What does a healthy lifestyle truly look like??? HELP!!!

lisalewis7588

Above all: moderation is key.

I aim for whole grains, a bunch of fruits & veggies, eggs, legumes, and lean cuts of meat or fish (and a few sweet treats, because let's be real, a life without chocolate is no life at all). I've cut out most processed foods because they're too high in sodium & unnecessary sugar for my tastes (why do savory foods need high fructose corn syrup as the #2 ingredient?). Anywhere from 2-5 times per week I find that I don't even eat meat on a given day because I eat a lot of legumes (my dad is a lentil & wheat farmer so I have free access to an essentially infinite amount of lentils, plus I love beans). I don't do it on purpose, it's just what happens.

One note: if you choose not to eat animal protein, make sure you're eating the right combinations of plant proteins to get all 9 essential amino acids (the ones our body cannot produce on its own). Often you have to pair a legume with a grain or a seed in order to get all 9.

DeannaLynnPerkins

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!! I really appreciate all the wonderful feedback answering my question and addressing my thoughts on a health lifestyle in the eating department and the plant based diet vs a diet high in animal protein.

After more discussion with my husband and reading through your feed back we've decide to focus on:

-Continuing to utilize lean meats in our meals (we use ground turkey and chicken instead of ground beef).

-Regulate the amount of sugar we intake...buying less processed foods that contain lg amounts of sugar and not adding more sugar to certain items.

-Eating more fresh veggies with our meals and buying the majority of them at our local farmers market.

-Continuing to cook all of our meals at home and providing our kids with healthy options...i.e: scrambled eggs with turkey sausage instead of frozen waffles and syrup for breakfast.

EvgeniZyntx

DeannaLynnPerkins wrote: »

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!! I really appreciate all the wonderful feedback answering my question and addressing my thoughts on a health lifestyle in the eating department and the plant based diet vs a diet high in animal protein.

After more discussion with my husband and reading through your feed back we've decide to focus on:

-Continuing to utilize lean meats in our meals (we use ground turkey and chicken instead of ground beef).

-Regulate the amount of sugar we intake...buying less processed foods that contain lg amounts of sugar and not adding more sugar to certain items.

-Eating more fresh veggies with our meals and buying the majority of them at our local farmers market.

-Continuing to cook all of our meals at home and providing our kids with healthy options...i.e: scrambled eggs with turkey sausage instead of frozen waffles and syrup for breakfast.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with waffles and syrup. Or ground beef. Occasionally.

Consider rather than focusing on one food or thinking that x is bad that your overall diet should have - a large variety, strongly based on fresh produce (say at least have your plate of vegetables and fruit) at a nutrient and calorie level which meets your activity needs.

Stay active.

Do things that invigorate your spirit.

The problem with removing foods from your diet is that it tends to make people concentrate on too little variety and that leads to dietary issues. Don't go health crazy with arbitrary rules.