Fuel Your Body with the Good Stuff

The season of gluttony is approaching. It’s a subject I really didn’t want to address when I started writing tips for better living seven years ago, but food is such a huge part of everyone’s life that I cave occasionally. Having better health means feeling good, and feeling good will eliminate a big chunk of stress in your life.

For some reason a new resolve is building in my head these days: to treat my body with more respect. It works hard for me and I generally treat it pretty badly. Maybe it’s all those tempting potlucks over the summer. Or maybe it’s the constant food talk, health complaints and weight issues I hear about all the time. Whatever it is that caught my attention is sounding a very loud wake-up call. And I’m listening. Logically, it makes sense – better fuel in means better performance – but the yummy temptations all around us all the time diminish all logic.

Starting small is the secret to most successful changes in my life so here are my own baby steps to help us both: replace my afternoon cracker snack with a small handful of almonds and maybe an apple, eat less red meat, prepare larger portions of vegetables, and stop skipping lunch. I figure this last one would automatically mean smaller portions at dinner, yes? You’re on your own dealing with any sugar addiction because I’m lucky, eating just one cookie satisfies that dessert fix. Here’s a saying from a cooking class I once took: Eat like a king for breakfast, like a prince for lunch, and like a pauper for dinner. Seems like a good goal.

This I know for sure: if it isn’t in the kitchen, you can’t eat it. So, in theory, better marketing will lead to better health. Good luck to us.