Americans
are always commenting about how they want to change their dietary habits, but
are constantly giving excuses in why it would be too hard to live a healthier
life style. According to eatright.org, these are some of the main reasons why
Americans resist eating healthier:
1.)
82% of Americans
don’t want to give up foods they like in order to eat healthier.
·
The
predisposition that you have to give up all “junk food” in order to live a
healthy lifestyle is not completely true. A couple of cookies or a slice of
pizza eaten every once in a while is not going to disturb someone’s healthy
lifestyle. Everyone has cravings for junk food! The key to a healthy lifestyle
is to not be consumed by these cravings. Always remember, eat in moderation!
2.)
62% of Americans claim they do not have time
to track their diets in order to eat healthier.
· This statistic is a reminder of how lazy
Americans have become. We love everything to be quick and easy, and we greatly
value our leisure time. So, I can understand why 62% of Americans would not be
able to find an extra minute or two for writing down what their meals consisted
of that day. I have a couple of suggestions for those who register under this
category.
o Keep your food journal with you at all times.
For women this is a little easier to do because most women carry purses with
them. For men, I suggest a small pocket sized journal they can put in their
pants alongside their wallets. By having the food journal with you at all
times, it makes it easier to quickly jot down what you eat while you’re eating
it.
o If you think a notebook is unconventional,
there are numerous apps that you can download on your smartphone to help you
keep track of your diet. Examples of such apps include MyFittnessPal and MyNetDiary.
Both apps help you track calories and physical activity. MyNetDiary also helps you plan healthy meals, which often times is
the most challenging part for people.
3.)
60% of Americans
juggle both work and a family and only claim to only have time to prep meals in
15 min.
·
It’s true,
Americans today live in a fast pace society and are constantly running from
event to event. This was true in my household growing up. It was extremely hard
for my parents to feed my sisters and themselves when they had to constantly
drive us to and from all of our events. Not to mention, they did housework in
between working themselves. Something that my mom began to do was pre-make
meals on Sunday for the upcoming week. She would label them with the day it was
to be cooked and instructions on how to cook it. This saved her a lot of time
and energy in the end, and I highly suggest it for families that are constantly
on the go.
4.)
36% of Americans
claim to have no leisure time for physical activity.
·
Even if you do
not have time to workout every day, there are numerous ways to increase your
physical activity without going to the gym. For instance, if your job is within
walking distance or biking distance, you should take advantage of that. Both
methods of transportation are great ways to get some exercise in, and they are
eco-friendly, as well. Another popular trend people are taking advantage of is
the Fitbit. The Fitbit is a watch-like device that tracks all-day activity like
steps, distance, calories burned and active minutes. It is a great and
fashionable way to keep track of how active you’ve been and to keep track of
personal goals.
In
reality, it is not so difficult after all in making changes and modifying your
diet and/or lifestyle. Start by making a few changes at a time, and trust me,
the shift from an unhealthy to a healthy lifestyle will be a lot smoother!
Sources:
http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/nutrition/dietary-guidelines-and-myplate/eating-right-isnt-complicated http://www.eatright.org/~/media/eatrightpro%20images/media/multimedia%20news%20center/infographics/total_diet_approach_to_healthy_eating.ashx
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