Don’t wait until the last minute to get back in the fitness groove. Summer is right around the corner and before you know it, swimsuit season will be upon us once again. In order to get back into shape and remain healthy for the long run, don’t think of eating healthy as a diet, think of it as a lifestyle change. When you diet, you’re depriving your body of essential vitamins and minerals it needs and you’ll eventually go back to your old ways.
According to “Hungry for Change,” a documentary by directors and producers, James Colquhoun and Laurentine ten Bosch, America is starving. We’re starving for the correct nutrients that is, because we already have enough calories. Hunter-gatherer gardeners, also known as people who grow their own food in other parts of the world actually have high nutrition and a low calorie intake while America has extremely low nutrition with an increasing calorie intake. Our bodies don’t need calories; they need nutrients to help us feel full, happy and overall less hungry in the long run. People overeat because they don’t get what their bodies need even though they might be consuming thousands of empty calories a day.
It’s easy to get a bag of chips from a nearby vending machine, some fast food around the corner or Starbucks because well, everyone else is getting it. Remember, being healthy takes planning ahead! You might have to spend a few extra minutes in the kitchen prior to the weeks start, but you’ll be thanking yourself in the long run. Not to mention how proud of yourself you’ll be.
Hummus and Vegetables
Invest in a small container and buy hummus or fat free vegetable dip in bulk. Cut up some veggies (celery, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, whatever you like) and put them into a few different bags for the week. That way, when you’re leaving, all you have to do is grab the bag and the container. Hummus is a great dip, full of chickpeas, which have no saturated fat and are full of protein.
Fruit Bag
It doesn’t get much more simple than this. Instead of filling your bags with vegetables at the start of the week, buy a mix of fruits. Berries of all kinds are the best and cut them up. Blueberries are full of antioxidants which great for strengthening your immune system.
Lettuce Wraps
Lettuce wraps are extremely easy and flexible. All you have to do is buy romaine lettuce or iceberg lettuce, cheaper but not as nutrient rich and then, fill it with whatever you want! Low sodium deli meat, baby tomatoes, low fat cheese, peppers, and mushrooms, almost anything can go in these guys!
Cheese Sticks
Sargento and Kraft both have low calorie cheese sticks that have less than 5 grams of fat per stick. Keep your eyes peeled for these dairy treats. No more awkward and loud chip bag opening moments, these are quiet and classroom friendly. Not to mention, they require no work whatsoever.
Pocket Thin Sandwiches
Arnold Bread’s Pocket Thins are sneaky low calorie wraps that can be easily stuffed with almost any ingredient. Whether you decide to use it for a lunch or a quick snack, this flatbread is sure to satisfy with three different unique flavors.
Think about it like this: Replace five 1.5 oz. bags of chips that you might eat weekly with five bags of fruit. The average bag of chips is 150 calories, 750 calories a week. A bag of fruit will run you about 50 calories, 250 calories a week. That is 500 calories a week saved. Since a pound is 3,500 calories, you would lose one pound if you did that same routine for 7 weeks. Remember, plan ahead and don’t let peer pressure tell you what to eat!