... red meats not good regularly and neither is pork. and just so u know, the WHOLE COW is "beef" so your "100% beef" package just means its cow. that hamburger prob has tongue and testicles ground up in it. youre welcome.
the documentary "food matters" (im pretty sure, couldve been food INC) has an amazing statistic. back in the day there was a euorpean area (i forget where) that was robbed by the nazis for their cattle. the nazis used it to breed and feed their army. in the years they had no meat to cancer and heart disease rates PLUMMETED. when the war was over and the cattle was returned, the disease returned. NEVER IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD has such a fast increase or descrease in disease been recorded. coincidence? doubt it. you dont have to be vegan. you dont even have to be vegetarian. but its a scientific fact that if you cut down to eating meat twice a week youd improve your health and add years to your life. i know even that seems like too much for most of you, so what id suggest is hop on the "meatless monday" trend, and dont eat meat on mondays. then once u start to realize all the other things to eat you can maybe do mondays and fridays or something. needing meat on your plate is an illusion. im so sick of people saying " that would be so good with a steak" about my vegan meals.... as if i am only giving them side dishes. its all in your head. a meal doesnt consist of meat.... its only been that way for you because youve chosen it. you can choose to eat differently. id suggest TRYING, small steps. but at least cut meat out of one meal a day? is that possible? make a small goal.
i always say if i ever eat meat again itll be a farm raised cow that i get to pick out of the pasture and kill with a single shot to the head. thats the most humane and healthy i can imagine. dont think for a second just because you buy your hamburgers at stop & shop theyre any better than mcdonalds. the demand for meat is so huge that ALL meat comes from factory farms. youre eating the same shit at home as at mcdonalds. even a lot of the organic meat is farmed in those terrible conditions, those animals just arent eating dead rotting carcases and getting fed antibiotics. they still have no room to walk or turn or lay. their babies are still ripped from them at birth so WE can have their milk (were the only species on earth that drinks milk from another species. wtf is up with that?). you can eat meat, just be aware of the cost. the price you pay is more than a dollar, its your health.
COOK!
the only way to know what youve eaten is to keep track ( i highly suggest it) the only way to be 100% sure about how something was prepared or whats in it is to make it yourself. you gotta start making food. you can eat at a healthy restaurant every day if you want, but its not the same. you dont know if your chicken is being grilled with oil. at home u do. you dont know if thats 1/4 cup of cheese or 1/2 cup of cheese. if you cook it you do. additionally, premade "healthy" food is usually chemically contaminated. restaurant food has way more sodium than what we make at home, because theyve got to add salt to preserve it on the route from farm to store, to restaurant to plate. so it could be the SAME ingredients you use at home, but its going to have more salt, which means retain more water, and look chunky.
SNACK TIME!
i suggest eating 5 or so small healthy meals a day. three of these are still stereotypical meals for me, but id say the other two fit in the snack category. you need to keep your metabolism going. you need to eat between breakfast and lunch and lunch and dinner. i dont need to tell you how to snack, but by request, ill be listing some healthy ideas. most of them have already been posted in THIS entry.
Whole fruit
Fruit salad
Veggies & Hummus
Whole grain crackers and hummus
Tabbouleh (see recipes)
DIY Trail mix (nuts & dried fruit)
Celery w peanut or almond butter
Fruit juice Popsicles (freeze 100% natural juice in a popsicle tray)
Fruit smoothie with almond milk (see recipes or simplegreensmoothies.com)
Unsalted pretzels (love with mustard)
shakeology
chocolate almond milk
lettuce wraps (romaine with hummus and veggies rolled up in it)
banana icecream (freeze one banana, process in food processor with a tablespoon of almond milk and a tsp of vanilla, add other frozen fruit if u want)
fruit and cream cheese wrap (see recipes)
zuchinni chips with salsa or hummus (a dehydrator is a great investment for veggie chips and dried fruit)
nuts (unsalted, preferable raw)
yogurt
skinny cow cheese wedge with celery
check out my pinterest for yummy recipes ive pinned!
Always be prepared!
excuses are for losers. when people use "there was nothing healthy to eat!" as a reason to eat shit, i wanna punch them. i NEVER dont have a healthy option. want to know why? because i bring a frieken lunch box with healthy choices with me almost everywhere i go! if i am going to be away from the house for more than 3 hours i bring a lunch box with either shakeology, veggies and hummus, nuts, or fruit in it. that way i can eat when i get hungry and it doesnt matter if theres not healthy food in sight. it also gives me a cusion incase i end up away from home longer than planned. i might not need to eat if i plan to be gone only 4 hours... but what if i end up in traffic or asked to stay late or something? i dont want to say no, but i dont want to say yes and compromise my eating. so i bring food. simple solution. i was just blow drying hair and sucking down shakeology at a 3 person house call the other day. i knew i would be there about 5 hours and i knew id get hungry. Sure enough i was offered pizza AND krispy kreme donuts. had i NOT had shakeology in my lunch box i wouldve caved and deff had at least one slice or a donut because i was so hungry. but instead i had a shake. yea, if youre not goin to a regular job where everyone brings their lunch you might look kind of weird bringing a lunch box (like i did, showing up to someones house with one) but what weighs more? your ass or your ego? if your ego is so big u cant stand the idea of people thinking your lunch box is weird, you need to readjust that. they might think youre weird now, but they will think you look HOTT after.
Eating Out
PLAN AHEAD! i dont eat out unless its part of the plan. i never eat out on a whim. not smart. when im going to a restaurant i look at the menu online before i go so i can choose a healthy option. if there are no healthy options, MAKE ONE. any restaurant will make food to order, and if they refuse, you seriously need to complain. i rarely tell them that i want my food the way i want it for a "diet" because they dont care about your diet! well, most dont... you can feel out who does care lol however, i do white lie and tell them i am allergic to certain things sometimes. i often tell the waitress im allergic to eggs and dairy so she doesnt fuck around and feed me any. i dont think thats wrong. when i have just said " i dont eat it" in the past i end up with mistakes, especially with take out. i also ask what the ingredients are, because sometimes things are hidden. if i dont tell the waitress i have an allergy she will prob tell me what she THINKS the ingredients are, rather than asking the chef. if she thinks i have an allergy she needs to be SURE. this happens to me with pizza crust a lot. ill ask if it has egg and am told "no". then i look it up online later and it DOES! had i told the girl it would make me ill she prob wouldve asked the chef instead of just telling me what she thinks i want to hear. but anyway, every place has a garden salad. thats a great choice. dressing ALWAYS on the side and ALWAYS a vinegarette or oil & vinegar, never a creamy dressing. creamy dressings ruin your salad. the ceasar at mcdonalds has 30g of fat in it. an order of fries has less. way to ruin your salad. you also want to ask for LIGHT or no cheese and light or no croutons. all extra calories you dont need. if you are getting chicken or fish on your salad, make sure its grilled DRY. if you just say grilled it will be grilled in oil. ask for it dry. who cares if youre giving them work, its their job! and if they do it correctly you will tip them accordingly! if you cannot afford to tip accordingly, DONT EAT OUT. same goes for ordering vegetable sides.... ive made the mistake of getting veggies only to find out theyre smothered in butter and its not mentioned on the menu. dont be afraid to ask how things are prepared and ask for them to steam or dry grill it instead. restaurants WANT happy customers. if their menu doesnt suit you they dont want u to stop giving them their money, they want to make something for you that will work! also, if youve chosen to indulge while eating out, see if youre able to only eat half! its smarter to eat a 2000 calorie meal in 2 sittings than in one, so bring some home! just because youre "cheating" doesnt mean you HAVE to lick your plate.
if youd like to learn more about the subject i HIGHLY recommend the book SKINNY BITCH- it does preach veganism but you can look past that if it doesnt interest you. the rest of the info is worth the read whether you care about the effects of animals on your body or not. the documentaries FOOD MATTERS and FOOD INC are also GREAT! theyre available for free some place or another on the internet, but if you have to pay for netflix or pay a couple bucks to download on amazon.com, its worth the money!
if you have a tip youd like to share please comment below! this is not an opportunity to argue my thoughts (see disclaimer) but i would love it if anyone had anything to add, maybe you have a certain allergy or a favorite healthy snack or meal.
i spent over 3 hours preparing this aritcle, but i know ive left some things out so ill prob edit it within a few days. in the meantime i hope you enjoyed and learned something!
first id like to make a disclaimer before i get sued. I am not a doctor or nutritionist. i have no formal nutrition training. I only know what i have learned from countless hours of research and reading and watching and listening AND experience. Consider this advice from a friend, not a professional.
Portion Control
everyone knows the secret to healthy eating is portion control. you need to eat smaller amounts. because when we go to a restaurant the plate is so huge we think thats what a portion is supposed to be. most restaurant meals are enough for 2 or 3 people. i suggest you read the portion size on EVERYTHING you put in your mouth. most candies and chips and sodas have multiple servings in a bag. as far as health food- they have a portion size too! so just becuase youre eating brown rice doesnt mean u get to eat 2 cups of it. read the box, find out what a SERVING IS, and eat a serving. no chips straight out of the bag, no ice cream straight out of the gallon, no dipping carrots in hummus right from the container (hummus adds up REAL quick if you dont scoop out those 2 table spoons.... ive eaten like a half cup of hummus in one sitting because i didnt pre-measure!) portion control also makes it possible to indulge in "bad" food. you CAN have cake, but you can only have ONE slice. and normal 2" or less slice, not a frieken monster slice (that is NOT portion control, eating a whole pizza isnt portion control because you only ate ONE- portion control is one or 2 slices and DONE.)
Eat LOTS of small meals
since youre eating less at a time, you will prob need to start eating more times a day. you might get hungry faster, since youre eating less at a time. also, small meals eaten frequently will help your metabolism keep going. we could really learn from cows. they graze all day. they eat until theyre no longer hungry and in a few hours they eat again, only until theyre no longer hungry. cows may be huge, but they are by design, not because of their diet. theres very little fat on cows, mostly muscle.
we are trained to think that in order to lose weight, we need to eat less. mostly because ignorant assholes are constantly telling fat people they need to stop eating. totally untrue. most fat people i know dont even eat 3x a day. and because of that, when they do eat their body automatically stores all the food as fat so it has enough to burn the next time you dont eat often enough. in the beginning i was embarrassed by my constant eating, but when i realized IT WORKED i stopped giving a shit what anyone thought. for example, if i was with someone for like 5 hours, chances are they will see me eat something twice in that time frame... when youre still chunky most outsiders are thinking "i thought she was trying to lose weight, why is she always eating?" let them think that and EAT EVERY FEW HOURS! it also makes it easier to eat smaller portions when you know you get to eat again in a few hours.... if you know its 7am and lunch isnt until noon you will want a BIG breakfast. in reality you should prob be having a small meal or snack between 930 or 10 and THEN lunch at noon.
make a PLAN
whether u do it on sunday nights or you plan for the next day the night before, you REALLY should make a plan. most of my "bad" meals are NOT planned, and they say all of your cheat meals should be ON PURPOSE not just because you said "aw fuck it". if youre tired and had a long day grabbing take out (prob a poor choice, how many of us really hit up a drive thru for a garden salad?) is prob going to be a lot more appealing than slaving away in the kitchen! when i have a PLAN it doesnt matter if im tired, it doesnt matter if its late. i have a plan and i stick to it. if i never have to wonder "hmm.... what am i gonna eat?" i never make an eating decision on a whim. this can be tough if you have kids or a crazy schedule but it IS possible. sometimes i have a lunch planned that requires a good 30 minutes of cooking and then i get a last minute appointment and have to go to the salon. in cases like that i drink my shakeology instead. if youre not drinking shakeology you can order it here for when you get into that situation. make a plan & more importantly, STICK TO IT!
what are CALORIES?
calories are NOT something to be avoided. calories are actually ENERGY. what you do want to avoid is "calories from fat". if something has 200 calories per serving that doesnt mean you shouldnt eat it. if there are not fat calories its actually good for you to eat! however, if there are 200 cals and 120 of them are "calories from fat" you really should pass. if youre trying to get into shape you should avoid anything that has 20% or more of its calories from fat.
READ THE INGREDIENTS
lets make this easy. IF YOU CANT PRONOUNCE IT, DONT EAT IT! ingredients are listed by volume, so whatever is first there is the most of, and whatever is on the end there is the least of. if your ketchup or bbq sauce has "high fructose corn syrup" as a top 3 ingredient (most do) you should PROB replace it with something natural. ingredient are more important than the nutrition info. i dont CARE if its a "100 calorie pack" and marketed to be great for a "diet". when theres a list of 40 ingredients and half of them i cannot pronounce, its NOT GOOD FOR YOU! is it only 100 calories? yes. is something all natural with double the calories better for your body? YES. this is assuming you want to be HEALTHY not just SKINNY. if you dont give a shit about your health and you just want to be skinny, you might as well skip all this food BS and go for anorexia. (totally kidding, but is eating poison to lose weight REALLY better for you than starving? id say not!)
Processed Foods
the healthiest foods are foods in their natural state. your body is able to identify them as what they are and therefore break them down more easily. so whats a processed food? simple. anything NOT in its natural state. unless you start a raw diet youll never only eat things in their natural state, but its a good rule to know to get some help. lets take an apple. an apple is NOT processed. the next level would be sliced apples. then we have apple sauce, apple pie, apple granola bars, etc. the slices (these have been pre-sliced and purchased at the store, for examples sake) may appear to be JUST apples, but think about it. how fast does an apple turn brown after you cut it? pretty quick! so how on earth do they keep the apple slices from turning brown? CHEMICALS. check the ingredients, APPLE will NOT be the only ingredient. therefor this food is not in its natural state. if u want a sliced apple buy one and slice it yourself. heres a few other examples. whats better for you, a potato or a potato chip? the potato, the chip has been processed. anything with a shit load of ingredients listed has been processed. anything that does not have SIMPLE ingredients its over processed. sometimes in the ingredients it will literally say "BLEACHED FLOUR". thats exactly what it sounds like. flour thats been BLEACHED white. or even better, "ENRICHED FLOUR" thats just bleached flour that has had nutrients put back into it! WHY dont we just eat FLOUR?! it may not be as white and pretty but it sure as hell has nutrients in it NATURALLY, so its doesnt need to be enriched. same goes for sugar. if your ingredients list "raw cane sugar" or even "cane sugar" that actually has NUTRITIONAL PROPERTIES! thats right! natural sugar (in moderation) is GOOD for you! however, refined white sugar made to be all pretty and white is TERRIBLE for you! idk when the food industry decided we needed everything to be white and fluffy but they really fucked us with this. in order to know if a food is processed or not, the easiest way is to READ THE INGREDIENTS. corn isnt bad for you, but high fructose corn syrup is! all it is, is processed corn that the sweetness has been sucked out of to use as sugar. your body doesnt identify it as corn, it has none of the nutrition of corn. is it the devil? nah, it prob wont kill u... but keep in mind those commercials that say your body cant tell the differnce between sugar and corn are made by the CORN INDUSTRY and are lies. if your body cant tell the difference, how come if i make cupcake with agave (a true natural unprocessed sweetener similar to honey) i can give it to a diabetic and their blood sugar doesnt change, but if i give the same cupcake made with HFCS to a diabetic they could go into a damn coma? YOUR BODY KNOWS THE DIFFERENCE. a little bit of HFCS isnt gonna kill you. the problem is its SO cheap and SO sweet that they put it in everyyyyyything. the ONLY WAY to consume it in moderation is to make a concious effort to consume less of it. go check your cabinets and condiments. its EVERYWHERE. chocolate milk, ketchup, crackers, cookies, bread, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc!
GMOs and ORGANICS
what is a GMO? a genetically modified organism. what does genetically modified mean? it was not grown with a natural seed. the seed has been altered in a lab to either 1- withstand the application of pesticides or 2- it has a pesticide built into it. i will not get into why you do not want to eat pesticides. it really isnt rocket science, so google it if your brain hasnt already figured it out.... ill just note that the way these pesticides (like monstantos ROUND UP) kill bugs is by making their stomachs explode. since the introduction of pesticdes on our food diesease that begins with inflammation has exploded. so maybe its not enough to make our stomachs explode, but its doing something to them. maybe "a little chemicals dont hurt"... but when chemicals are on EVERYTHING it hurts. every time you put produce or something made from produce into your mouth, say out loud I AM EATING POISON and soon enough you will realize how much poison you really eat.
what is organic? organic means it is not a GMO and it hasnt been sprayed with a topical pesticide. its the good ol fashioned produce (or farm animal) they used to make way back in the day before the food industry lost its mind and decided it was OK to eat chemicals (afterall, health care [or should i say sick care?] is a BUSINESS and nothing else). chances are, if it doesnt say its organic, it has chemicals on it. MOST companies want the organic bragging rights, although getting something certified organic can be a very costly process so some small companies choose not to certify. i dont know a TON of info about that. but it can be found here if you want to read.
i have a great app called TRUE FOOD and its a guide to GMOs. you can literally type in a food (by brand and all) and it will tell u if its GMO or not.... if it is, it will give you contact info to make a stink or ask questions or whatever you want to do.
the good news is although practically ALL of our produce is sprayed with pesticides, only a small amount are approved to be sold as GM in the US. the approved produce includes PAPAYA, PLUMS, CORN, POTATO, YELLOW SQUASH, & RADICCIO. that means if you cant switch your entire grocery list over to organic, start with these items and products made with these items (ex: tortilla chips are made from corn, if theyre not organic, theyre GMO. everything with high fructose corn syrup in it was made with genetically modified corn! organic companies dont use that shit) this list, however, is being updated regularly, as most other produce is currently undergoing field trials. i would strongly suggest downloading the TRUE FOOD app to keep you updated! the list of "invisable GM ingredients" is HUGE. literally, more than 30 items that i am not taking the time to type out. DOWNLOAD THE APP!
i know this can be overwhelming, and as happened to my friend Hannah, make you feel like SHIT! I CANT EAT ANYTHING! but there is plenty to eat. the thing is, it can be challenging to avoid all this garbage. but most of us would prefer a challenge than willingly poisoning ourselves and our children. it does get easier. i was confused and overwhelemed at first too. but less than a year later this is second nature. i reccomend saturating yourself in information. the more times u hear it, the less likely youll be to forget or need to pull out an app to remember whats good and whats bad.
the truth about CARBS
there are 2 kinds of carbs. simple and complex. simple carbs are basically sugar and do nothing for your body. their quickly digested and make your ass fat. complex carbs take longer to digest, making you full and giving you energy. i deff wouldnt go on an all carb diet, but eating carbs will not kill you. i ate carbs my ENTIRE weight loss. and this "dont eat fruit, it has too many carbs" is BULLSHIT. yea fruit has carbs. but fruit (real fruit, were talking apples- not apple sauce) has NEVER made anyone fat. like in the history of the world. there are actually people who had fruit ONLY diets. if fruit is as bad for you as people on carb scared diets think it is, those fruit specific dieters would all be obsese. theyre not. this one is a marathon runner. i remember one time my sister sent me the nutrition info for this juice and it had like 10 million carbs. on first reaction you think NOOO!! but when i looked at the ingredients it was ALL FRUIT, no added sugar. it was actually a GREAT juice. dont be scared of fruit! and dont be scared of carbs if they come from fruit. and READ THE INGREDIENTS!
generally, white carbs are bad. so just remember that. white sugar, bad. white potato. bad. white pasta or rice? bad bad. replace white potato with sweet potato. white pasta with whole grain pasta. white rice with brown rice.
WHOLE GRAINS ARE THE BEST WAY TO EAT CARBS! whats a whole grain? just as it sounds, its a grain in its whole form. its not "bleached enriched flour" intstead its just "wheat" or "qunoa".... not some processed bullshit. whole grain is a nice way to say "less processed and better for you". however dont forget to read the ingredients! just becuase it says whole grain on the package doesnt mean its good for you.... if the ingredients are whole grains and SUGAR and CHEMICALS it might be worth skipping.
What about MEAT?
protien is EVERYWHERE. its in grains, beans, and leafy greens to be specific. i am VEGAN and i have never had to consiously eat more protien, yet i STILL get enough. when i did the weight loss surgery blog, angela had told me she needed to consume atleast 60g of protien a day post op, as instructed by her dr. that was such a cool fact to learn because i track everything i eat, and i eat between 60 and 80g a day.... by coincidence. without effort to add protien, i get a TON. you dont need meat to get protien. there are countless studies that suggest humans arent even able to absorb animal protien well.... but im not trying to force veganism on you here, i just want you to be aware that you DONT have to eat so much meat. if you do decided to eat meat, you should be sticking with birds.... red meats not good regularly and neither is pork. and just so u know, the WHOLE COW is "beef" so your "100% beef" package just means its cow. that hamburger prob has tongue and testicles ground up in it. youre welcome.
the documentary "food matters" (im pretty sure, couldve been food INC) has an amazing statistic. back in the day there was a euorpean area (i forget where) that was robbed by the nazis for their cattle. the nazis used it to breed and feed their army. in the years they had no meat to cancer and heart disease rates PLUMMETED. when the war was over and the cattle was returned, the disease returned. NEVER IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD has such a fast increase or descrease in disease been recorded. coincidence? doubt it. you dont have to be vegan. you dont even have to be vegetarian. but its a scientific fact that if you cut down to eating meat twice a week youd improve your health and add years to your life. i know even that seems like too much for most of you, so what id suggest is hop on the "meatless monday" trend, and dont eat meat on mondays. then once u start to realize all the other things to eat you can maybe do mondays and fridays or something. needing meat on your plate is an illusion. im so sick of people saying " that would be so good with a steak" about my vegan meals.... as if i am only giving them side dishes. its all in your head. a meal doesnt consist of meat.... its only been that way for you because youve chosen it. you can choose to eat differently. id suggest TRYING, small steps. but at least cut meat out of one meal a day? is that possible? make a small goal.
i always say if i ever eat meat again itll be a farm raised cow that i get to pick out of the pasture and kill with a single shot to the head. thats the most humane and healthy i can imagine. dont think for a second just because you buy your hamburgers at stop & shop theyre any better than mcdonalds. the demand for meat is so huge that ALL meat comes from factory farms. youre eating the same shit at home as at mcdonalds. even a lot of the organic meat is farmed in those terrible conditions, those animals just arent eating dead rotting carcases and getting fed antibiotics. they still have no room to walk or turn or lay. their babies are still ripped from them at birth so WE can have their milk (were the only species on earth that drinks milk from another species. wtf is up with that?). you can eat meat, just be aware of the cost. the price you pay is more than a dollar, its your health.
COOK!
the only way to know what youve eaten is to keep track ( i highly suggest it) the only way to be 100% sure about how something was prepared or whats in it is to make it yourself. you gotta start making food. you can eat at a healthy restaurant every day if you want, but its not the same. you dont know if your chicken is being grilled with oil. at home u do. you dont know if thats 1/4 cup of cheese or 1/2 cup of cheese. if you cook it you do. additionally, premade "healthy" food is usually chemically contaminated. restaurant food has way more sodium than what we make at home, because theyve got to add salt to preserve it on the route from farm to store, to restaurant to plate. so it could be the SAME ingredients you use at home, but its going to have more salt, which means retain more water, and look chunky.
SNACK TIME!
i suggest eating 5 or so small healthy meals a day. three of these are still stereotypical meals for me, but id say the other two fit in the snack category. you need to keep your metabolism going. you need to eat between breakfast and lunch and lunch and dinner. i dont need to tell you how to snack, but by request, ill be listing some healthy ideas. most of them have already been posted in THIS entry.
Whole fruit
Fruit salad
Veggies & Hummus
Whole grain crackers and hummus
Tabbouleh (see recipes)
DIY Trail mix (nuts & dried fruit)
Celery w peanut or almond butter
Fruit juice Popsicles (freeze 100% natural juice in a popsicle tray)
Fruit smoothie with almond milk (see recipes or simplegreensmoothies.com)
Unsalted pretzels (love with mustard)
shakeology
chocolate almond milk
lettuce wraps (romaine with hummus and veggies rolled up in it)
banana icecream (freeze one banana, process in food processor with a tablespoon of almond milk and a tsp of vanilla, add other frozen fruit if u want)
fruit and cream cheese wrap (see recipes)
zuchinni chips with salsa or hummus (a dehydrator is a great investment for veggie chips and dried fruit)
nuts (unsalted, preferable raw)
yogurt
skinny cow cheese wedge with celery
check out my pinterest for yummy recipes ive pinned!
Always be prepared!
excuses are for losers. when people use "there was nothing healthy to eat!" as a reason to eat shit, i wanna punch them. i NEVER dont have a healthy option. want to know why? because i bring a frieken lunch box with healthy choices with me almost everywhere i go! if i am going to be away from the house for more than 3 hours i bring a lunch box with either shakeology, veggies and hummus, nuts, or fruit in it. that way i can eat when i get hungry and it doesnt matter if theres not healthy food in sight. it also gives me a cusion incase i end up away from home longer than planned. i might not need to eat if i plan to be gone only 4 hours... but what if i end up in traffic or asked to stay late or something? i dont want to say no, but i dont want to say yes and compromise my eating. so i bring food. simple solution. i was just blow drying hair and sucking down shakeology at a 3 person house call the other day. i knew i would be there about 5 hours and i knew id get hungry. Sure enough i was offered pizza AND krispy kreme donuts. had i NOT had shakeology in my lunch box i wouldve caved and deff had at least one slice or a donut because i was so hungry. but instead i had a shake. yea, if youre not goin to a regular job where everyone brings their lunch you might look kind of weird bringing a lunch box (like i did, showing up to someones house with one) but what weighs more? your ass or your ego? if your ego is so big u cant stand the idea of people thinking your lunch box is weird, you need to readjust that. they might think youre weird now, but they will think you look HOTT after.
Eating Out
PLAN AHEAD! i dont eat out unless its part of the plan. i never eat out on a whim. not smart. when im going to a restaurant i look at the menu online before i go so i can choose a healthy option. if there are no healthy options, MAKE ONE. any restaurant will make food to order, and if they refuse, you seriously need to complain. i rarely tell them that i want my food the way i want it for a "diet" because they dont care about your diet! well, most dont... you can feel out who does care lol however, i do white lie and tell them i am allergic to certain things sometimes. i often tell the waitress im allergic to eggs and dairy so she doesnt fuck around and feed me any. i dont think thats wrong. when i have just said " i dont eat it" in the past i end up with mistakes, especially with take out. i also ask what the ingredients are, because sometimes things are hidden. if i dont tell the waitress i have an allergy she will prob tell me what she THINKS the ingredients are, rather than asking the chef. if she thinks i have an allergy she needs to be SURE. this happens to me with pizza crust a lot. ill ask if it has egg and am told "no". then i look it up online later and it DOES! had i told the girl it would make me ill she prob wouldve asked the chef instead of just telling me what she thinks i want to hear. but anyway, every place has a garden salad. thats a great choice. dressing ALWAYS on the side and ALWAYS a vinegarette or oil & vinegar, never a creamy dressing. creamy dressings ruin your salad. the ceasar at mcdonalds has 30g of fat in it. an order of fries has less. way to ruin your salad. you also want to ask for LIGHT or no cheese and light or no croutons. all extra calories you dont need. if you are getting chicken or fish on your salad, make sure its grilled DRY. if you just say grilled it will be grilled in oil. ask for it dry. who cares if youre giving them work, its their job! and if they do it correctly you will tip them accordingly! if you cannot afford to tip accordingly, DONT EAT OUT. same goes for ordering vegetable sides.... ive made the mistake of getting veggies only to find out theyre smothered in butter and its not mentioned on the menu. dont be afraid to ask how things are prepared and ask for them to steam or dry grill it instead. restaurants WANT happy customers. if their menu doesnt suit you they dont want u to stop giving them their money, they want to make something for you that will work! also, if youve chosen to indulge while eating out, see if youre able to only eat half! its smarter to eat a 2000 calorie meal in 2 sittings than in one, so bring some home! just because youre "cheating" doesnt mean you HAVE to lick your plate.
if youd like to learn more about the subject i HIGHLY recommend the book SKINNY BITCH- it does preach veganism but you can look past that if it doesnt interest you. the rest of the info is worth the read whether you care about the effects of animals on your body or not. the documentaries FOOD MATTERS and FOOD INC are also GREAT! theyre available for free some place or another on the internet, but if you have to pay for netflix or pay a couple bucks to download on amazon.com, its worth the money!
if you have a tip youd like to share please comment below! this is not an opportunity to argue my thoughts (see disclaimer) but i would love it if anyone had anything to add, maybe you have a certain allergy or a favorite healthy snack or meal.
i spent over 3 hours preparing this aritcle, but i know ive left some things out so ill prob edit it within a few days. in the meantime i hope you enjoyed and learned something!