4 Healthy Eating Guidelines to Keep You On Track

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To insure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life. William Londen

It seems like everyone is advertising their own set of healthy eating guidelines these days. However, guidelines that work for one person don’t always work for another. Do you really need a personal trainer and nutritionist to keep your body in good shape? Or are there some basic ground rules that will work for everyone? Here are some healthy eating guidelines that will help you stay on track towards a healthier lifestyle.

Focus On What You Already Know

The good news is that most of what you need to know about healthy eating, you already know! Remember how your parents always told you to eat your vegetables? Many cornerstones of healthy eating you already know yet they are the first things people neglect as they become busy parents. In fact, much of the poor eating habits are developed out of a matter of convenience rather than actually preferring them over healthier alternatives. But let’s face it, habits and routines can be hard to break whether we enjoy the habit or not!

The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will 
interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease. Thomas Alva Edison

Get In The Right Frame of Mind

There are millions of fad diets and weight loss centers trying to sell you their healthy eating guidelines claiming that their routine is the only way to the healthy life you desire. The truth is that eating healthy starts with you. It doesn’t take a lot of money to establish a healthy eating routine, although it does take is a certain amount of discipline and perseverance to learn some new skills and habits.

If the word discipline makes you cringe, you may be approaching a new healthier lifestyle from the wrong perspective. I have found that if I focus less on what I have to avoid and focus more on what makes me feel great, I am more inclined to reward myself with healthier choices because I look forward to the benefits instead of the sacrifices.

Approach your new healthy eating guidelines from all you have to gain by eating better:

• Increased focus & mental alertness
• Increased self esteem
• increased physical endurance
• Increased immunity
• Decreased risk of disease and chronic symptoms
• More balanced emotional health
• More energy and vitality
• Smoother & younger looking skin
• Healthier hair
• Less body odor …and the list goes on!

According to Kathy Freston in Quantum Wellness, many people sabotage their healthy lifestyle before it even gets of the ground because they are too focused on the whole picture rather than appreciating their “baby steps” which can add up to a significant breakthroughs in well-being. We are a work in progress! Appreciate the small steps and you will be more encouraged to continue making lasting lifestyle changes.

Start The Day On The Right Foot

A lot of people are under the impression that skipping meals will help them lose weight when the truth is that skipping meals is a great way to put on extra pounds and deplete your energy. The most important meal is a healthy breakfast.  Eating healthy breakfasts allows your body to use the energy from food and sends a message to your body that it does not have to hold on to fat as a safety mechanism for skipping meals!

I like to start my morning routine with a big glass of purified water and a couple quirts of Liquid Chlorophyll

Then I usually choose one or two of these options:

• Bowl of plain yogurt with fresh fruit on top, a sprinkle of ground flax seeds, wheat germ & locally raised bee pollen, yum yum!
• A healthy fruit smoothie with a scoop of barley greens blended in
• A poached egg over whole sprouted grain toast or Ezekiel bread
• Steel Cut oatmeal with fresh fruit on top. Blueberries fresh or frozen are our favorite.

For people with a hectic lifestyle, set mealtimes aside as your break times, so that you can combine eating with relaxing.

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book. Irish Proverb

Leave Room For Little Indulgences

Most people think that a healthy eating guideline means cutting out the sweets entirely. While cutting sweets is certainly helpful in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, it’s more important to focus on finding your system! Your ideal system is one that keeps you in the right mindset so that you can stay motivated and moving forward towards your optimal health goals.

For instance, some people are better off setting a “reward ” day where they can have one slice of chocolate cake. Others are better off keeping sweets entirely out of the house to avoid temptation. The importance is not to follow someone else’s rules, but to learn how you are best motivated to keep your own goals so that you stay in the game long term.

How do you keep yourself on track with eating healthy? What is your “weak” point in trying to establish a healthier lifestyle and how do you manage it?

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Browse around =) You may also enjoy:

1. WW: On The Right Track
2. Healthy Dinners: The Cooking Conundrum
3. Healthy Tips When Your Child Won’t Eat Their Vegetables
4. Healthy Baking: Whole Foods Cookie Primer
5. Healthy Smoothie Recipes & Downright Delicious Salads!

Tagged as: Healthy Eating