If you don’t believe me, try it yourself. Commit your self to eating a truly healthy diet for just one week. This means a good breakfast, a wholesome main meal, a second light meal, and one or two snacks a day. I suggest you make a contract with yourself to follow through. Put it in writing. Tell your friends and family members how you plan to change your diet. It’s harder to break diet restrictions that others are expecting you to keep. After you’ve signed your contract, carefully choose your meals for the week. It’s important to do this in advance so you’ve got a definite plan to follow. Last minute mealtime decisions can test your willpower. Choose some exemplary breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. By this I mean meals that are low in fat (no more than 9 grams per entree), with lots of high fiber and nutrient rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Keep your choices simple. In fact, you need only five menus to get you through the week: one well-balanced breakfast such as a whole grain cereal with fruit and skim milk, two lunches, and three dinners. I suggest your dinner entrees include one broiled or baked chicken dish, one pasta dish, and one vegetable dish (that is, a large plate of steamed vegetables). Don’t worry about getting bored with your limited selections. Just choose from among your healthy favorites, make sure the recipes are easy to prepare, and make use of no salt flavor enhancers like spices and dry mustard. These dishes will be the foundation of your on the healthy side program. A few other tips: Avoid eating out unless you’re sure the restaurant serves low fat meals. Say good bye to soft drinks; drink skim milk, juices, and water instead. Snack on fresh fruit and the new healthy microwavable soups. Say no to creamery butter and yes to fruit butters. Have large salads. Do make sure you eat enough. The idea here is not to starve yourself although you will probably lose weight as a natural consequence of low fat eating it’s to eat nu trient laden healthy foods. By the end of the week, see if you don’t feel more energized and sleep better. Chances are, your cravings for unhealthy foods will be reduced, too
Renew Your Contract
Unfortunately, one week isn’t long enough to ingrain you to healthy eating habits for life. It’s just enough to give you a taste of what, with a little more effort, could become a lifelong habit. So now’s the time to renew your contract with your self this time for a two to four week period. Add some additional low fat, high nutrition dishes to your repertoire. Keep in mind that the longer you stick with this palate retraining program, the longer the results are likely to last. Of course, at some point, your taste buds will probably start to drift again. So I suggest a refresher course for two weeks every six months or so. Or take your vacation at a health spa. You’ll be back on track in no time.