Eating Healthy in 2014: Time to Get Back on Track

I don’t know about you, but the Four State Food Critic is guilty of some ghastly food “sins” so far this year.  Oh sure, I had great intentions coming into 2014 (I won’t call them “resolutions”), but all of this bad winter weather and Super Bowl weekend has put me “out of sorts” on my healthy eating agenda.  Too much junk food, fried anything, beer, and late night snacking has me out of sorts.  The FSFC needs to get back on track.

Now I’m not saying that you, gentle reader, are guilty of the same nutritional crimes, but indulge me for a few minutes on this.  I need to state my healthier eating goals in writing – and maybe some of them will sound good to you as well.  The FSFC needs to:

Drink more water – 4 to 8 glasses a day.  Studies suggest that sometimes when we feel “hungry”, a glass of water may do the trick (instead of a bag of Lay’s potato chips!)

Eat more fruits and vegetables.  The USDA says we should be eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.  The FSFC is falling short of that goal, and needs to start adding more back into his diet (in place of all of those refined starches, bread, and pasta).

Eat more whole grains.  No matter where it comes from (i.e. bread, rice, etc.) – whole grains are better for you.

Stop snacking late at night.  The FSFC tries not to eat after 7:00 PM.

Get more steps in.  The FSFC wears a pedometer and tries to get in 10,000 steps a day (that’s about 5 miles total).  I’ve been doing about half of that, and it shows.

There – I feel better (don’t you?)  The FSFC never likes to say the word “diet”, as diets were made to be broken.  I consider the steps above “healthier choices” – and that’s something even I can live with.

Time to get busy.