Where are our foods placed? Where else but the kitchen?
The kitchen is our land of temptation. Where to go when you’re hungry? When you need a snack? That corner of your temptation island where you have placed your treasure chest called the fridge. Open it up. Viola! Glittering treasures you shall find within.
Seriously, the best way to start losing weight, is to start by revamping your kitchen.
Face it people, if you have easier access to the food. If that food is within your radar, you would just grab it and eat it.
What we need to do is to stop making that kitchen an excuse for a temptation island.
Fast food, finger foods, alcoholic beverages, sweets, salty food these are just part of the sparkling treasures you may find in your kitchen.
Do a clean up of that fridge. A cleaner fridge, will create a cleaner mindset. Clean fridge means cleaner food.
Now, you’re starting to ask so what food is on the top 10 list of temptation island that has to go?
Honestly I can’t give you a top 10 list of that.
Food is food, there isn’t really a good food or a bad food. There will only be good and bad times to eat certain food.
Well there are “No – No” Foods which you should avoid at all cost. But I am not going to fully elaborate on that.
Let’s just provide you with a simple guideline on what are the ins, and what are the outs.
Get these out!
PROCESSED FOODS – Yes they last longer. But what are they doing to your body? Processed meat, don’t confuse this as a source for protein. Sausages, pepperoni, bacon and related foods are loaded with the type of fat that will shorten your lifespan, and are also loaded with sodium.SODAS AND JUICES - excluding or including can be the difference between skinny and fat. Go ahead and read for yourself on your next 'healthy' fruit juice the amount of sugar. You have two ingredients- sugar and water. Seriously we rather you make your own fruit juice.
FROZEN DESSERTS AND ICE CREAM - again, adding more and more sugar, which is one of the biggest treasures you might find on temptation island.
SUGAR AND OIL LADEN SAUCES - whether it is ketchup, barbecue or chili sauce. The majority of nice packaged sauces are quick injections of spiced-up high fructose corn syrup.
You're better off spicing up your meals naturally without all the sugar and extra empty calories.
WHITE FLOUR PRODUCTS - like white bread and bagels - manufacturers first remove the wheat seed's bran, its six outer layers, and the germ, which results in more than 75% of the vitamins and minerals being lost and over 95% of the fiber being lost. It gets worse. What little is left gets bleached in chlorine dioxide to give the bread a shelf life. It is further whitened by adding chalk, alum, and ammonium carbonate to make it feel and look more improved for the customer. (Bet you didn’t know that huh?)
A few synthetic nutrients are then added back into the white flour and labeled 'enriched,' but in reality there has been no real 'enrichment' of the original product, only deception and destruction. Did you know that rats will die within seven to 10 days after being put a diet of white flour?
POTATO CHIPS - a cumulative batch of chemicals to put an enormous amount of strain on the pancreas, which is forced to protect your body from these chemicals.
Get These In
FRUIT - Always go for an assortment of colors and make sure your fridge is always stocked with fresh fruit. Shop for seasonal fruits. It’s better in quality and to save cost. If you can, go for local and organically grown produce.
Examples are apples, grapes, bananas, kiwi, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, mango, oranges, tangerines, and pineapple.
GRAINS – Here’s the grains that you might want to include: oats (not the instant oatmeal loaded with sugar), oat bran, whole flaxseed, quinoa, whole barley and wheat bran.
MEAT, POULTRY AND FISHES - There are many selections to choose from and the best advice is VARIETY! Eat a wide assortment and do not limit yourself to one shopping center. Rotate your shopping trips to farmers markets, the super-size grocery store and smaller grocery stores. Each will carry a different selection of meats.
MIXED NUTS - These are easy calories and a great source of good fat to balance out your meals. The best sources are peanuts, walnuts, cashews, almonds and pecans. (Please don't get those that are full of sodium. So called preserved nuts.)
VEGETABLES - If you know which aisle the chips and cookies are better than where the fresh produce section is then we are in deep trouble. You should be able to pick your vegetables from your local food market with your eyes closed. This should be the one section in the grocery store you are more familiar with than any other. Here are your staples: spinach, broccoli, peppers, asparagus, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, cucumbers, celery and carrots. Try and aim for the colors of the rainbow - the more VARIETY the better.
SPICES - Here is where the fun comes in. You don't have to be a gourmet chef to know how to use certain spice combination but it may take some experimentation. Focusing on just some of the basics like salt, pepper, fresh garlic, basil, oregano, chili powder, and cinnamon will bring your food to life. Consider this free food and customize your spices to your dish.
BEVERAGES - Get ready to start drinking a lot of water. Invest in filtered water and avoid tap water if you know your local area comes from poor sources.
Secret Tip When Going Grocery Shopping
You would have noticed that the majority of these good clean foods are stocked on the outskirt of the grocery store. While you are at the grocery store you will notice that your trek does not wander into the 'forbidden aisle.' These are the aisles full of the present and future physique challenged. Grocery shopping does not get easier than this once you discover that the best foods are located in the produce and refrigerated section. Avoid going into the middle of the battlefield. Shop in the 'safe zone' to avoid the ambush of pre-packaged food and processed carbs, sugar and bad fats.
Create a Nutritional Plan and Follow It
Have you heard of the saying, "Make your plan and than work the plan." It's quite powerful if taken seriously and applied wholeheartedly. Once you have decided on the plan, right for you, stop seeking and tweaking. Stop trying to 'perfect' it and simply follow what you have.
Your biggest obstacle will be keeping a 90% adherence to the program. Commit to following the program for at least 90% of the time. That means if you are eating four times a day, you will be eating a total of 28 times per week. 90% com pliancy means you don't mess up more than three times in the entire week! Puts a new perspective on why you might have not succeeded the past few years...
Follow the plan for at least 4 weeks straight. Lesser than that its just too short to come with any conclusions of whether it’s a good or a bad plan.
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