G.A. Viray
“You are what you eat”, that’s what many experts believe, which is actually true. It’s just plain simple, when we eat healthy, we become healthy. If we eat less, we gain less weight. If we eat more food, we gain more weight. These are just simple rules in eating that actually is easier said than done.
After we have presented you the ways to lose weight without starving yourself, we now would like to give you some tips to avoid one of the greatest temptations every man has faced in one way or another: JUNK FOOD!
But what really is “junk food”? Junk food refers to foods that are high in calories but are low in nutritional value. These include foods that are processed with high sodium and preservative content as well. These foods are actually addicting since the feeling of fullness is not easily satisfied when you eat them.
So, how can we avoid them? Here are just a few simple steps:
1. Do not skip meals.
When we don’t skip meals, we feel less hungry, we crave less. It is when we feel hunger that we develop a certain craving, and when we are already hungry, what’s easiest to grab are these junk foods.
2. Create a new eating habit
If you are used to eating sweets, salty foods and fried foods, it would be more difficult to stay away from them. Try developing a new healthy eating habit. Instead of eating junk foods, try eating a banana or apple for a snack. When your taste buds get used to them, it’s easier to crave for healthy.
3. Observe the rule of five.
Foods with at least five or more ingredients mean that they are as far as natural food is. Think chocolate chip cookies or your favorite chips with a lot of different ingredients on their labels.
4. Stock on healthy, unprocessed foods.
When junk foods are out of reach, it’s easier to avoid them. Try stocking up on fruits instead of chocolate bars and chips on your fridge or office table, it would help you develop a new craving as well.
5. Satisfy your cravings with a healthy substitute.
Chances are we crave because we are hungry. When our hunger is satisfied, it is easier to avoid junk foods as we feel satisfied and full already. So, the next time you are hungry, satisfy your hunger with something that’s healthy.
6. Think color!
Fruits have attractive colors, and fruits are healthy as well, so instead of choosing fries for your snack or a chocolate chip during your office break, snack on fruits. Of course colorful candies are an exception.
7. Consume water.
Chilled water is best to satisfy our thirst. When we drink soda and other sugar based juices, our thirst is not easily quenched, and too bad these drinks have high calories too. So instead of choosing flavored drinks, try drinking ice cold water for a change, it would also reduce your calorie intake.
It’s never easy to start a new habit and ditch what you are used to. But, each step is one way to develop new healthy habits. Always remember, “you are what you eat”. It may not be of value while we are still young, but when we start feeling the symptoms of different lifestyle diseases, then we’ll realize that we should have taken the healthier choice when we had the chance. Again, we don’t need to starve ourselves, a simple healthy choice can make a big difference.
