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8 Great Ways to Eat Healthy and Still Enjoy Great Flavors

3/23/2017

While you may be very interested in changing your diet so you can enjoy better health, you're probably a bit concerned about having to eat food that tastes terrible. However, eating healthy doesn't automatically mean eating without flavor!

Thankfully, there are several ways you can consume healthier alternatives without losing the taste, and it mostly depends on how much creativity you put into your meals.

Try the following tips for healthy food preparation options that guarantee great taste:

Abandon the frying pan. Deep fried food can be really tasty, but unfortunately far from healthy. However, you can easily replace the deep frying process with baking or grilling. In fact, you'll end up with juicier meats by baking or grilling properly.
Use fresh herbs and spices. Instead of using powdered seasonings with additives, why not consider substituting those with fresh herbs and spices? They're definitely more natural, which is a plus. But they also have much more powerful flavors than any store-bought powdered variety you try out.
Replace unhealthy sides with tasty salads. As much as you love to indulge in a serving of macaroni and cheese or potato salad, you're doing damage to your body each time you do. So why not replace them with yummy salads, to which you can add cheeses and dressings, and still end up consuming fewer calories than the unhealthy alternatives?
Replace simple carbs with complex carbs. Simple carbs are simply bad for you! White breads, cakes, and white rice have very little nutritional value. Instead, try complex carbs like whole grains, legumes, and sweet potatoes. By consulting your trusty recipe books, you can turn those healthy carbs into explosions of flavor!
Eat lean meats. If you're a meat lover, you can relax! You can still eat meat and do so healthily by ensuring you buy lean cuts. Instead of grilling burgers and hot dogs on Super Bowl Sunday, you can treat your body to a nice, lean, juicy steak. Top that off with some baked potatoes and you'll have a healthy, yet delicious, meal!
Marinate meats. To get the most from your healthy meat options like salmon, turkey and lean steak, marinate them for several hours before cooking. Using something like low-sodium soy sauce to marinate can really result in great flavors.
Make your own sauces. Sauces and dressings don't have to be scratched off your healthy foods list entirely. However, the store-bought ones do! Replace those with homemade dressings and sauces that allow you to control which ingredients you put in. Getting healthy, juicy barbecue chicken is very possible when you do your own sauces.
Substitute fruit juices with real fruit. There's that sweetness about fruit juices that makes them appealing to kids and adults alike. However, you should avoid the excess sugars found in them at all costs. Instead, have some whole fruit that can be just as enjoyable but much better for your body.

Following these tips will help you let go of the mindset that deep fried or sugar infused foods are the only ones that are pleasing to the palate. Healthy options definitely exist if you're interested in treating your body right.

All your meals can be tasty and healthy at the same time. There's just no way you can beat having food with good flavor and great health properties. That's the perfect combination!

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6 Beliefs Keeping You From Attaining the Body You Desire

3/14/2017

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Are These 6 Beliefs Keeping You From Attaining the Body You Desire?

Everyone has certain beliefs and habits that dictate their behavior. Unfortunately, many of these beliefs can keep us from the very things we desire the most. This seems to be especially true when it comes to diet and exercise. Beliefs that prevent us from even getting started are common as well.

It's especially unfortunate in light of how easy it actually is to make simple changes that can have profound effects.

If any of these statements ring true for you, read on to discover how to counteract their damage:

"I must have everything before I get started." You know the routine; you think you have to get new tennis shoes, join a gym, buy new workout clothes, find the perfect diet, and more. Realize that you don't need anything fancy to get started. You know what food is healthy and what isn’t. Go for a walk.

Get started today with what you already know. You can improve your diet and exercise routine each week. Nothing happens without action, so start taking action today.

"I'm too out of shape to exercise." Lots of heavier people believe this one. The truth is that exercise is relative. For some people, exercising means running 10 miles. For others, it might mean walking to the mailbox and back. The key is to stress your body slightly and then let it recover. The amount of work it takes to achieve that is secondary.

"I don't have time to cook." There are plenty of things that are healthy to cook that take almost zero attention. Throw some beans in a pot and let them boil for a couple of hours while you’re busy with something else. The total time actually spent doing anything is less than a minute. Do this ahead of time and then just reheat for mealtime.

"I'm so out of shape that I'll never be able get back in shape." It's true that the more out of shape you are, the longer it's going to take. But you can improve each week. It doesn't take much to lose one pound each week, but that's 50 pounds in a year. It's important to just focus on this week. If you focus two years out, it's tough to persevere.

"I don't know how to get started." If you're in poor physical shape, nearly anything is good enough. Clean up your diet a little bit. Move around a little bit more than you have been. Once you make an improvement in your habits, your body will respond. Then you need to change a little more. It's not necessary to have a complicated routine.

Try this: Replace one 'bad' food that you eat regularly with something that you know is healthy. Also add going for a walk to your daily routine. Go as slowly as you need to. If you can only walk 5 minutes, that's fine. Next week you'll be able to walk 10. Each week improve your diet and increase your activity by just a little bit.

"It's too complicated." This belief comes from the nutrition and fitness industry. If they kept everything simple, what would they have to sell and talk about? Diet and exercise are both actually very simple unless you're trying to make the Olympic team. Don't be fooled into thinking that you're knowledge is insufficient.

Examine your own beliefs. What is stopping your from taking better care of yourself? Is your belief reasonable, or is it just an excuse to maintain your current behavior? If you can change your beliefs, you can change your behavior and enjoy better results.

Start eating a little bit better and exercising a little bit more today, and sooner than you think, you’ll have the body you’ve been wanting.

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8 Great Ways to Eat Healthy and Still Enjoy Great Flavors

6 Beliefs Keeping You From Attaining the Body You Desire

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