Nutrition and Your Sanity…

We have all heard it said before that “you are what you eat”. It is true. Right? We certainly can’t expect to look and feel fabulous when we put unnecessary garbage in our bodies. We often are so consumed with counting calories in our food and drinks, in my opinion, we should be counting the unnecessary chemicals that are added to them.

It seems that every time we reach for food, there is often a lengthy nutritional label attached with words we can’t even pronounce. We clearly have no idea what we are eating when we look at the labels, which to me is pretty sad and somewhat frustrating for the majority of the population.

Would it change how you look at food if the nutritional labels were easier to read without us having to be a “scientist” to figure it out? What if on the nutritional label instead of a list of printed mumbo-jumbo that nobody understands, there was a stick figure and the number of miles one would have to run to burn the calories consumed in one serving? (I say with a smile.)

I wonder how many people would resonate with that option better than what we currently have available for us? Don’t you think it would be easier to understand?

What about the unlimited amounts of processed foods we have in the market today? There are so many food options that come in a nice shiny box that we can simply toss in the microwave and push a few buttons and expect something healthy to emerge within a few minutes. When did it become okay to sacrifice our health over convenience? I believe we should have several options that are also easy and quick to grab when we are in a hurry and time is limited. But not at the expense of our health.

So, how can we maintain our sanity and our waistline at the same time? Easy. We purchase organic options whenever we can, we attend our local Farmers Market, and we prepare our own healthy options. While I understand that time is precious, it really doesn’t take much time when we prepare our own snacks and foods in advance. I coach all of my clients on how to prep food and find that it actually saves additional time and money in the long run. I would much rather know what I’m feeding my family and putting in my own body than not knowing. Wouldn’t you?

It is refreshing to know that our own health doesn’t need to be tethered to someone else’s idea of what you should be consuming. It is perfectly okay to take control of your own health and eat what makes you feel great, be able to maintain plenty of energy and look fabulous regardless of your age. Don’t you agree?

Take a few moments over the weekend or when you have time and prepare some healthy options that you and your family can enjoy. Trust me, your health is worth it.

Natalie Dreger is a Certified Fitness Professional and can be reached at: www.nataliedreger.com.

#health