This is the 4th installment in our series about how to “Be The Healthiest You”. It’s all about choosing better quality foods.
If you haven’t read from the beginning of the series, I would start there first. (Click here for our 1st Installment: BE THE HEALTHIEST YOU: STEP 1 PLAN, PRIORITIZE AND PREPARE.)
This segment is a more advanced step and it will be difficult to be successful if you try to skip out on the foundations.
Foundation Matters
Why can’t we skip the foundations and expect to be successful?
Let’s go back to when you were learning to drive. Your dad didn’t just give you the keys and say “You got this!” and walk away. (Well, maybe he did but let’s just all agree that this approach doesn’t scale to people who need to drive down I 25 at any time of day.)
You have to learn things like what the road signs mean, the process for changing lanes, etc. Something that comes easy to us now, but do you remember the first time you had to change lanes? You were supposed to hold the wheel in place, put your signal on and look over your shoulder without losing control of the car. It’s easy now, but that doesn’t mean it was easy for us the first time. We need to understand the basics and then practice before we get on the highway the first time.
If you want to learn to do something properly you have to master the foundations. Or at least understand why they are important. Choosing quality foods is important to get you to the best level of health and fitness you can achieve, but knowing what quality is doesn’t help if you never have time to ensure you have a way to have groceries in the fridge every day.
So click on the link for the first installment and move through the next steps – THEN read this one. We will wait. 🙂
Step 4: CHOOSE BETTER QUALITY FOODS
Welcome Back! We hope that was helpful and you have been able to practice for a while. You have learned to make time, have food in your fridge and also know what is for dinner each night. You are also eating to sustain your energy level without adding to your body fat. If you have all this in place, YOU ARE READY for Step 4: CHOOSE BETTER QUALITY FOODS. If you aren’t there just yet – check out our nutrition services and we can get you there. No need to do this alone.
What is Better?
First of all, what is better? Better for you and me, will be different for someone else. Let’s take these two examples for Taco Tuesday!
- Person A: Tacos were made with gluten free tortillas, freshly chopped vegetables, ground beef and homemade seasoning.
- Person B: Tacos were made with shells out of a box, ground beef, and store bought seasoning that has added sugars.
Let’s see how these two can swap out better quality foods in each of their meals.
- Person A: Swap out ground beef for lean, grass fed ground beef or ground turkey. Try out lettuce wraps and see how they compare to your tortillas.
- Person B: Swap out shells for lettuce wraps or store bought seasoning for your own homemade seasoning.
Person A and Person B both made choices to improve the quality of foods that they are currently eating. I am thrilled with both of them.
Incremental Changes
Making incremental changes throughout your “Be The Healthiest You” process is key. If you try to take on too much at once and make changes that are not sustainable for the long term, you might find yourself back where you started, if not worse.
Here are some other examples of choosing better quality foods:
- Oranges vs orange juice
- Steel cut or rolled oats w/ fruit instead of sugary breakfast cereal
- High fiber noodles rather than plain white pasta
- Natural peanut butter vs regular peanut butter
- Decrease the add-ins to your flavored, sugary coffee
What can you do to choose better quality for your next meal?
What someone to hold you accountable and provide additional guidance to becoming a healthier version of you? Learn about our nutrition program and book a call with me today!