After my long trip through Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota, I have thought about a couple things, so I guess I'll let you in on my thoughts.
When I have talked to anyone considering nutrition (athlete or not) certain foods get brought up. Normally it's comments like "But I love Taco Bell, how am I supposed to give that up?" or "I really don't like these super healthy foods...salad? That tastes nasty." Usually these kinds of comments come alone or without me asking a question about it! Most people get hooked into believing in two categories: good food and bad food. Good food is like, I don't know, fruits and veggies and stuff; you know, rabbit food. And bad food is of course every fast food and all those sugary sodas and fatty desserts. Well I've come here to tell you all that you can have the best of both worlds as long as foods are enjoyed in moderation.
"Everything in moderation." I bet a lot of you have heard this before, but let me explain the purpose. Our diet needs to be varied and contain a whole bunch of different foods. When we don't moderate or control portions of foods, we end up eating too much of a couple benefits and miss out on a ton of good tasting food, extra vitamins and minerals, sustained energy, and decreased stomach problems. For example, the person that loves Pizza Hut pizza and stops by 2 to 3 times per week has made pizza a very large part of the diet. Now, depending on what he or she is ordering every time, this person is getting the same flavors, same nutrients, same fats, same feelings, and on and on and on...I want this person to have their pizza! It's their favorite food! What I want this person to do, though, is control when and how much pizza is eaten. Bring the pizza home and enjoy it slowly, not 4 or 5 slices at once. Have 1 or 2 slices with a side salad of your choice, and drink lots of water or maybe some skim milk. Now there's a full meal! Plus the salad will cleanse the palate and make each bite of pizza after get even more taste.
What about the other way? All these nutritionists telling you to eat those superfoods, and drink these teas and juices, and don't forget yogurt! It can be supremely frustrating, especially because lots of the super healthy foods unfortunately don't taste good to everyone. When it comes to trying out these healthy foods and incorporating them into the diet, start slow! Nobody should tell you or attack you for trying new foods, and no one likes people that scoff at your diet just because you eat this or don't eat that. Recently, I have been trying to eat more raw vegetables. It's tough. All I can think of to eat is a salad (which will need dressing) or adding a bit of lettuce and tomato to a sandwich. At first I was like "Ugh, this is tough and annoying," but now I'm looking at it as a success because at least I am already eating more raw veggies! I plan to try out more foods soon too as today is grocery shopping day.
So what am I getting at? Moderation in the diet can lead to a couple of things:
- Eating the foods you love
- Eating foods that benefit you
- Satisfied stomach instead of painfully stuffed
- Eating foods that are inexpensive
- Learning what foods you like and when
Of course there are more, but you all are probably sick of reading already. So next time you go to McDonald's, try out the Dollar Menu, but keep it small and simple! Or maybe try that new salad they have or the fruit smoothie. And the next grocery trip? Get smaller sized snacks one at a time and see how it goes: mixed nuts, baby carrots, celery stalks, different yogurts.
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