How to Switch to Healthy Foods Without Missing the Junk

But Comfort Foods Are So...Comforting!


So you want to eat healthier foods but you hate the thought of missing the old junky, fatty stuff? If so, then you're not alone. Health behaviors are the hardest to change without a doubt. Have you tried to eat healthier but haven't had success? Even though your heart is in the right place, your strategy may not be. Are you ready for a fool-proof way to eat heart healthy foods and not miss the bad stuff? Try this...


Don't Try to Turn Your Current Diet Upside Down


This is true no matter how bad your eating habits are today. Unless your doctor has already placed you on a very strict diet that is very different from what you're used to, don't try to turn things around all at once. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither were your unhealthy eating habits. Furthermore, you really want to nail this whole healthy eating thing eventually so that you're not forced to do it after a heart attack or stroke. That's no fun. :-/


The Vicious Cycle of Cravings


The body has many built-in mechanisms that perpetuate whatever you start. The more you exercise, the more you crave and miss it. The more sugar, salt and fat you eat, the more you crave it. You create an appetite for something and your brain tells your body that it wants it...correction: it HAS to have it.

The idea is to create an appetite for good stuff to the point that you're making good choices without having to agonize over it. Before you know it, people will be calling YOU a health nut! Then you'll say, "I'm not on a diet. I always eat this way".


Wean Yourself Off the Bad and Onto the Good


1. Make a list of the foods you eat that are high in cholesterol, fat, salt and sugar. Do you eat:

-whole or 2% milk?
-egg yolks?
-potato chips?
-butter?
-regular soda?


2. Next to those foods, list the healthier version of that food or a totally different healthier alternative. If you can't think of a good healthy alternative, think if the reasons you like that food and then find another food with similar traits (replace crunchy/salty with crunchy/unsalty). Like this:

-skim or 1% milk
-egg whites
-popcorn without butter or salt
-margarine or a heart healthy spread
-diet soda or water


3. Start weaning! Buy both versions of the healthy and unhealthy versions of your foods, then mix them and eat them at the same time. Start by cutting the unhealthy serving by 50% and replacing it with the good stuff.

-Go from whole milk to 2%. Go from 2% to 1%. Go from 1% to skim.
-Go from two whole eggs to one whole egg and two egg whites (1 whole= 2 whites)
-Mix your chips with plain popcorn
-Use a smidge of butter but mostly margarine
-Pour half regular soda and half diet. Or simply drink a half can of soda, then down a glass of water. You won't be thirsty anymore and you still satisfied your soda craving.


4. Every few weeks, gradually lower the amount of the unhealthy version. I have learned from experience that you will NOT miss the old stuff. I first started this with brown and white rice. Then I tried it with eggs. I used to HATE egg whites until I gradually weaned myself onto them. Now I can't STAND the taste of yolks. It works, folks. I still love regular soda but I buy the small cans only then follow up with water.


Any Suggestions?


Can you think of more foods that the weaning principle will work well with? If so, share your ideas in the comments section below.



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