Nutrition.
The world seems to me a very undernourished place. Having too much of the wrong food... and just plain not enough food will create malnutrition.
I have felt the guilt of having such an abundance of food with the knowledge that others are starving... or worse... watching their children starve. This is a horrible reality that people face every day. BUT OVEREATING WILL NOT FILL OTHERS EMPTY BELLIES.
You wouldn't think in this country of abundance that we would struggle with nutrition... but we do. We tend to eat a lot of empty calories... things that lack vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. We tend to eat the wrong kinds of fats, carbs, and even protein. A startling trend is how much we consume calorie wise in what we drink... whether in our lattes, our gatorade, sodas, and even juice... we as Americans consume a lot of calories in our beverage choices.
I was thinking through some changes that could potentially help.
1.) Eat what you have. I don't do well with this one and I want to do better! I like to eat what I want when I want it. I might have food in my pantry, fridge, and freezer but if I'm craving some particular item... No problem... just run to the store and satisfy my desire. Aaagggh! If I eat what I have... I save money, time, etc.
2.) Drink water, water, water! Enough said. When you're hydrated you tend to not overeat. Because you're sated. Our bodies are made up of water and they need water to work properly.
3.) Less is more... Okay, so you bought that jar of sauce or pickles or olives or whatever... and you haven't used it. And reality is you know you won't use it. You bought it in a weird frame of mind when that item sounded good. Stop beating yourself up! Give it away. Donate food to a local food bank. This is fall, AKA: Food drive season. Give out of your abundance. Go through your pantry... look realistically at what you will and won't consume. Throw away anything expired... and donate what you won't use.
4.)Keep on hand what you will use. Don't buy more than you need. This kind of goes with the point above, less is more. I love wholesale clubs. They're fantastic for diapers, wipes, laundry detergent, and things that will last me a while.. that I WILL use. BUT, if you don't need a HUGE thing of carrots... don't get it! If you want to try a new product that's iffy... then get it a grocery store.. don't buy a huge amount of something you end up finding out that you don't like. I'm blessed. I have many people in my life that I can share with. Between my parents, my brother and sister, my helper Rebecca, I have many people I can share fruits, veggies, or other "extras" with. If you don't have people you can share your produce or other perishables with... don't buy too much!
5.) Plan your meals. This is something you can do many ways. You can create a list of meals that you have the supplies on hand. Or you can create a weekly schedule. You can even join something like e-mealz that helps you shop smart and plan your meals.
6.) Bulk up your meal with fruits and veggies. Add blueberries to your oatmeal. Add grated carrots to your spaghetti sauce. The USDA is encouraging something new. Instead of the old food pyramid they've created a plate.
It reminds me of something... oh yeah, Weight Watchers :) This is the kind of lifestyle eating they encourage. Fruits, veggies, lean protein, and whole grain carbs. Weight Watchers also has as a standard two tsp. of healthy oil in your diet as well... olive oil, etc.
So all of this said... this is not some set of rules that I follow legalistically. I'm saying these ideas as much to myself as anyone. BUT maybe it will help more than just me :) So I will risk sharing this with you in hopes that it might encourage you to Live well, and nutritiously.
Also, this in no way negates whatever a physician has told you. If you are having serious health issues consult your doctor first!
I have felt the guilt of having such an abundance of food with the knowledge that others are starving... or worse... watching their children starve. This is a horrible reality that people face every day. BUT OVEREATING WILL NOT FILL OTHERS EMPTY BELLIES.
You wouldn't think in this country of abundance that we would struggle with nutrition... but we do. We tend to eat a lot of empty calories... things that lack vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. We tend to eat the wrong kinds of fats, carbs, and even protein. A startling trend is how much we consume calorie wise in what we drink... whether in our lattes, our gatorade, sodas, and even juice... we as Americans consume a lot of calories in our beverage choices.
I was thinking through some changes that could potentially help.
1.) Eat what you have. I don't do well with this one and I want to do better! I like to eat what I want when I want it. I might have food in my pantry, fridge, and freezer but if I'm craving some particular item... No problem... just run to the store and satisfy my desire. Aaagggh! If I eat what I have... I save money, time, etc.
2.) Drink water, water, water! Enough said. When you're hydrated you tend to not overeat. Because you're sated. Our bodies are made up of water and they need water to work properly.
3.) Less is more... Okay, so you bought that jar of sauce or pickles or olives or whatever... and you haven't used it. And reality is you know you won't use it. You bought it in a weird frame of mind when that item sounded good. Stop beating yourself up! Give it away. Donate food to a local food bank. This is fall, AKA: Food drive season. Give out of your abundance. Go through your pantry... look realistically at what you will and won't consume. Throw away anything expired... and donate what you won't use.
4.)Keep on hand what you will use. Don't buy more than you need. This kind of goes with the point above, less is more. I love wholesale clubs. They're fantastic for diapers, wipes, laundry detergent, and things that will last me a while.. that I WILL use. BUT, if you don't need a HUGE thing of carrots... don't get it! If you want to try a new product that's iffy... then get it a grocery store.. don't buy a huge amount of something you end up finding out that you don't like. I'm blessed. I have many people in my life that I can share with. Between my parents, my brother and sister, my helper Rebecca, I have many people I can share fruits, veggies, or other "extras" with. If you don't have people you can share your produce or other perishables with... don't buy too much!
5.) Plan your meals. This is something you can do many ways. You can create a list of meals that you have the supplies on hand. Or you can create a weekly schedule. You can even join something like e-mealz that helps you shop smart and plan your meals.
6.) Bulk up your meal with fruits and veggies. Add blueberries to your oatmeal. Add grated carrots to your spaghetti sauce. The USDA is encouraging something new. Instead of the old food pyramid they've created a plate.
It reminds me of something... oh yeah, Weight Watchers :) This is the kind of lifestyle eating they encourage. Fruits, veggies, lean protein, and whole grain carbs. Weight Watchers also has as a standard two tsp. of healthy oil in your diet as well... olive oil, etc.
So all of this said... this is not some set of rules that I follow legalistically. I'm saying these ideas as much to myself as anyone. BUT maybe it will help more than just me :) So I will risk sharing this with you in hopes that it might encourage you to Live well, and nutritiously.
Also, this in no way negates whatever a physician has told you. If you are having serious health issues consult your doctor first!
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