Tips for Healthy Eating

Our society is influenced by advertisements and propaganda produced by the media. These professionals have convinced/brainwashed the public into believing that 'the skinny' is the ideal physical form. This belief has managed to survive throughout the decades and the masses are always attempting to find a shortcut into achieving that perfect form. Both sexes are affected by these subtle hints but it seems mainly women take it to the next level; obsession.

The myriad of healthy and unhealthy diets has consumed the consumers. The unhealthy one's are harmful to the body and can result in worse conditions than if there was no diet. And the healthy one's usually nobody can stand simply because the 'safe foods' are terribly unpalatable.

Almost everyone states that losing weight does not have to be torture; simply eating right and exercising daily will give you the ideal form everyone is searching for. I decided to run an experiment for a month to see if what 'everybody' else swears will work actually does. I did not completely remodel my life and eating habits, I simply modified what I ate and included a single type of exercise.

I still eat the same things as I ate before the experiment. However, while I am either cooking my dinner or warming it up (cause I am all about leftovers), I am making a salad that I eat BEFORE anything else. Sometimes I make a big salad (like the size of a dinner plate) and that's my meal.

I know all of you just groaned when I mentioned salad. Honestly, you are making too big of a deal; you can make them enjoyable.

Now how do I make flimsy lettuce last the whole day? If you just eat lettuce and some sort of salad dressing, you are going to be starving in two hours. Just thought I'd warn you. To make them filling and enjoyable, you use different sorts of toppings. I have compiled a list of my favorites. And try them in different combinations for different flavors.

• chicken salad (HEB and Sam's make some of the best I have ever had. Or if you prefer, you can make your own)
• celery
• carrots
• grapes
• apples
• mandarin oranges
• pineapple
• peaches
• cranberries
• nuts (either almonds, pecans, walnuts, or peanuts; just pick your favorite)
• tomatoes
• avocados

So basically, pick your favorite fruits and veggies and bon appetit! Usually, if I use the chicken salad, I forgo the salad dressing (saves on the calories). Also, the darker the lettuce, the healthier it is. My personal favorite is romaine. I advise against iceberg lettuce; it has no nutritional value. It is what my family calls 'trash lettuce'. By eating the salad first, you force yourself to eat smaller portions of the main course because you feel full quicker. I also make sure not to over eat; once I feel full, I stop eating and save whatever I did not finish.

My experiment consisted of eating a salad with every meal, whether I had it as a side or made it my meal and exercising 2-3 times a week. And because I use different toppings all the time, the salads never get boring. For the other half of my experiment, I joined a Tai Chi class that meets twice a week. (I usually do some of my own practicing at home on the weekends.) The Tai Chi has helped me tone and the salads have made me lose weight. This first month I lost 8 pounds, which is good for me since it's hard for me to lose anything and the exercise has firmed up the cellulose.