You Should Be Feeling Great

 

Summer is the greatest time of year! I feel great, and so should you.

 

It’s a great time of year to get out of the house and be active. So much to do!

 

I live lake front, and there are people who never come out of their house. Seriously.

What’s the point? Get out and live a little!

 

And the food? Summer is great for food. There is an abundance of great fresh fruits and vegetables – and they’re cheap this time of year.

 

And even better, no cooking and hardly any dishes.

 

By the time August rolls around, you should be feeling your best. But don’t worry, there’s still time to reap the benefits.

 

You can still bike, hike, go to festivals, swim, golf, boat, fish, garden, play softball or volleyball or Frisbee…

 

Taking a walk after dinner is a ritual that started with my grandmother. We still do it.

 

Eating healthy is really easy too. It just takes a little planning.

 

Let’s start with some basic healthy eating rules anyone

can manage-

 

1.      Concentrate on getting your 5-7 fruits and veggies a day.

2.      Drink plenty of water.

3.      Cut way down on bread, potatoes, chips, fried foods and

stuff like that. Replace with cereal, pasta, and rice.

(unless you are a diabetic. In that case, follow your doctor’s

recommendation for starch intake.)

4.      Eat normal sized portions. Meat should be about 6 oz.

Serving sizes for most food is ½ cup.

5.      Don’t eat too late. Try to cut off all eating about 2 hours

before bed.

 

You can handle that, can’t you?

 

I think the thing people struggle with the most is the 5-7 fruits

and veggies a day part. Here’s a formula to get you started-

and remember, a serving is ½ cup.

 

Ø       1 glass of juice in the morning.

Ø       1 fruit, either at breakfast or for morning snack.

Ø       Fruit or salad or ½ cup of some sort of veggie at lunch. 

(you could cover 2 servings here.)

Ø       Fruit or juice in the afternoon.

Ø       Tossed salad, or 2 vegetables, or 1 vegetable and one

fruit at dinner.

Ø       Put fresh fruit on your ice-cream or cake. 

 

While you’re waiting for dinner to cook, wash and cut up some

fruit and put in containers for easy snacks. (Don’t cut up more

than you will eat in the next 24 hours. It stays fresher uncut.)

 

Here are some quick serve choices-

Fruits-Grapes, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cantaloupe,

honeydew melon, watermelon, bananas, cherries, fresh pineapple,

oranges, tangerines, pears, peaches, apples…

 

Veggies- Leaf lettuce, spinach, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower,

tomatoes, onions, fresh green beans, all colors of peppers,

mushrooms, cucumbers, celery, radishes…

 

Some other easy healthy snacks to keep on hand are –

cheese, peanut butter, and nuts.

 

Making healthy dinners on the fly is not that hard either. You

can have a colorful healthy dinner on the table in about 20

minutes. Sometimes I only have 10 minutes!

 

My absolute favorite meal is steak, baked potato, and tossed salad.

 

Or how about sautéed pork chops, or pork steak with baked

sweet potato, green beans and applesauce or cooked apples?

 

Or chicken tenders sautéed with onions, green and red peppers,

mixed with a teriyaki sauce and served over rice?

 

Or mix with salsa instead and serve in tortillas with shredded

cheese and lettuce and low fat refried beans?

 

Juicy homemade burgers with lettuce, tomato and onions,

some sort of fries or beans or coleslaw, and fruit.

 

Stock up on some different seasonings. You can cook chicken

every night and make it taste different just by changing the

seasonings and side dishes.

 

There are some great seasonings that I keep on hand all the times-

Garlic Powder is a major staple in my kitchen.

Montreal Chicken Seasoning

Roasted Garlic

Fajita Seasoning

Italian Seasoning

Spicy Montreal Steak Seasoning (great on big juicy burgers)

 

You can find more information on how to eat healthy, lose

weight, and put a great dinner on the table fast  here>>>

 

Now imagine if you practiced eating healthy for one month.

What do you think the results would be? Here’s just a few

things that will happen-

 

You’ll have more energy.

Your skin will look better.

You’ll lose some weight.

You’ll think more clearly.

You won’t feel as depressed.

 

Just one month. And it doesn’t require dieting, starvation,

or depriving yourself. Just eat smarter. And it doesn’t have

to take a lot of time and effort to do it.

 

So make sure to stock up on great summer fruits and veggies. A little High Energy Eating and a little exercise and recreation – you’ll be feeling like a new person in no time!

 

Gotta run!

 

Carole