In the mornings I exercise. I try to do my cups, run my stairs, or push the stroller (fast) through the neighborhood. I sweat and swear (just a little), and I guzzle water to stay ahead of the heat. It’s not easy, and it’s not pretty. But I know that exercise is just one step toward my healthy goals. What I put in my body is another another step. I gave myself some black and white rules. I know that I do better when there’s no gray area, no room to question, no room to cheat. But that said, I can’t been Catholic-nun strict either, or my eating well won’t last.
So here are some rules I’ve given myself:
- Avoid the white, starchy foods, and eat whole grains instead.
- When there’s a choice, choose whole and unprocessed.
- Don’t snack on the kid’s Goldfish (or Cheez-its or any other processed, carb-heavy foods).
- Try to fill up my plate with fruit or veggies.
- Eat more protein.
- The occasional splurge is okay.
At breakfast, I got rid of cereal that had more sugar. We’re not talking Coco Pops, but a lot of cereals that fall under the “healthy” subhead are filled with sugar. So now I opt for steel cut oats. I make it with skim milk because it’s better than with water. Then I throw some blueberries on top and call it done. Yes, I’m still drinking coffee, cream and two sugars. But I use fat-free half and half and Splenda. Yes. I’m breaking my processed food rule. I don’t have an excuse. I like my morning coffee.
Lunches are typically sandwiches. But I’ve switched to whole-grain bread. I used to use the kid’s bread, which is a “white wheat.” But saying that out loud sounds silly. What, really, is white wheat? I don’t know. So these days, I’m making my sandwiches with better bread. Add some fruit (watermelon has been a lunchtime staple, lately), and sometimes there are some rice cake chips. I like crunchy.
Dinner is a little trickier because the four of us eat the same meal. It’s not like breakfast or lunch when I can pour Cheerios instead of oatmeal or use white wheat bread instead of something less whole. Last night’s dinner was silver turtle pork chops with all the veggies in my fridge. I added squash, tomato, green pepper, corn, and carrots to my pork chop and baked it. Easy? Yes. Healthy? Yes. A hit with the family? No way. Neither kid touched it, but I’m not giving up on healthy dinners. There has to be some kind of balance between what they’ll eat and what is good for them. I just have to search to find it. But dinners like this one fill up my veggie quota and increase my protein intake. Plus, it was really good.
See? Healthier choices, but not too crazy restrictive that I feel like I’m missing out on anything more than some Goldfish with the kids. I can handle that.
