Living Fit Is A Step-By-Step Process

Ten years ago, I thought nothing of hitting up a fast food restaurant to fill the needs of my hungering body. In fact, the only thing I truly considered when selecting an eating establishment was whether or not they served good fries and burgers. The calories and fat content within the foods I was eating was irrelevant to me because I felt like exercising as I did at that time gave me the license to eat pretty much whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

I lived that way until about 18-months ago when I saw "Food Inc." Yes, that's correct, the catalyst for my change was gleaned from a controversial documentary on the American food industry.

Now, before you start believing that I live my life under the influence of external factors, understand that I always do my own research (as should any intelligent individual, "Food Inc." didn't offer the final word on my decision to change my lifestyle dramatically, it merely offered a jumping off point.

My personal attention to the information that fell into my hands daily (i.e. nutritional labels, news reports, and focused literature addressing concerns on obesity—particularly amongst children) helped seal the deal. Once I truly started paying attention to the information on what I was eating, and what I was giving to my family, it became difficult to look away from the facts.

I knew I needed to start being more aware of food choices not only for myself, but for my children as well. That said, however, where my children would be easier to mold in the way of this life I have chosen (I am mostly vegetarian by this point), my husband is still not willing to give up his meat eating ways, and I am okay with that decision.

Quite honestly, philosophically, I am not opposed to eating meat. I just find that my body operates in a more efficient way with less meat in my diet. By no means do I enforce that rule upon either my husband or my children. What I do is offer them options that are still healthy, but that do not interfere with their desire to still eat the foods they love.

Despite what some who are strictly vegan/vegetarian will tell you, there are plenty of ways to live healthily while still eating meat. 

For my part, I have lessened the occurrence of meals served using red meat or pork as I have found that ground turkey is a fine substitute for many dishes. As far as red meat goes, if I do use it, I stick to the leanest cuts I can find.

Other changes I've found easy to make are swapping almond milk for cows milk, vegan butter for regular butter, and whole grain flour for white. As a rule, no pastas or breads are purchased if they are not of the whole grain variety, and sodas are a no-no for either one of my children.

The changes I've made have been incremental, but they stick because they aren't too intrusive. I've found that as long as the food tastes good, few complain.

My point here is that any decision to live healthily is as much about being aware of what your body  takes in for fuel as you are about keeping that body fit. You would never put diesel fuel into a gas operated vehicle, right? Of course not. Our bodies, in my opinion, use that same principle.

Use the fuel that maximizes what you want your body to do—whether you love weight training, running or aerobics—because, at the end of the day, you only get out what you put in.

Related articles

• Vegetarians and Meat-Eaters: Recipe for Dating Disaster? (blisstree.com)
• What is the easiest way to become a vegetarian (wiki.answers.com)
• Organic? Vegan? Vegetarian? What Does It Cost? (thesimpledollar.com)

Healthy Food Choices: Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover

I'm sometimes offended when people make the assumption that eating healthy means eating foods that don't taste good or offer much in the way of substance because that is simply not the case.

Back in the day, when there weren't as many options aside from what one could grow or catch on his or her own, we didn't have the wealth of resources (farmers markets, whole food stores, organic growers, etc.) available to us that we do now. So, it was easy to believe that a diet that wasn't based around meat was filled with an overabundance of leafy vegetables, beans, and granola—and, I'll admit, most people aren't ready to get on board with a diet that, presumably, has that little substance.

However, now more than ever, we are exposed to an endless amount of food choices that offer those who are willing to shun meat a more filling diet based around not only fresh foods like the above-mentioned greens, beans, and nuts—and for the record, I'm not a full-blown vegetarian just yet, but I have found that my desire to eat meat lessens with each meal I don't choose to use it as an option—as well as some delicious meat-alternatives like tofu, tempeh, and tofurkey.

No, I'm not kidding. 

Just the other day I enjoyed a Gyro made with tempeh, as opposed to lamb or chicken, and it was delicious! Of course I was later questioned if such a thing it can actually be called a Gyro if it doesn't contain the signature Greek staple of lamb meat but I can say, without question, that I didn't miss the meat one bit and I enjoyed every bite.

Now, to be honest, most of these foods are an acquired taste. Going from eating a diet filled with chicken, beef, and pork to one that is mainly based around soy, tofu, and beans is not something that can be done overnight. It's a process that takes time and most people will need a few weeks, or even months, to get their bodies used to such a change. However, in the long run, you'll feel so much better.


Anytime you  make a decision to fill your body with foods that are made from fresh ingredients, you feel better (both mentally and physically) because you are no longer burdened by the overall weight that processed, heavily saturated, foods often leave behind—put simply: fresh is better.

Now, don't get me wrong, I do still occasionally enjoy meat dishes, but it's less than I did six-months ago and, if given the option, I will often now choose the dish without meat.

Still, though, take note of the preparation of said foods before partaking in any of them. There are a number of unhealthy vegetarians and self-proclaimed "health nuts" running about who aren't paying attention to moderation and preparation where their diet is concerned—a black bean burger can be a delicious alternative to one made of angus, but don't fool yourself into thinking that you can over -indulge in such dishes simply because it's not made from a meat source.

Always use moderation, watch the amount of salt and oil you use in preparation, and be aware of serving sizes—those rules apply to everyone!

Your body can't function at it's best if you only allow bad stuff into it and while I'm not advocating vegetarianism, veganism, or anything else (I'll leave that to Kathy Freston), I do support your taking a healthier approach to what you choose to eat each day. The choice can be as simple as selecting grapes over a bag of chips or drinking a glass of water as opposed to a soft drink.

It's the little things that make the difference.

Related articles

• Vegan Curious (fitnessnyc.wordpress.com)
• A Vegetarian Livelihood - Healthy and Satisfying (blazingminds.co.uk)
• Tips on cooking more nutritious meals (seattletimes.nwsource.com)