Habits from Mom

From Jillian Robertson

It’s true: Your mom usually is right. I apply many life lessons my mom taught me. This has proved especially true when examining my eating habits. When I was growing up, my mom made it a priority to instill good, realistic eating habits in my life. She did this not by setting strict rules for what I can and cannot eat, but by simply guiding me to make conscious decisions about what I’m eating, the amount, and how often I eat not-so-good-for-you foods.

With the start of the new year, lots of us are trying to eat healthier and work toward a better lifestyle. If you don’t know where to start, these simple guidelines from my mom require minimal effort and can help.

  1. Don’t keep soda in the house. This will force you to go out to get one and a lot of the time, you won’t. As a kid, my mom used to only let me order it if we went out to dinner, making it more of a special treat.
  2. When snacking on chips or other packaged food, put them in a bowl instead of eating straight out of the bag. This small change helps you control portion sizes instead of mindlessly eating half a bag of chips. The small change will help you be aware of how much you are eating and whether you decide to refill the bowl.
  3. Fast Food Fridays. A great idea if you have children! The idea is to only eat fast food on Fridays, allowing for better decisions during the week, while also giving you something to look forward to at the end of the week.
  4. When you order takeout, transfer the food to a plate or bowl. Most takeout food comes portioned in large containers. To eat a more realistic portion, put the food on a plate or in a bowl. It is a small change that helps avoid overeating. An added bonus: more leftovers! And you may agree with me that a meal is more enjoyable on a plate than out of a plastic container.

Making easy, small changes that lead to realistic habits such as these can be incorporated into any lifestyle. Small changes in behavior can make a huge difference in your health! But most importantly, find things that work for you to achieve an overall healthy lifestyle.

 

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