How many fad diets have you tried? Did they work? I’m not a fan of diet plans. I think they lock us into too many rules and regulations. Eating healthy boils down to common sense and moderation. My diet is not perfect, but it’s not unhealthy either. I follow five simple prescriptions:
Simple Ways To Create A Better Diet
- Grow your own: I have a small garden. I grow my own blueberries and raspberries. I grow potatoes, corn, and green beans. I can’t grow enough to eat homegrown fruits and vegetables all year, but it’s something. When you grow your own garden, you know the food is local and fresh. It also saves you money. I grow enough green beans that we have them with dinner, twice a week, all summer.
- Buy local and organic: Second to growing your own is to buy fresh foods at local markets. Most towns have a Farmer’s Market. Check them out and buy some local food. If nothing else, buy organic. Fresh foods have only one ingredient: the food itself. Organically-grown foods have less chemical byproducts in them. The more single-ingredient foods you eat, the more healthy your diet will be.
- Read the ingredients: Reading the ingredients should get anybody to stop eating so many prepackaged foods. What is all that stuff on the ingredient lists? Many of the preservatives, excess sugars, and salts are not good for your body. You can keep your diet more healthy by trying to buy foods with short ingredient lists. The less ingredients on the list, the better it is for you.
- Limit fast food: Life as a single dad with a full-time teaching job can get busy. I’ll admit that fast food can make things easier on days when I’m running around from one event to another. I know it’s not good for my diet, but sometimes I eat fast food. I’m not going to lie. Still, I make a point to limit how often I eat fast food. Any more than a few times a month and I start reevaluating: Am I getting lazy? Am I making excuses? You don’t have to give up all fast food. Just keep it in check.
- Practice moderation: No matter what you eat, other than a crapton of veggies, practice moderation. I rarely eat large portions. Buffets are mostly a thing of the past for me. If you moderate your diet, including portions, you’ve already come a long way in eating healthy.
It’s Not One-Size-Fits-All
I understand that these 5 prescriptions may not work for everybody. Some people need to follow a specific diet for health reasons. Some people need to create certain dietary habits in order to kill the temptation to eat junk. But for most people, this is all you need to remember:
- Grow your own
- Buy local and organic
- Read the ingredients
- Limit fast food
- Practice moderation
For more great information on diet and nutrition, check out PostiveHealthWellness, a site about all things healthy.
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