You have probably heard it said that your health is 20 percent in the gym and 80 percent in the kitchen. As a trainer, I would love to tell you that it’s not true and that you can run off your health woes or lift off your sickness…. but I can’t. Obviously, for me to dedicate my life to being a personal trainer, my true passion is in training. At the same time though, I sincerely want my clients (and anyone else who’s life I touch through this blog) to live full, healthy lives! It just can’t be done without a healthy diet.
We really are what we eat. If we consistently put garbage into our bodies, we will see and feel the effects of that. On the other hand, if we feed our bodies with the nutrients it craves, we will feel those affects as well, and it’s awesome.
I certainly have my share of weaknesses when it comes to junk food, but I have to make sure they don’t become habitual. I love sweets especially homemade, and I love to bake, but if I’m consuming chocolate chip cookies more often than the healthy stuff my body needs, then I will feel the ill effects and reap the consequences of my choices.
The great thing is that there are tons of healthy options out there for whatever you are craving! And there are more ways than ever to have healthy recipes only a click away. Check out some healthy meal and snack recipes and even some healthier dessert options on my Pinterest boards. It’s surprising how great food can taste with some real food for ingredients instead of the processed junk we have grown accustomed to. You may find some snack recipes that use pitted dates instead of heaps of sugar, and you may also find that you like it and didn’t realize healthy eating could be so good (and guiltless!).
Let’s chat for a moment about the food you keep at home, because if we have junk in the house, then we will put junk in our mouths. Maybe a quick look at our typical grocery list will help identify easy ways to make some changes. I know that if I buy potato chips, I will definitely eat them. I know that if I have a shopping list and I make the choice to steer clear of the junk and keep healthy items in my house, those are the things that I will eat. For me, I am no different than most people when it comes to preparing healthy meals. I need recipes that don’t require an enormous list of ingredients. I need recipes that taste good and that I won’t get bored with. I need recipes that my family will love. I need recipes that are EASY and QUICK to prepare. Believe it or not, this doesn’t have to be complicated! You just need to explore the things that you like and try to find recipes that are good to your body in addition to your taste buds. Snoop around online, and try a few things that are easy to prep. It’s likely that you’ll realize this wasn’t as hard as you thought it’d be and it’s delicious too! AND, if you’re like me, I need to choose recipes that won’t break the bank either. It CAN be done!
Old habits die hard. You may be set in your ways. You may be used to eating all your meals out of a box or from the drive thru. But you may have also noticed that your health isn’t what it used to be. You may have noticed that you just don’t feel as good as you used to. And don’t just attribute that feeling to aging. We can all live full and healthy lives without feeling like garbage by the time we hit forty. If you are taking mounds of prescription drugs and just have considered this the new norm and that it’s just part of getting older, think again! Although there is a place for prescription drugs for certain conditions, in general, our bodies are beautifully designed to feel great and to function optimally when we fuel them optimally. Think about this…what are your grocery store staples? If you make a weekly trip to the grocery store, what is always in your cart? What are your must-haves? Part of making a change is to identify what needs changing. If your eating habits are really struggling and you know you need some professional help, perhaps a nutritional expert can help steer you in the right direction if you feel that you need a little push in the beginning. If you’re committed to trying this on your own for now and you really, sincerely want to make some changes, let’s start by changing the way we shop. We have so many options now…more than generations before us ever had! Sounds awesome, doesn’t it? Maybe too many options though? Too much convenience has created a culture of dependence on these things, and maybe it’s all we’ve ever known. Ever hear anyone say to shop the perimeter at the grocery store? There is truth to this! All the fresh stuff is there! All the stuff in boxes tends to lurk about in the middle.
I thought it may help to share with you my grocery list staples. These are items I keep at my house at all times, and I never want to run out of them. Some are weekly, like the stuff that needs to be purchased fresh, and some stuff is occasionally, like seeds I keep on hand for my smoothies. I have never claimed to be perfect, but the key here is to make the junk more of a rare treat than a daily one.
Here are items I NEVER want to run out of at my house:
1) Baby Spinach – This goes in my morning smoothie every day. It’s an easy way for me to get in some greens first thing and I don’t even notice it (other than a slight change in the color of my shake!)
2) Broccoli – Steamed, baked, however you like it, it’s packed with nutrients. Did you know it’s a great source of protein, iron, and calcium?! One of my favorite veggies, I always keep on hand.
3) Walnuts – A great source of omega-3s, I throw these in my smoothie every morning as well.
4) Unsweetened Almond Milk – I keep this in my fridge to use for smoothies and usually have some organic soy milk as well. See the recipe for my 6 Ingredient Pumpkin Smoothie here!
5) Assorted Frozen Vegetables – I use frozen veggies in soups and stews but also like to keep on hand in case I need before my next trip to the store to buy fresh. Some veggies are actually better to buy frozen if they are out of season.
6) Frozen Blueberries – I love fresh blueberries, but I don’t have them on hand most of the time in my fridge, because they are only really tasty when they are in season. They are packed with nutrients that have been shown to have powerful anti-cancer effects.
7) Bananas – I never let a banana go to waste in my house. When they start to turn, I peel them and break them into two or three chunks to put in a freezer bag and save for smoothies.
8) Sweet Potatoes – I love baked sweet potatoes, and when you bake them, they are so sweet, you don’t need to add butter or sugars to them. They are their own dessert!
9) Flax Seeds and Chia Seeds – Just to clarify, these aren’t one and the same, but I’m putting them both here because I like to use them for add-ins in smoothies and other recipes, so I always have on hand. In case you have a hard time finding in your local store, I’m including links here. Premium Gold Organic Whole Flax Seed
10) Black Beans and other bean varieties – I use for a side dish or for use in soups.
11) Diced Tomatoes – When they’re not in season and I can’t pick straight from my own garden, I still keep some frozen that I’ve put away or buy canned to use throughout the winter.
12) Lettuce – Green lettuce is really low in calories but contains an abundance of phytonutrients.
13) Eggs – I don’t eat eggs daily, but I do like hard boiled eggs with my lunch on occasion or mashed hard-boiled egg mixed with hummus and served with a whole grain tortilla is a good lunch or snack option.
14) Grass-fed Beef – I grew up eating beef, and I buy this locally. I love using especially in my chili in the fall and winter.
15) Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts – It’s so easy to cook and shred to store for meals throughout the week, or to bake and serve with fresh veggies. Plenty of options, so I keep a stash in the deep freeze as well.
This certainly isn’t an exhaustive list. I just wanted to list a few items to keep it brief. There are other fruits and veggies that are fresher during various seasons so I buy as they are available. And there are some things I NEED to keep in my house more often that I don’t always.
If you have healthy must-haves that you’d like to share, please comment!
The main point in this is that we eat what we have on hand, so if we keep bags of chips and junk in our homes, we are very likely to eat them. If we keep sliced veggies and whole raw fruits on hand, they will be easy to grab and snack on as well. Write your grocery list in advance and make sure it is full of only healthy options, and then stick to it! You can do this!
Here’s to YOUR health!
Fit Simplified 