Eating Healthy

 I have a weakness.  My weakness is ice cream; I can never ever get enough of it.  I could seriously have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and for snack.  I know we all have at least one food weakness where if it is in front of us, we cannot NOT eat it.  We use the seefood diet.  If we see it, we eat it.  I am going to share with you 10 tips that I use to make my favorite food healthier.

1)  ALWAYS look at the labels.  I avoid certain ingredients like MSG and high fructose corn syrup.  Those ingredients are so unhealthy and bad for you but are in so many things!  Also watch out for trans fats and sodium.

2) Buy organic when I can.  I know sometimes (ok most times) organic is more expensive but it makes me feel so much better after eating it.  Usually the taste is so much more juicy and more yummy.

3)Buy lowfat or nonfat options when I can.  I cannot eat sandwiches without lots of toppings so I always buy light mayonnaise to not be too unhealthy.  I always by lowfat (2%) milk and nonfat yogurt.  My salad dressings are always low fat too.  I know some of my guests complain that I don't have the real stuff but I find it really works for me and keeps me skinny.

4)Substitute brown rice instead of white rice.  Brown rice is so much more healthy for you.  A lot of my favorite meals include rice as a side for us.  We love eating rice with fish and mexican dishes. 

5)Use sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes.  Sweet potatoes are higher in fiber and include more nutrients such as vitamin A.  They also have fewer calories.  We love potatoes as a side or sometimes in dishes such as potatoes and sausage.  

6)Eat at home instead of out.  When I eat out at restaurants, I feel horrible after eating all the food.  The proportions are too big, and you never know what exactly is in the dishes.  They are usually higher calorie dishes.  We cook out hamburgers instead of going to hamburger joints and cook our own mexican dishes instead of going to mexican restaurants, and etc.

7)Buy fresh seafood instead of frozen or can.  Also, buy fresh seafood instead of farm raised.  There is no substitute for the health benefits of fresh seafood.  It's the most delicious thing in the world.

8)Use whole wheat bread instead of white bread.  Wheat bread is always the better option because it contains more nutrients and higher fiber.  We need lot of fiber in our diets.  Whenever I eat sandwiches or need bread in a recipe, I use wheat. 

9)Always make from scratch instead of using box or frozen meals.  We make our macaroni and cheese, lasagna, and tuna helpers from scratch.  We figured out our own recipes instead of using the box.  It avoids more sodium and some of those unhealthy things on the label.  And you can never go wrong with fresher ingredients.

10) Use healthier oils such as olive oil instead of corn oil.  Oils can be such high calorie and high fat.  We use olive oil in all our recipes.

There are many options available to make our favorite meals and foods more healthy for us but those are my family's top 10.  My husband and I feel so much healthier and lighter when we eat smarter.  It is such a better way to live.  I hate that yucky full feeling I get with unhealthy foods and ingredients.  I hope this list helps someone with feeling better about eating healthier.  It can be a process to make meals and foods healthier but it is worth it.  Be careful what you put in your mouth. 

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and WeightWatchers SmartOnes blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”