Saying to No to Junk Food
By Brenda Williams
That bag of potato chips has your name written all over it. It is calling to you-beckoning you to come over and open it so that you can bite down into crispy, crunchity, salty, greasy goodness. When you feel this happening, or if you've already got one hand half way into the bag of potato chips, you need to stop yourself and reflect on what it is you're doing.
Junk food is one of the primary reasons that the obesity levels are as out of control as they are. Whatever happened to the days of eating your snacks, which consisted of fresh vegetables and dip? Now, if you're lucky, the veggies and dip only come out whenever you have company over. Who made the rule that we can't eat healthier all of the time? The truth is, eating healthy is incredibly difficult. It is a mental game that we often battle with our minds. To eat or not to eat- that is the question.
When you feel yourself craving junk food, immediately try to think of at least five healthy alternatives to the food that you were going to consume. In the mood for something sweet? Instead of reaching for that candy bar, why not opt out for a small can of cantaloupe or pineapple? Even a small yogurt is a much better choice. You don't have to become a calorie counter or some sort of health food freak to know what is good for you and what's not. Too often, we second guess ourselves. We think that a nutritionist or a doctor will know better than us what is good for our bodies when in truth, we know our bodies better than anyone else!
My boyfriend is a personal trainer who happens to be extremely well versed in diet and exercise (no pun intended), and I am constantly asking for reassurance from him when it comes to what I want to eat versus what I already know I should be eating. He is incredibly patient but nevertheless assures me that I already know what I need to be eating.
When you are thinking of making the switch to eventually cut out most of (if not all) of the junk food from your diet), you should keep a food journal documenting what you ate before and after. For example, if during the week prior to you attempting to change your diet, you decided to eat fast food all of the time, record that. Then, the week after, record all of the healthier choices you are making. Usually, the journals will act as a secondary method of catching you in your own act. If you know that you are committed to writing down each food item that enters your mouth, you will more than likely be hesitant to pick up that bag of double-stuffed oreos! This isn't to say that you can never have junk food. After all, going out to pizza or ordering mozarella sticks as an appetizer isn't out. You just need to be aware of when it would be appropriate to eat these things.
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