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Plan to Eat and Stick to Your Plan

By: Tara Smith..

The secret of good health is a balanced and nutritious diet. If you are not as healthy as you should be, you need to plan to eat and eat according to your plan. Then you can save yourself from problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and many other disorders. The catchwords are balance, moderation and variety; remember them and enjoy a sound mind and body.

This is the age of fast foods and eating out — the obvious consequence of fast-paced life, extreme work pressure and long and erratic hours of work and travel. Home food has become a rarity, a great challenge but worth adopting nonetheless.

First begin with a plan. You have heard many times that if you fail to plan, then, you plan to fail. It is the same with eating. Plan your meals at the beginning of the week. Breakfast is as simple as whole grain cereal, whole-wheat toast, fruit, low-fat yogurt, 100% juice, and skim milk. Pack your lunch the night before so you will not make excuses or be tempted to run to the hotdog vendor. Pack leftovers from dinner, a veggie or tuna sandwich with low-fat mayo, fruit or soup. Purchase ready-made salads [without dressing mixed in] for a quick and easy dinner. Store readily available vegetables with low fat dip for easy snacking. Children love to dunk food into dips, this is a great way to get them to eat a healthy snack.

It really does not take much time to prepare meals at home if you plan properly. Cook dishes you can store in the freezer such as casseroles, pasta dishes and take out a dish before you go to work. By the time you get back from work, it will be thawed and all you have to do is heat it in the oven for about 35-45 minutes and your dinner is ready without much effort.

Eating healthy should become a way of life. However, you will need an extra effort in the beginning, which basically means proper planning and strict discipline. Remember, old habits die hard and the effort you put in is to break old habits not to prepare healthy meals. You will need to overcome the temptation to drift back into the old routine. You might find it rigorous to prepare meals and grocery shopping may feel like a chore. But, if you are determined, you will start enjoying it within a few weeks. When you discard a bad habit and adopt a good habit, you will feel strong and more in control. And the results will be so encouraging that you will not need any other motivation to continue.

By providing healthy meals to your family you not only improve their health but also educate them about leading a healthy lifestyle. You become a good role model for your family that will go down from one generation to the next. This way you can correct the health problems inherited from parents and end the risk for your family's future generations.

However, don’t go overboard following the plan obsessively. Remember, moderation is the key. A cookie once in a while will save you from devouring an entire box in a weak moment.

Your meals should include protein, whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. As per RDA recommendations 55-70% carbohydrates, 20-30% fats and 15-20% proteins should be your daily intake. The World Health Organization adds 40-50 grams of fiber to it. Remember, a balanced, moderate and varied diet is essential to good health. Concentrate on foods that are high in vitamins, essential fatty acids, antioxidants, unrefined carbohydrates, high fiber that is low in sugar, low in fat and low in sodium. Plus, you must limit your intake of salt, sugar, caffeine, fats and alcohol to avoid stress that leads to cancer. According to the American Cancer Society 60% of cancer is related to diet.

A healthy diet is the first step towards leading a healthy life style. A good balanced diet will gradually lead to good eating habits and make your life less stressful. It’s best to make a plan and include your family for suggestions and feedback. If you get them involved, they will support you in making the changes. Finally, stick to the plan and soon you will see changes in your life; you will be able to manage stress, reduce risk of disease and illness, control weight, and provide energy.

Article Source: http://www.simplepetcare.com/pet-articles

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