Eating Healthy – The Real “change Of Life”
As obesity climbs to epic proportions in this country, it’s not impossible to believe that our parents and grandparents, for the most part, ate much better than we do now. They had fresh food which more than likely was purchased every day or so, mainly because refrigerators were smaller and freezers were essentially nothing more than a place to make ice cubes and maybe store a steak and a package of bacon.
Meats were fresh, produce was fresh, eggs and milk were fresh. Today, even though we still buy fresh foods, our freezers are much larger but they are full of frozen prepackaged dinners, frozen juice, ice cream, frozen burgers and hot dogs, and all sorts of frozen snack foods for the kids after school.
Our lives have changed just as dramatically as nutritional standards. We have dual income families, kids who are forced into too many after school activities and commitments, men who don’t have the same company loyalty their dads did so they work longer hours for job security, and instead of finding time to cook and eat healthy dinners, families tend to fix what is easy – processed and frozen dinners, take out, or fast food burritos, burgers, etc. Add some shredded lettuce and chicken and we are totally convinced we are eating healthy.
The trouble with all this is that these foods that cause so much damage to our bodies are just so good! It seems the better they taste the worse they are for our health. Even though we all know that fresh green vegetables are the way to go, many of us can’t gag down broccoli without a stick of butter or half pound of melted cheese on top… Killing the entire reason for eating the broccoli to begin with.
It’s not easy to explain to kids, or anyone, that looking like a model doesn’t mean you’re healthy. If they are “lucky” enough to be able to live on tacos and burgers and pizza and still wear a size two, there are very few kids who even think of admitting that their health might be at risk, and then continue eating the same foods well into their adult lives until… A major crisis erupts, and it won’t be good.
Some people think that daily salads or even a baked potato is a healthy, safe part of a meal. And they’re right – until they start adding toppings that have more calories and fat than lasagna and garlic bread! Having a salad is an excellent choice as long as you aren’t pouring on a cup of high fat dressing, and a baked potato is loaded with vitamins and minerals – just don’t load it with sour cream and butter!
Too often people, especially thin people, refuse to pay much attention to their poor diets and food intake until it’s too late. As long as they look good, they are sure they are healthy. They feel good, they look good, so they figure everything is good.
Many overweight individuals, on the other hand, actually have decent diets; they might even eat lean meats, fresh vegetables and plain potatoes. Their problem is that they are probably eating too much of a good thing. In reality, their overall health is better than their size two buddies.
Breakfasts have been claimed to be the most important meal of the day. By eating breakfast, it allows the brain to function better so one can focus more easily. For healthy recipes, visit us today!