Challenges (WEEK 6)

Hey everyone!

I hope everyone had a great 3 day weekend! It's time for my weekly update! This week's theme is challenges...we've all faced them at some point in trying to achieve a goal. I've faced some challenges in my attempt to increase my fruits and veggies intake while simultaneously decreasing my "snacking" habits. One situation in particular was after a particularly long day in which I had 2 classes back to back and a group project meeting afterwards. During these long days I usually bring a snack with me or have lunch to sustain me so I don't go on a food binge when I get home! On this day i forgot to bring snacks so I got super hungry at the end of the day and by the time I got home, I was not ready to contemplate how to incorporate veggies in my food. I ended up picking up Chipotle (which does have some veggies, but the caloric content probably counters that). Plus, cooked veggies lose a lot of their nutritional value when you cook them. I did learn my lesson and went to Trader Joe's the next day and stocked up on some healthy snacks (carrot sticks, strawberries, & some cashews/almonds). I'm now prepared for those crazy days that leave me eating anything in sight!

Helpful Links to Create Fruit & Veggie Lovers (WEEK 5)

Hey everyone!

I wanted to take this blog opportunity to share some helpful links that I have come across in my goal to increase my fruits & veggies intake! We all know that fruits and veggies have been linked to better health overall including improved immune system, a great source of fiber and nutrients...and the list goes on! It also can be helpful in reducing risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, high cholesterol, etc.

Although everyone knows the health benefits of fruits and veggies, it can be hard to take the next step and ensure that they are getting enough of these healthy treats in their daily diet. In my quest to learn more about the health benefits of fruits and veggies and the different ways to make them fun and exciting to eat, I have come across some helpful links to encourage me along the way!

This link is about a CDC program that strives to increase consumption of fruits & veggies:
http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/qa/index.html#importance

It has great FAQ and it even has a fantastic "tips" section that gives you advice on how to incorporate fruits & veggies in your daily meals!

Another great link that some may already be aware of is:
www.livestrong.com

It has great information on healthy lifestyles including exercise and nutrition. It has a google search box in which you can type "fruits and veggies" and it will list all the articles and resources the website has regarding your search topic. I found great articles on fruits that help you lose weight and the different health benefits of specific fruits and veggies.

I hope everyone gets a chance to check out these great websites! They're a great resource for others who want to increase their fruits and veggies intake or who just want to improve their overall health!

Cheers!

Overcoming barriers AKA food temptations (WEEK 4)

Hey everyone!

So last week I did some grocery shopping and I have to say, I am proud of myself for resisting the temptation to buy some of my favorite (unhealthy) snacks! Per my last post, I made a grocery list and actually bought everything on there without allowing my eyes to be diverted by the cleverly advertised aisles with snacks galore!

GROCERY LIST:

• apples
• wheat bread
• cold cut turkey
• oatmeal
• grapes
• carrots
• blueberries
• whole grain pasta
• peanut butter
• mango sorbet (a little treat!)
• lettuce
• vinaigrette dressing

Looks pretty good, right!? Well, although I've been doing pretty well so far (up to about 3 servings of fruits/veggies per day) there are some barriers that I face, however I have a few ideas of how to overcome them!

Barrier 1: FOOD CRAVINGS
I probably don't need to explain these to anyone, because we all have them! I definitely have a sweet tooth, and with that comes all kinds of cravings...but I have looked into alternatives! I read a few health articles that said that a few squares of dark chocolate can not only satisfy the sweet tooth cravings, but can also be great for heart health. So I'm definitely gonna turn to this (in small doses of course!) when I have the snack cravings.

Barrier 2: BOREDOM
Fruits and veggies are yummy and colorful and all, but they can get boring when you're trying to eat them on a daily basis. In order to overcome this barrier, I have looked into ways to make fruits and veggies exciting and fun to eat! For example, I have found that freezing blueberries and eating them right out of the freezer can be a very yummy snack! I'm currently on the hunt for other fun ways to eat fruits and veggies, so if you know of any, lemme know!

Barrier 3: LAZINESS
To be honest, laziness sometimes gets the best of me when attempting to eat healthy. Of course, everyone wants convenience and ease when you're home from a long day and want something quick and YUMMY to eat! I think the best way to overcome this is to prepare some meals that include veggies and keep them in the fridge to eat when I get hungry. Also, I think it's a good idea to prepare fruits (clean & cut them up) and put them in Tupperware containers so that I can just open them up and start eating!

Putting these barriers in writing actually helps a lot, because I'm more aware of them and will consciously try to overcome them! Wish me luck everyone!!!! :D :D

Grocery shopping for a girl who loves lists! (WEEK 3)

I must confess that I am one of those super organized people that LOVES to have lists for anything from shopping to homework to-do checklists. This can definitely come in handy when I go grocery shopping, because it would encourage me to stick to the list rather than straying to the snack aisle and purchasing my comfort snacks that I have a love hate relationship with. I love that they taste good...but I hate that they have contributed to my ever growing muffin top!

This past weekend, I went back home to visit my family and received plenty of encouragement from my parents regarding my fruits and veggies goal. My mom is a huge health food enthusiast and tries her best to make us all eat healthy, but she has her work cut out with me (snack lover to the core)! My mom is my inspiration for getting my nutritional habits back on track and adopt a healthier lifestyle. For this reason, I decided to go grocery shopping with her this weekend to get an idea of the types of foods that should be on my grocery lists. My mom definitely helped me gain some perspective and REALLY encouraged me to commit to curb the snacking and increase the fruits and veggies. I'm excited to take the things I learned and use them when I go grocery shopping the next time! After talking to my mom, I think I realized that as a young person, it's important to take her advice and develop healthy habits that I can maintain and implement in my daily life. As a person who likes routine (and lists) as long as I repeatedly eat fruits and veggies each week, it will be easier for me to adopt the change in the long run simply because I'm used to it and expect it in my daily routine. I think it's safe to say being a list aficionado will help me in achieving my goal!