Healthy Can Be Fun: You Are What You Eat

Portion sizes are incredibly important, especially if you're not going to stick to 100% healthy foods 100% of the time (that wouldn't be any fun). If you're in control of your potions, it's okay to have unhealthy foods on occasion as long as they're eaten in moderation.

For example, I love chocolate. I'm actually eating chocolate right now. I can do that and still lose weight because I'm not eating a huge chocolate bar or overloading on fudge. According to my bag of chocolate chips, 30 pieces is one serving and 70 calories. That's not a bad calorie count for a snack, and it's especially good for a dessert! I'm having the foods I love, but in portions that make sense.

Here's another example. Say you're at a restaurant and order a regular meal, be it a salad, steak or whatever you usually eat. Restaurant portions in the United States are way too much for one meal. Most of the time, the food on your plate is two or three meals worth of calories and nutrients! When I eat out, I look for something new. I order a delicious looking salad I've never tried, and sometimes I order off the Weight Watcher's menu if they have one. Even if I do order a regular meal, I ask the server to bring a box when they bring out the food. I put half of the meal in the box if it seems to be more than the appropriate portions. That way, when my plate is empty I'm not tempted to keep eating because the rest of the food is out of sight. It's that easy!

One easy way to not lose weight is by drinking all of your calories. Green smoothies are great, but soda and coffee will drag your down in the long run. If you're thirsty, your go-to drink should be water. In fact, if you're thirsty at all it means you're already hydrated. Try to drink several tall glasses each day and cut soda and coffee to a minimum.

Protein is an important piece of the puzzle for any healthy lifestyle. It helps repair your muscles after a workout and gives you long-lasting energy. Not getting enough protein could do a lot of damage to your body, especially if you work out on a regular basis.

In today's world, protein is not that hard to find. Meats are present in almost every meal available. Steak, turkey, chicken, fish; these things have become a staple in our diet. Another great source of protein is beans and nuts. Chick peas (garbanzo beans) make a great snack and salad topper. And did you know that broccoli, asparagus and cauliflower are packed with protein? There are plenty of foods that contain protein that most people don't even know about.

That's why it's important to pay attention to portions when eating protein. Walk into any restaurant that offers steak and see how large the cuts are. 8 ounces? 12? Even that tiny local diner down the street offers a one pound burger.

One serving of meat is approximately 3 ounces. That's about the size of a deck of cards. Obviously ordering a 3 ounce steak isn't going to happen, but you can always ask the server to bring a box with the food and save the extra portions for later. Just keep in mind that it's easier to over do protein than it is to not get enough, as long as you're eating real food.

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It's time to face the facts. It's not a balanced meal without vegetables. Unfortunately, a lot of people seem to think that they don't like them! Why is that? Let's figure it out. Here's what some of my friends have told me about vegetables:

1) I've never liked vegetables, I've hated them since I was a child.
2) It takes too long and too much effort to cook vegetables in a way that tastes good
3) I don't like health food and eating something green in color doesn't appeal to me

Great. Now let me tell you why you're wrong.

1) Vegetables are delicious! If you didn't like them as a child, that's no excuse to not try them now. Your tastes and preferences change over time. What you liked as a child, you may no longer like now. The reverse is also true! Try something that you didn't like as a child and you may find out that you actually like it now. Even if that doesn't work, try something new. There are tons and tons of vegetables that you haven't tried, I promise. Pick out a few new ones to try every time you buy groceries and you're bound to find something you like.

2) I love to bake but I hate to cook, especially if it takes a long time. There are plenty of recipes on the internet that allow you to prepare vegetables in a short amount of time with minimal effort! Go to FoodNetwork.com or another recipe website and find a recipe that includes a vegetable that you already have. Try a new recipe every week and I guarantee you'll find some favorites. You could even find new recipes on Squidoo!

3) This is just silly. The only reason you don't like health food is because you aren't willing to give it a chance. I'm not going to tell you that you can eat whole-grain chocolate cake in the appropriate portion for every meal and expect to lose weight and be healthy. You're going to have to suck it up and accept the fact that the only way you're going to be healthy is by eating balanced meals. That means vegetables. Oh, and if the color truly bothers you, pick vegetables that aren't green! There are plenty out there. My favorite colorful vegetables are radishes and bell peppers.

Tip: The next time you make pasta (whole-wheat of course), use 1/2 to 2/3 of your usual amount of pasta replace that empty space with a frozen vegetable mix (think peas, carrots and green beans). They can be boiled in the same water, take about the same time to cook as pasta, and taste great in both cheesy and tomato based sauces!

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If you're anything like me, you can't live without bread and pasta. Carbs have such a bad reputation. I've heard time and time again that carbohydrates are bad, we need to cut down on carbs or even eliminate them from our diet completely. This simply isn't true. It's not about how many carbs you eat, it's about which carbs you eat!

I'm not a nutritionist and you're not here to learn the science of food, so I'll keep this simple. There are two types of carbohydrates: simple and complex. Simple carbs are in foods like white bread, various baked goods, fruits, vegetables and dairy products. Complex carbs are found in various grains and whole-grain foods. Complex carbohydrates will give you more long-lasting energy throughout the day and keep you bright and alert. On the other hand, eating only simple carbs will leave you fading fast.

So it's okay to eat carbohydrates as long as most of them are complex and you don't overdo it. Besides, whole-wheat and whole-grain foods are delicious if you know what to get! Experiment a little and switch some of your usual simple carb foods out with some whole-grain ones that you've never tried. It's easy to switch out your regular pasta with whole-grain pasta (and you'll hardly notice, they taste the same to me) and I actually prefer hearty whole-wheat and whole-grain breads to white bread. I recommend Ezekiel breads. They have plenty of varieties to choose from, and they're made from sprouted grains which are more nutritious than what goes into regular bread.

Tip: Did you know that corn is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates? That means popcorn is a healthy snack! Smart Pop popcorn is absolutely delicious, especially the kettle corn flavor. Check the calories next time you buy this tasty treat; you might be surprised!

Eating fruit is a great way to satisfy your cravings for sweets with something healthy. Fruits are high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. Can you say that about cake and ice cream? Try switching out tonight's dessert for a fruit smoothie or experiment with new fruit-filled recipes. Chicken tastes amazing when cooked with pineapple, cranberries, or raspberries.

Mix it up! Don't eat the same kind of fruit for every serving. Each fruit has its own unique health benefits. You should be aiming for several servings of fruit a day, so you have plenty of opportunities to try something new. Some of my favorites are red grapes, strawberries, grapefruit, pears, raspberries, blueberries, pineapple, kiwi and star fruit.

Pay attention to what kind of fruit you're eating when determining your portion sizes. Generally, you can estimate about a handful or two to be a serving, like one apple or a handful of raspberries. You can eat more of some fruits, but beware of high sugar fruits! Mangoes, bananas and grapes are very high in sugar. They're still good for you, but eat them in smaller portions than you would fruits with less sugar, like cranberries, grapefruit and strawberries. Also, watch out for fruit juice! Fruit juice is okay on occasion, but avoid drinking your calories when possible.

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Dairy is a tricky subject. It's touted as a valuable part of a healthy "diet" by some nutritionists, while others swear that it should be cut out completely. Let me break it down a bit.

I'm a huge dairy addict. I have to admit, I love cheese and milk and ice cream. But if you think about it, dairy is kind of gross. We wouldn't eat ice cream made from human breast milk (though I did see it in the news recently, ICK), yet we'll eat it made from the breast milk of another animal? It doesn't make much sense, does it? I'm not saying give it up completely, but there are plenty of alternatives available.

The main reason we drink milk is for calcium and vitamin D. But there are plenty of sources from which we can get both of those nutrients. Kale, chick peas, okra, beans, almonds, walnuts, sesame seeds, apricots, oranges, figs... they're all packed with calcium. You could even use Almond milk. Yum! As for vitamin D, you could get some more sun... but I highly recommend Mega D3 which you can purchase at Walgreens for about $15. It's a tiny little liqui-gel pill that not only has vitamin D, but resveratrol too.

This isn't a diet. You can't eat sensibily for a few months and go right back to eating junk food and ignoring portion sizes and expect great results. This is your body, your life! If you want your body to change for good, your life will have to change as well. I know it seems like an impossible commitment now, but believe me, it's worth it.

Sparkpeople.com is a great tool. It lets you track your meals and exercise similar to Weight Watchers and has plenty of useful and informative articles and guides to help you change your life for the better. It also has forums and the ability to set up your own "Sparkpage." The best part: It's 100% free! Join Sparkpeople and be my Sparkfriend, together we can do this!