There are many foods that we enjoy because they either taste good or because they are convenient for us and don’t require very much effort to prepare. But it is precisely these sorts of foods that are causing ever-rising rates of obesity and diabetes. If you’re overweight or obese, it’s not going to help your confidence, and you’re going to feel ill much of the time as well. No one wants diabetes either, as it can cause a long list of health problems of varying seriousness. Here are some foods that you should cut out of your diet if you’re serious about making a healthy change.
Fast Food
McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King seem to be an indelible part of the American landscape, as you’d be hard pressed to drive through any major city without seeing one every couple of minutes. It’s undeniably easier to stop at the drive through and pick up a burger and fries than it is to go home and spend an hour preparing a healthier gourmet meal.
But the average meal from one of these restaurants has a load of sodium, sugar, chemical additives, and more than your daily recommended amount of total and saturated fat. If you feel like you don’t have the energy to go home and cook yourself a healthier meal after work, it’s helpful to prepare some dinners on the weekend and have them ready in the fridge and freezer for you. By planning a little bit, you can avoid having to choose an unhealthy fast food option.
Also, remember that you don’t need to eliminate fast food from your diet entirely. Most things are okay in moderation. Just limit your Whoppers or McNuggets to a couple of times a month.
Frozen Dinners
TV dinners, as they were once known, seemed like an easy way to feed the kids after you got home exhausted from working all day. Many adults would enjoy them too. The problem is, microwavable pre-packaged dinners are often very high in sodium and artificial preservatives. They have to be, to make sure they’re still edible after they’ve been sitting in your freezer for a few weeks. There are some on the market with names like Healthy Choice, but if you look at the nutritional content, you’re not likely to agree.
Again, the best way to avoid having to go this route is to plan. You can make your own microwave dinners by cooking on the weekends and then dividing up the portions so that they are ready to go when you get home. Much like with the fast food options, you can still have an occasional store-bought frozen dinner if you like. Just don’t make it your standard go-to or you’re looking at health problems down the line.
Fresh is always better than frozen, and home-cooked is always better than store-bought. That way you’ll be sure that only natural ingredients are going into your meals, and you should start to see the difference in your waistline and energy level before long.
