Thursday, February 9, 2012

4 Easy Steps Towards Healthier Living (Phase 1)

image via health.com

Most people want to eat healthier. Almost everyone has a few (or more) pounds to lose. Who couldn't use more energy in a day? The bottom line is that knowing you need to change how you eat doesn't always lead into knowing how to make the change. With that in mind, I put together a few things I think anyone can do to be healthier, lose weight, have more energy, and feel better all around.

1) Get a good multivitamin and TAKE IT DAILY. Give on to your kids as well.
2) Eat oatmeal for breakfast. Every day. Put any combination of fruits/nuts/seeds, and non-dairy milk on it you want. Just do oatmeal. Every day. If you don't like it, try it with dates, walnuts and almond milk.
3) Only snack on fresh fruit or vegetables. Have at least 2-3 snacks per day. Even if you don't *think* you are hungry, carry an apple or banana with you and eat it between meals.
4) Eat a salad or platter of raw vegetables every day, either before lunch or before dinner (or both!).

There it is. If you only change these 4 things in your life you will have added so many nutrients (fruit and veggies), fiber (fruit, veggies, and oatmeal), and essential vitamins (multi) that you will be amazed at how good you feel. You will most likely lose weight without having added any extra hours of exercise and without trying to cut calories. In fact, you have probably added food to your daily regime! The trick is that the food I asked you to add is high nutrient density and low calorie. These changes are simple, affordable, and will yield results that will hopefully leave you wanting to make more small changes.

Is this the full list of changes I would recommend someone making if they are transitioning from the SAD (Standard American Diet) to a plant-based diet? No! But it really is about baby steps when you are attempting a complete lifestyle overhaul. The key is that these are 4 very easy (and cheap!) steps that anyone can make in one day. Anyone can go to the store and get a multivitamin and stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables and some oats. I didn't ask you to change anything else about your diet or lifestyle!

Next time I will have more steps and include a week of meal plans and a grocery list. Let me know how these steps work for you!

1 comment:

  1. I LOOOOOOOVE oatmeal. I actually haven't eaten it in forever though. I skip breakfast.

    A friend of mine eats oat groats! I'm dying to find out how she prepares them because she makes them savory, not sweet. She's from Poland. If I get a good recipe or tips from her I'll pass it along. Oats for breakfast, oats for lunch, oats for dinner. Oat heaven!

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