Hey.
It's Lacey Baier of A Sweet Pea Chef and I would like to talk to you today about one
of the biggest reasons why people resist starting to eat healthy and that is they just don't
want to give up the foods they love.
Too often I see people look at healthy food as something that isn't tasty, desirable,
or something that they would love.
I agree.
The thought of never having another pizza or coke or cheesecake again can be a very
difficult concept for many of us.
This is especially true if you're changing to a lifestyle where you're just eating carrots
and celery sticks.
The good news is that you can totally have the things you love and eat healthy.
You just need to have to have a plan that makes sense and works for you.
So in this video I'm going to show you how to eat healthy and not hate your food.
Let me start by explaining what my personal eating plan is and what has worked for me
because if you're here watching this video I know one very important thing about you
and that is you enjoy food.
Good news.
I enjoy food too, a lot.
And so I refuse to eat bland chicken breast for dinner with bland broccoli and bland carrot
sticks for snacks.
So let's make some healthier choices.
One of the first steps in eating healthy is making better, healthier food choices.
I don't know about you but I have a hard time going cold turkey removing things that I'm
used to.
I have routines and dependencies on things that need to be weaned or I just know I won't
be successful.
Take coffee and creamer for example.
I used to drink at least one cup of coffee every morning with about two tablespoons of
granulated sugar and also having sweetened hazelnut creamer in there.
There was a time where I could have said that I just wouldn't even function without that
coffee.
Nowadays, I don't even really think about coffee in the morning.
I don't crave it, I don't need it to wake up, I don't even usually like it when I randomly
have it on a cheat day.
How did I accomplish this?
Well, I was inclined to go crazy and cut it out at first.
I found that just didn't work, so I started slow.
The first day I removed about a half a tablespoon of sugar from my normal amount.
Then when I got used to that after a few days, I removed another half tablespoon.
Then I started using unsweetened creamers like half-and-half.
Each time I removed a small piece of what was unhealthy and slowly I became less and
less dependent on the coffee and creamer I had become so obsessed with.
I was finally in control over my coffee and in control of my thinking and my body, and
it was amazing.
So when I'm wanting a caffeine fix I now have just the regular latte with almond milk with
no added sugar and it works perfectly.
Taking baby steps works for other things too just like it did for me and my coffee.
Here's some ideas for how to get started taking small steps toward eliminating unhealthy foods
from your diet and taking control of your food and your health.
Mayonnaise, first try to remove a quarter of what you normally use, then remove a little
bit more.
One day you might even not want the mayonnaise on there.
You might replace it with avocado spread or nonfat Greek yogurt.
Soda, if you drink four sodas a day, try not finishing your first one or just waiting just
a little bit longer in between when you have them.
Then remove one soda a day until you're able to work towards eliminating one the next day
and so on.
Salt, slowly start removing just a little bit of salt here and there when you're cooking
or seasoning your food.
Choose foods that aren't high in salt and you'll also start to crave salt less and less.
Sugar, first start reducing the amount of sugar you use in your foods.
Even if it's just a teaspoon that you're removing here and there, that's an improvement.
Once you start removing processed sugar you can try adding raw or unrefined sugars that
aren't overly processed, like turbinado sugar or coconut sugar, two of faves.
There are so many ways to eat healthier and still enjoy your food.
Making the choice to eat healthy is to remove unnecessary fats, sugars, and carbs from your
diet.
It's about making better and more nutritious choices for your body.
This means embracing vegetables, whole foods, unrefined grains, lean proteins, and healthy
fats, even if a little at a time.
It doesn't mean giving into the battle and never enjoying your food again, that's just
not going to cut it.
Want more examples of healthy food replacements you can start using to eat healthier right
away?
I'm so glad you asked.
Here are some carbs to look for.
Whole wheat oatmeal, steel-cut oats, fruit or raw produce, Ezekiel and other 100% whole
grain breads, vegetables, sweet potatoes, brown rice.
Here are some fats to look for, almonds, almond butter, natural peanut butter, pecans, walnuts,
olive oil, coconut oil, flax seed oil, and avocados.
Here are some proteins to look for, eggs, boneless skinless chicken breast, lean ground
turkey, lean beef like flank steak or sirloin, fish like salmon, tilapia, cod and bass, chia
seeds, low-fat cottage cheese, and quinoa.
Let's talk about getting creative.
You may have noticed in my videos and on the blog that I still share sweets and breads
and tasty foods like burgers and pasta.
And you've probably noticed that I refer to these recipes as clean or healthy.
The way I do this is I've become very creative at making delicious foods using sneaky ingredients.
Once you get started it's easier and easier and you find yourself being able to enjoy
all the foods you love, but in a healthier form.
How cool is that?
For example, let me break down some of my favorite, healthy recipes and explain to you
how I used creativity to make the recipe healthy.
For my healthy chocolate zucchini bread, I added shredded zucchini which adds fiber and
nutrients.
I use unrefined organic virgin coconut oil instead of processed vegetable oil and to
replace additional oil I use unsweetened applesauce.
For my baked eggs and spaghetti squash nests, instead of using refined flours for the nests,
I made them out of roasted spaghetti squash noodles and I used chickpea flour instead
of all-purpose flour which is high in protein and nutrients and it's also gluten free.
The spaghetti noodles give the feel of hash browns and they're super tasty.
For my chocolate chia pudding recipe, I used no refined sugars, but used pureed dates to
sweeten it instead.
And instead of using real pudding I used chia seeds which have the same texture and are
high in protein, antioxidants, and fiber.
The topping is made using Greek yogurt and pure maple syrup so it's high in protein and
avoids regular refined sugars and heavy cream.
For my cream of broccoli soup, I use no cream and instead make it using plain Greek yogurt
to make it creamy.
I limit the oil and the salt.
And the healthy vegetables including the broccoli make up the majority of the dish which provides
a ton of fiber and protein.
Finally, for my dark chocolate peanut butter cups, I use only three ingredients all of
which are whole, unrefined foods.
That’s also including unrefined coconut oil, organic peanut butter, and dark chocolate.
I use no refined sugars.
Okay, so now that we've talked about all the delicious, healthy, and creative foods that
are out there for you to enjoy, I have one more thing to add.
I also eat pizza, and fried chicken, and cheesecake, and donuts, and I drink coke and coffee and
all those greasy, fatty, high carb, unhealthy foods, but the thing is, that I only eat them
on cheat days, at most once a week.
What's a cheat day?
Well, every week I set aside one day where I allow myself to enjoy the foods I used to
love before starting this healthier cleaner lifestyle.
Basically I forgive myself for eating these foods because it's planned and because it's
part of my diet plan and I am rocking on all of the other days.
And once I have my burger or my pizza or margarita or whatever, I go back to my normal healthy
eating.
This works well for me.
The funny thing is I usually don't even enjoy the cheat days as much as I think I will all
throughout the week because I find the foods too salty or too sweet or too greasy.
I actually can't wait to get back to my normal healthy foods as soon as possible.
Some people choose their cheat days to be more of a cheat meal.
So one day they could have a cheat breakfast, then a cheat lunch on another day, then a
cheat dinner or dessert, and so on.
While that works for some people, I found that allows me way too much flexibility in
my eating schedule and I started to cheat more and more because I justified, "Oh it's
just one cheat meal".
Rather, on a cheat day I have my whole day to get it out of my system and then move on
and it's pretty darn glorious, let me tell you.
So if there is a certain unhealthy food that you love, that you want to make into a healthier
version, let me know in the comments and I would love to help you.
If you would like to get started eating healthier, click the link to get my free guide on how
to eat clean for beginners.
And as always, be sure to subscribe so you never miss my new weekly recipe videos.
Thanks.
I'll see you next time.