Posted by katte

Statistically Americans are the most obsessed with their appearance. Too fat, too thin, not just like the movie stars, and endless fault finding with skin, hair, nose and other physical features. The rise of entertainers to the cult level has changed the way we view ourselves. In the past it was far more important to become something, to be a good productive citizen regardless of how we look. Now the focus, for many people, has become looks rather than accomplishments. Looks do count, but should not be the sum total, the value of life.

Since we want to maintain a healthy weight whether we are gorgeous or rather plain, lets take a look at the old saying, “You are what you eat.” In our modern, frantically paced lives we need a real good reason to bother eating right. We will not exert the extra effort unless we are convinced the gain is worth the pain. One basic fact to remember is that if you eat junk you get full but not satisfied. You grab something from the gas station or fast food place and inhale it while driving to your next appointment. That was fast, convenient and filling. Or was it? True it was fast and convenient but why are you hungry again already? Because you got full, not nourished! Empty, maybe greasy, calories triggered the full feeling but soon the body is asking for more because you gave it calories but not nutrients. Eat something more natural and nutritious and you don’t get hungry again for a long time. When you eat healthy you not only get less calories but you eat less often and therefore maintain a natural healthy body weight. Barring an eating disorder or other physical abnormality, the right diet will cause your weight to stabilize at an optimal and desirable level. No dieting, no frustration, no lamenting over ups and downs, just a stable weight that is right for you.

Hopefully, you don’t think ultra thin is your optimal size. I am referring to healthy body size. Optimal body weight can be maintained with ice cream and other treats as part of your normal diet. Moderation is the key and this is easily kept if nutritious and satisfying food is eaten before the ice cream. You will be satisfied with a little ice cream if it follows a healthy meal. Your body will crave some amount of fatty or greasy foods from time to time. Listen to your body, give it some when it asks and go on. If you refuse the request, the craving could get out of control and you will find yourself bingeing on that food at a later time. Always remember we are striving for normal, healthy thinking and eating. Try to reject thoughts that are obsessed with physical appearance. Think of the nicest most genuine and enjoyable people you know. Are they all movie star material? Likely not, but they are great people and that is far more valuable than their looks.

There are some great web sites where you can get a handle on your eating. For instance, http://www.nutritiondata.com has a place where you can type in what you eat and it will evaluate it for you as to nutrition content. With their Pantry tool you can find out what foods you can substitute for the things you are now eating that will be more nutritious. This will help you transition from your present eating style to one that makes more sense without drastic changes that are too challenging for most people. You can even submit your own recipe and it will tell you what ingredients to substitute to make it a better dish. All for free! On this site I found out that if you eat a meal with mushrooms, spinach (eat it in a salad) and tuna that you have included all the necessary nutrients for your body! Wow! “Good for you” has never been so easy or so delicious! And if you just can’t eat one of those ingredients, it is easy to find substitutes and get the same complete and balanced meal.

Eat out often? Try http://www.diabetes.org/nutrition-and-recipes/nutrition/eatingoutguide.jsp. This is a guide for diabetics, but most of the advice applies to anyone wanting to make healthy choices while eating out. Do you have a favorite restaurant or pizza place? Try typing “www. name of favorite place.com” in the address bar of your internet browser. Many of the most popular chains have complete lists of calories and nutrition for their menu items. If the nutrition tool isn’t evident on the home page, just type the word nutrition into the search tool and it will direct you to their guide. You will be surprised just how helpful these sites can be. Some even have meal building tools where you can find out how the nutrition and calories change as you substitute different items from their menu for your meal or tray.

Now you have no excuse not to eat healthy, so make those changes and get that weight where it should be!

By Jackie Benson