Help! Where do I get started?

Do you struggle with how to get started in eating better? Have you asked yourself, “What should I cut out first?”, or “Do I have to empty out my entire kitchen in order to get started?”. Trying to create better eating habits can be hard, especially if you don’t know where to start. The best way to start is simple. Let’s cut out a few things at a time, so you don’t feel overwhelmed or frustrated.

You might not want to hear this, but the first thing you should cut out is sugar. Yep! Sugar. You might not realize it, but you probably consume more sugar then your body should have. Women should consume no more then 25 grams (6 tsp) of sugar per day, and men should consume no more then 36 grams (9 tsp) of sugar per day. What does that look like? Well let’s see how much sugar is in some of our favorite foods.

Here is sample breakfast foods:

• 1 packet Maple Brown Sugar oatmeal- 13 grams of sugar
• Coffee with 1 TBSP french Vanilla coffee creamer- 5 grams of sugar
• 3/4 cup Honey Nut Cheerios- 9 grams of sugar
• Small Blueberry Muffin- 38 grams

Do you know anyone that has only 1 TBSP of coffee creamer or only 3/4 cup of cereal? I don’t. So the sugar content could be much higher depending on the serving size you have.

Here is a lunch sample:

• Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich- 18 grams of sugar
• 6 inch Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki Subway sandwich- 16 grams of sugar
• Yoplait flavored yogurt- up to 26 grams of sugar

Here is a dinner sample:

• 1 1/2 cup pasta with tomato sauce- 16 grams of sugar
• Salad with 2 TBSP salad dressing- 6 grams of sugar (do you really only use 2 TBSp of salad dressing?)
• Grilled chicken with 2 TBSP BBQ sauce- 16 grams of sugar

Here is a dessert sample:

• 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream- 14 grams of sugar
• 3 small chocolate chip cookies- 33 grams of sugar
• 1 small brownie- 12.5 grams of sugar

 

What about drinks? This is where you really need to be careful. You don’t want to drink all your calories or sugar for the day.

1 Soda= 39 grams of sugar or 16 tsp

 

Do you see how easily you could be overdoing it on sugar just by what you drink?! If you cut out sugary drinks, you could easily drop weight pretty fast!

So now that you know this, let me give you a few ideas that you can substitute these drinks for.

• Sparkling flavored water (La Croix is a good one. They have tons of flavors)
• Hot Tea or coffee with 1 Stevia packet
• water infused with fruit

 

What about food choices? Are there other options out there with less sugar? Why yes there are!

Breakfast:

• Slow cooked oatmeal lightly drizzled with honey, topped with nuts or fruit
• 2 eggs, 1/4 avocado, 1 nitrate free sausage link
• Paleo pancakes (see previous blog post for recipe)

Lunch:

• Salad with 1/4 cup sliced strawberries, 1/2 hard boiled egg, 1/8 cup pumpkin seeds, lightly drizzled with lemon juice or olive oil and balsamic vinegar
• Protein shake with 1 cup ice, water, 1/2 banana, 1 tbsp almond butter, 1 scoop protein powder (Shakeology, Sun Warrior, or Nutiva)
• Tuna Sandwich: 1/2 can tuna, 1 tbsp plain greek yogurt, 2 slices Ezekiel Bread
• Baked sweet potato with avocado and cooked ground turkey meat

Dinner:

• Bunless Burger with lettuce, tomato, avocado, onion, banana peppers
• Roasted sweet potatoes drizzled with olive oil and seasoning
• Grilled chicken drizzled with olive oil and seasoned, salad (no salad dressing), side of veggies
• Steak (no steak sauce), veggies, salad (no dressing), roasted potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper

Dessert:

• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt drizzled lightly with honey, topped with 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1 apple, sliced and drizzled with cinnamon
• 1 frozen banana pureed in food processor with 1/4 cup coconut milk, 1 tbsp almond butter, 1 tsp raw cacao powder
• Chocolate mug cake ( I have a blog post with this recipe)

 

There is a lot more you can do to improve your diet, but like I said, we are starting simple. Try swapping out a few of your high sugar items for a lower sugar version. It will be hard at first, ever hear of sugar addiction?, but it will be worth it! This is your health we are talking about after all. Our country is suffering from a lot of disease, chronic conditions, and the list goes on, and I truly feel that much of it could be solved by embracing a healthier diet. Obesity, diabetes, cancer, GI issues, and so on are on the rise. You don’t have to be one of those people affected by these conditions. Take control of your health. Start today! It is okay to start with small and simple changes. Just start!

Next we will tackle Carbs!!! Stay tuned!