Balancing Act

In honor of this being my 100th blog post, I decided to do a special feature. Obviously, my blog is all about finding a healthy balance (hence the title). I think balance is important in every aspect of life, but since this is a food blog, I'll focus on how I find a healthy relationship with food. Here are a few things I've learned over the years:

1. Don't count calories. Ok, let me clarify this one. I think it's important to be aware of what you are putting into your body and have a general idea of how many calories are in certain foods. However, I don't think it's healthy to become obsessed with it. I actually used to keep track of how many calories I was consuming each day with a calculator to make sure I didn't exceed a certain number. This was not only exhausting, but it took all the fun out of eating. Now I pay more attention to portion size and listening to my body's internal hunger cues. I think each meal should be a celebration of one of life's greatest pleasures, and getting bogged down with calories takes out all the pleasure.

2. Don't skip meals. I've never really understood people who say they just forgot to eat. I can't recall a time that's ever happened to me. I've never really understood breakfast skippers either. I wake up with oats on the brain. Some people think that skipping meals will allow them to save calories when it actually just leads to overeating later in the day. If I've gone a really long time without eating, I can tell you that I don't exactly want tofu and sprouts. My body wants carbs, preferably the unhealthy kind. My hunger causes me to throw out all logic and reason. Eating consistently throughout the day will give you energy, keep you full, and keep your metabolism going. Eat a snack or two in between meals. You're more likely to make healthy choices when you're not "starving."

3. Eat copious amounts of fruits and vegetables. I realize that I may be in the minority when I say that my body craves fruits and vegetables, often times over something salty or sweet. However, I wasn't always like this, which solidifies my belief that you can train your body to love healthy foods. I've never had a fruit or veggie aversion, but I didn't always crave them the way I do now. Fruits and veggies are packed with nutrients, and I can tell a significant difference in how I feel after I eat them. I have way more energy when I follow the 5 A Day rule. That may seem overwhelming, but it can be easier than you would think. Add fruit to cereal, oatmeal, or yogurt. Incorporate it into desserts or eat with nut butters for a snack. Bulk up pizza, pasta, or sandwiches with veggies. There are tons of delicious ways to get your fill of fruits and veggies. When you begin to eat whole, unprocessed foods, the other stuff doesn't really taste as good. Plus, life is just more fun when you eat in color.

4. Make simple changes. Whole wheat instead of white. Baked or grilled instead of fried. Chicken, turkey, or fish instead of red meat. Skim or 1% milk instead of 2% or whole. Fruit, vegetables, or salad as a side item instead of chips or fries. Vinaigrette instead of a cream based dressing. Olive oil instead of butter. Frozen yogurt instead of ice cream. The possibilities are endless. There's no need to completely eliminate entire food groups from your diet. Almost every food has a healthier alternative. This is why I think fad diets are stupid. No carbs, what?! Or only eating cereal for meals?! Yeah, you might lose weight at first, but you're not gonna be able to keep that up forever. Making simple swaps teaches you how to how to lead a healthy lifestyle and maintain a healthy weight.

5. Give into cravings. I often find myself in this dilemma: I REALLY want a cookie, but I should probably just eat yogurt with fruit because it's healthier for me. So, I'll eat the yogurt and fruit and it was good, but it wasn't what I really wanted, so I'll eat the cookie too. If I'd just eaten the cookie or whatever my craving was at the time in the first place, I wouldn't have ended up overeating. Sometimes it's ok to just eat what you want. If you don't eat it, you're going to end up thinking about it all day. If I've learned anything from being a food and nutrition major, it's that there is no such thing as a "bad food." All foods fit into a healthy diet. Life's too short to deprive yourself of the foods you love.

Disclaimer: I'm in no way saying that you should demolish a cheeseburger and milkshake any time you please. Although there is a time and a place to indulge in certain cravings, there is also a time to choose foods for health reasons.

6. Don't beat yourself up. There is no such thing as a perfect eater. Not even Registered Dietitians. We're all human. Yes, even I am guilty of occasionally frequenting Waffle House at 2 AM and eating cookie dough by the spoonful. I try not to make a habit of it, but hey, it happens. The bottom line is that we all sometimes eat things we wish we hadn't. Instead of feeling guilty or starving myself the next day, I just simply start over and fill up on wholesome, nutritious foods that make me feel good and spend a little extra time at the gym. Just put it in the past and move forward. Don't keep repeating, "I can't believe I just ate that.", "Why did you let me eat that?", "I feel so fat.", etc. It's not going to change what you just ate or make you feel any better. Besides, guilt and negativity never got anyone anywhere.