We have probably all heard that you are what you eat. It is true. It is pretty hard for your body to keep you healthy and running in tip top shape if you aren't giving it the nutrients it needs. If you don't take care of your vehicle, it won't run very well and will eventually leave you stranded on the side of the road. It's the same with your body. If the only thing you feed it is junk food like potato chips, soft drinks, sugary foods, and fast food, it won't take long for your body to get slow and sluggish.
I used to be a regular at McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, KFC, and several other fast food places. I also considered potato chips and other salty snack foods a major daily food group. And, a meal of mine was never complete without at least one large serving of a dessert. Soft drinks were my only source of hydration. Fresh fruits and vegetables were something I avoided.
I paid the price for my bad eating habits. I gained weight and compromised my health. I'm now pre-diabetic and had blood pressure that was starting to rise. But, I opened my eyes and realized that with every bite of food that was bad for me I was only hurting myself.
I wish I could say I made a complete turnaround and now only eat healthy foods all the time. I don't because to me, all the foods that taste the best are the ones that are the worst for me. I only half jokingly tell people I wish there was a pill I could take that would make fresh vegetables taste like potato chips and fresh fruit taste like candy. Then I would want to eat them all day long! My problem is that I've gotten my taste buds accustomed to that type of food.
But any of us who have gotten ourselves practically addicted to all the bad but yummy tasting foods can change things for ourselves. I'm doing it. For me the key is to make the changes slowly so I stick with them. And it's working. Every week I add more fresh fruits and vegetables in my diet. To make eating them easier, I keep fresh vegetables cut up and handy at all times.
Because I still do not like the taste of water, I add Crystal Light to it or buy one of the many low cal flavored waters to help me. I also pour water over ice to make it really cold and drink it out of a straw. To me it makes it taste better and it's more fun drinking it that way.
Avoiding those salty and crunchy chips is the hardest for me so I don't buy the large bags anymore. I only buy single serving bags when I have the craving for them because I will eat the whole bag no matter what size it is. To help with those salty and crunchy cravings I keep whole grain crackers on hand that I spread with peanut butter or cheese, and also keep nuts in my cupboard. There are some really interesting and tasty nuts available. I like pistachios and am able to find them in garlic, jalapeno, and chili-lime flavors. Almonds are very tasty too and are very nutritious. Blue Diamond smoked almonds were my favorite until a few weeks ago when my store started carrying some new flavors. Their lime and chili, barbecue, and onion and garlic almonds are all outstanding. They help me have very few cravings for chips.
If you feel like you are a super sized bag of potato chips rather than a fine tuned machine that is getting all the nutrients, don't despair. You can make changes and get healthier. Replace junk foods, one at a time, with healthier choices. You may soon find you are craving foods that are good for you. I am.
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