Healthier Eating Habits for People Who Hate Healthy Eating

We all want to be healthy, or at least not unhealthy. But many of us do not want, or are not willing, to do what it takes to properly care for our bodies. This is mostly true with food, and lifelong eating habits can seem impossible to change. Sometimes not even the urgency of needing or wanting to lose weight will be enough to break the cycle of poor diet.

Don't be discouraged by the grim picture drawn by physicians and nutrition experts of what our diet is supposed to look like. Instead focus on simple modifications you can make to your everyday eating habits.

1) The sandwich
The fact that the healthier foods cost more at the grocery store makes it even harder to stick with the recommended diet. For people whose grocery budgets are not so flexible, less expensive and lower quality foods will inevitably make their way back into the cart.

There is at least one meal that is healthy, cheap and simple. Replace what you normally eat for lunch everyday with a sandwich made up of these:
*100% whole wheat bread (sandwiches really are better on this bread too, so make the switch if you haven't already)
*Light or fat free mayonnaise (with Hellmann's brand, you really can't tell the difference) or honey mustard dressing
*Thin-sliced honey turkey or honey ham that is 99% fat free (Hillshire Farms Deli Select lunchmeats are perfect)
*A mound of shredded lettuce (bags of lettuce shreds are inexpensive and convenient)
*Tomato slices

This makes an awesome sandwich. It's filling as well as good for you. Eat two of them if one doesn't fill you up enough. I certainly don't mind eating this for lunch 5 days a week, but I know most people tire more quickly of having the same thing. Doing this even 3 times a week will make a difference if you have a habit of eating fast food or other junky foods for lunch.

2) Do not add salt--ever.
Whether you realize it or not, you really do not need to ever add salt to your food. It could be permanently absent from your life and you'd still enjoy flavorful food. Salt can be replaced with a number of things, some of which are:
*Mrs. Dash (there are several different blends to cook with, and the Table Blend is a good for those who feel the need to sprinkle something on their food before eating)
*Pepper
*Garlic powder or fresh garlic
*Onion powder

There are many other herbs and spices that are completely sodium-free you could experiment with for seasoning as well.

3) The Turkey Solution
It may seem like a radical change, but completely replace ground beef with ground turkey.
Most people dismiss this idea immediately, deciding that they won't like it, that a burger or spaghetti would never be the same. This is only partially true. They won't be the same. In my opinion, they will be better.

Ground turkey makes delicious burgers, especially when seasoned some of the aforementioned items. They are also not afflicted by the heavy fatty grease factor, and don't leave you with the full, weighted feeling after eating.

Spaghetti is also wonderful with ground turkey, and once the meat is browned, it's hard to tell the difference even by appearance. Just like with ground beef, you have the choices of 85% or 98% fat free. Both are better for you than ground beef.

Also replace bacon and smoked sausage with the turkey option. They are not only better for you, but less greasy and better-tasting.

4) Never eat a meal without a vegetable
Even if you can only settle on one or two vegetables that you can handle, always include one with your meal. You could also put fruit in its place if necessary. One of the most harmful poor eating habits people fall into is the exclusion of vegetables and fruit from their diet.

If vegetables are too bland, there are ways to make them tasty. Fresh vegetables are better, and if they can be steamed, better still.
Get a bottle of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray and spray all over steamed vegetables. This gives helpful flavor to all vegetables, as do those previously mentioned seasoning options.

5) Do not eat after 9:00 PM
Not only has weight gain been attributed to eating late into the evening, as it's certainly not good to eat a meal just before a long period of inactivity, but it's also hard on the stomach that processes all the food, which can make for a restless night's sleep.
Having a cut-off time after which no food is to be consumed will do your body a big favor. If there's a growl in the tummy that won't go away, light and mild snacks will suffice, like a banana with a small glass of milk.

6) Olive Oil
This is a good alternative to butter and other oils with saturated fat. Where you would normally saute with butter, do so with olive oil instead. This is also a better way to prep a skillet for cooking eggs or a grilled cheese sandwich than with butter. You can lightly bread chicken and fish to be cooked with olive oil in a skillet, as it's a lighter oil with a good flavor. Toss cooked pasta with this as well.

7) Fresh salsa: snack away
Chips and salsa is a great snack to have between meals. Salt-free chips (don't worry, there's enough flavor in the salsa) and salsa made with fresh, natural ingredients allows the freedom to eat as much of it as you want. You could even try making your own salsa.

8) Placate a sweet tooth with better sweets
There are foods that have a sweetness about them other than cookies, cakes and ice cream. If you have a craving for something sweet, try having a bowl of cereal. There are plenty of cereals that are good and sweet, not just the ones like Cocoa Puffs and Frosted Flakes either. Honey Nut Clusters is an excellent choice, another is Honey Nut Cheerios.

Obviously, honey is a better alternative to sugar, and these cereals are not like eating cardboard. Oatmeal can be another good sweet treat. Either get the flavored kind, or add honey to plain oatmeal.

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich, made on 100% whole wheat bread of course, is great with a cold glass of milk. The sweets craving can be satisfied without having consumed the mysterious ingredients of a twinkie or the saturated fat in a candy bar.

Now there are several other changes to our consumptions we can make that will lower our fat and calorie intake, but I won't suggest something to anyone that I am not willing to do myself, and these are such suggestions:
*switching from regular to diet soda
*just not drinking soda
*using fat-free flavored coffee creamers, if you must use them at all
*drinking skim milk instead of 2% or whole

While I'm not willing to do those things (at least not at this time), the others are a compilation of healthy alternatives that I, someone who usually hates healthy alternatives, have been able to enjoy. Hopefully they will be as tolerable for you as they have been for me.