Commit to a Healthier You

Trying to fuel your body with healthier foods, but not sure where to start? Or how to start? Or when to start? Well, I can tell you when to start... NOW.

I read an article from EatLocalGrown.com written by the creator of 100Daysof RealFood.com, Lisa Leakes. She presents manageable steps or pledges for cutting processed foods from your diet. The link to the story is also at the bottom of the page.

If you feel overwhelmed at times with conflicting information (foods ads, news stories, research, friends' recommendations, this blog, etc.) and not sure how to process all that data, these mini-pledges have simplified the information into manageable changes to answer your "where?" and "how?" questions.

These are all topics that I've hit on in previous posts, so if you've been following along I hope you've already marked off a few of these items.

14 Weeks of “Real Food” Mini-Pledges

• Week 1: Two fruits and/or vegetables per meal – Eat a minimum of two different fruits or vegetables (preferably organic) with every breakfast, lunch, and dinner meal.
• Week 2: “Real” beverages – Beverages will be limited to coffee, tea, water, and milk (only naturally sweetened with a little honey or 100% pure maple syrup). One cup of juice will be allowed throughout the week, and wine (preferably red) will be allowed in moderation (an average of one drink per day).
• Week 3: Meat – All meat consumed this week will be locally raised (within 100-miles of your hometown). Meat consumption will also be limited to 3 – 4 servings this week, and when it is eaten meat will not be presented as the “focal point” of the meal. Instead meat will be treated as a side item or simply used to help flavor a dish.
• Week 4: No fast food or deep-fried foods – No fast food or any foods that have been deep-fried in oil.
• Week 5: Try two new whole foods – Try a minimum of two new whole foods that you’ve never had before.
• Week 6: No low-fat, lite or nonfat food products – Do not eat any food products that are labeled as “low-fat,” “lite,” “light,” “reduced fat,” or “nonfat.”
• Week 7: 100% Whole grain – All grains consumed must be 100% whole-grain.
• Week 8: Stop eating when you feel full – Listen to your internal cues and stop eating when you feel full.
• Week 9: No refined sweeteners – No refined or artificial sweeteners including (but not limited to): white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, sucanat, splenda, stevia, agave, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, and cane juice. Foods and beverages can only be sweetened with a moderate amount of honey or maple syrup.
• Week 10: No refined oils – No refined or hydrogenated oils including (but not limited to): vegetable oil, organic vegetable oil, soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, organic canola oil, margarine, and grape seed oil.
• Week 11: Eat local foods – Eat at least 1 locally grown or raised food at each meal. This includes, but is not limited to: fruits, vegetables, eggs, grains, nuts, meats, and sweeteners like honey.
• Week 12: No sweeteners – Avoid all added sweeteners including, but not limited to: white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, honey, maple syrup, date sugar, maple sugar, sucanat, splenda, stevia, agave, fruit juice concentrate, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, and cane juice.
• Week 13: Nothing artificial – Avoid all artificial ingredients including, but not limited to: sweeteners, flavors and colors.
• Week 14: No more than 5-indgredients – Avoid any and all packaged food products that contain more than five ingredients no matter what ingredients

Action Item: Tomorrow is the first day of May, so why not start your first mini-pledge today and get a head start. Print this out, save the page on your computer, put reminds in your task list... just make the pledge to eat foods that fuel your body!

For Further Reading: 14 Steps to Cut Out Processed Foods

Another good read that might help you in your journey is 12 Healthy Eating Lessons We Can Learn from the French. And this website, 100 Days of Real Food, is an excellent resource for other reasons (recipes, motivation to change, etc).