We love the theme of this year’s National Nutrition Month(starting Friday, March 1, 2013): Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day. The goal of the campaign is to encourage people to make healthy food choices but to not sacrifce personal or cultural food preferences or specific food issues in the process.
Plan ahead – One of the keys to a healthy lifestyle is making conscience choices about your food and you do this best when you are prepared! When you get home from a long day of work and after-school activities to find a barren refrigerator, it’s pretty easy to call for pizza delivery. However, when you arrive home to a crock-pot simmering with a healthy homemade chili and a pre-made salad in the fridge you know you’ll make a healthy choice!
Read before you go – Often we have lunch meetings at restaurants which can make our occasional “out-to-eat treats” add up quickly. If you find yourself out to lunch several times a week, make a habit of looking up the restaurant’s menu before you go and choosing what you’ll eat. This makes it easier to make the healthy choice when your grumbling stomach smells that burger and fries.
Enjoy your favorites on special occasions – Sometimes it helps you stay on track if you do treat yourself on occasion. Try taking just a few bites of your favorite dish, walk away and do something else. Likely, you will have satisfied your cravings with those few bites. Try and enjoy these special occasions with no feelings of guilt and just make sure to re-engage with your healthy habits at your next meal.
