I’ve learned something in the past year. Something very important, and eye-opening. Healthy eating need not be tedious, bland, repetitive or uninspiring. There are lots of ways to eat better without sacrificing your love of food. Or your budget…
… And it doesn’t have to mean forsaking your love of ‘sinful treats’. If you eat re-sponsibly most of the time, there’s al-ways room for a splurge now and then.
My own experience…
I’ve mentioned, many a time in this space, that I’ve started following a cer-tain healthy eating practice, or taking a certain supplement or eating a certain superfood. Most recently, I’ve raved about the therapeutic powers of blue-berries and turmeric.
Last week, I related how I’d started ‘taking’ a cup of blueberries every morning as part of my usual breakfast. I really believe they’re helping my cardio health as well as my metabolism and my cognit-ive abilities. On top of that, I’m taking a turmeric supplement every day, I’ve switched to 100 percent whole grain breads, and I’m focusing on clean, protein- and fibre-rich foods.
The idea was originally to supercharge my diet to help my age- and illness-ravaged system recover from the bout of incapacity I suffered last year – the one which saw my efforts in this space inter-rupted for a full week. I’m feeling better in every way, and stronger every week that goes by…
If you hadn’t got the message by now – I’m a healthy-eating booster!
Not a fanatic…
Not by any means! In fact I’ve dismissed some potential healthy eating practices out of hand, just because they struck me as too extreme, or excluded other healthy food or habits.
And that’s right in step with my underlying food and nutrition mantra: Everything in balance and harmony. And moderation in all things. Of course, the great Julia Child always added a corollary to that last statement: “…including moderation!”
But that’s not totally nutty, either. Sometimes a splurge is warranted, to lift the spirits or get one’s ‘dining life’ out of a rut. Sometimes to assuage a persistent craving. Sometimes just for the enter-tainment value.
My take
There’s no reason to view healthy eating as akin to joining the army or getting thyself to a nunnery. It’s just a shift in your daily habits you’ll feel better for.
And your wallet will feel better too. Because you’ll stop spending money on junk food and divert the dollars to healthy foods. With the added benefit that you’ll spend less on prescription and over-the-counter health care products in the medium and long run. Which could more than offset the slight additional cost of better food!
~ Maggie J.