What most of us need is not another diet but a balanced relationship with food. Like any great relationship it takes some work and some patience and like a relationship, it brings pleasure and satisfaction, both expected and unexpected, to your day.
So where does one start if they wanted to engage in a healthy relationship with their food? Why, we start at the very beginning, of course. Just like a child learns to count to three we can learn about our eating habits with the ABC’s!
ABC’s of Balanced Eating
Adjust your mentality from dieting to eating to live.
Begin to note unhealthy eating habits.
Choose to treat yourself to healthy food.
Decide on where to splurge on the not so healthy stuff.
Eat mindfully.
Figure out if you eat because you are hungry or for emotional reasons.
Go grocery shopping with a list.
Have healthy snack options available.
Invest in good quality ingredients.
Join a healthy cooking class.
Know how many calories a day you need.
Learn how to read labels.
Make every bite count.
Nourish yourself in ways that don’t involve food.
Offer to bring a healthy dish to a party.
Play with new healthy recipes that excite you.
Quench your thirst with water first.
Realize when you are full and put the fork down.
Savor food from a sensual point of view.
Turn off the TV when you eat.
Understand that you are your choices.
Value food as fuel and make sure your tank gets what it needs.
Wait fifteen minutes before having a snack.
Xtra love tastes better than anything.
Yodels are not real food. Repeat ten times.
Zip through the center aisles in the market and focus on the perimeter.
Thought to ponder: Is it time for you to go back to the basics?
Balanced eating is definitely important to me! I think it’s the best way to enjoy food without stressing over each meal
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Beth @ DiningAndDishing recently posted..The Best of Fall Food
Enjoying food is what it’s all about, isn’t it? When we balance our choices it can be a sheer delight to eat instead of a headache!
You are so right on Z. The center aisles are the ones with all the processed foods. Stay to the out side with all the fresh foods. I like your ABC’s for balancing your diet. Great job well done.
Debbie
Hi, Debbie! Welcome to Graceful Balance and thank you for taking the time to share here today. Much appreciated.
I love emphasizing how important it is to have good shopping techniques and habits. If the crap food doesn’t come home with you, you won’t be tempted to eat it!
That was great! A lot of fun. I always tell folks that if it doesn’t walk, fly, run, swim, or grow out of the ground, don’t eat it!
You really hit that with the yodels!
Also, “diet” should not be a verb. It isn’t something you do. It is a noun. It is something you have, as in a healthy diet. Keeping that in mind will help people stay on track. Cheers!
Hi there, Joshua! I love your food motto and i haven’t seen a yodel with legs lately. *lol* You are right on too with the use of the word diet. I can’t imagine living my life being on a diet. *shudders* Cheers right back at ya!
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Thanks for the retweet love, Lance.
Hi Emma,
It is always great to eat a balanced diet. I love how you took us back to the basics. ABC’s
I enjoyed your post!
Take care,
Evelyn
Evelyn recently posted..Become a Healthier You Series: Watch Your Emotions
Thanks so much Evelyn…btw, I am loving the new picture of you.
There is so much information out there on food and nutrition that sometimes it can be good to break it down to the simple steps we can make every day.
All the best to you, lovely lady.
Aww…thank you so much!
Yes, I agree…simple is always a plus.
Take care,
Evelyn
Evelyn recently posted..Why The Best Way To Fast May Be Intermittent Fasting
Emma,
This really says it all: “What most of us need is not another diet but a balanced relationship with food.” But I love the ABC’s to spell it out completely! I couldn’t wait to get to Z to see how you managed that. I don’t even know what Yodels are so I may be one up on the game. Seriously, this is a wonderful guideline that is so useful for people in today’s world. Thanks!
Sandra Lee recently posted..The Web of Love and 5 Beautiful Bloggers
Thank you, Sandra! Food shouldn’t stress us out. It shouldn’t be a struggle to eat in a balanced fashion but a true pleasure in life.
this is so creative and so true- thanks for sharing!
Simply Life recently posted..Vianne Chocolat: A Piece of Handmade Heaven
You are very welcome.
NO Yodels! How will I ever get my vitamin “Y”…
I am sure there is a vitamin Y
Really great list. Not only is it interesting to see how you made every letter work, but they ae also all really good and valuable tips. Kudos!
Steve@Lifestyle Design recently posted..Info Income Coaching Class Graduation
Ahhh…all the vitamin “Y” you need is in yams, of course!
Thanks so much for visiting and commenting , Steve. Ans pssst…a Yodel once a year isn’t a bad thing.
I’m yet another who has never heard of Yodels – I live in new Zealand so that probably explains it.
Love your attitude to food and particularly like “M”. Make every bite count – so no sitting in front of the tv and mindlessly stuffing crap food in your mouth!
Um – not that I would ever do such a thing!!
Dawn recently posted..Oct 27 Mutaflor Living With Ulcerative Colitis
Welcome, Dawn. Nice to have you here.
You are so right! Food deserves to be savored and appreciated for all it does for us including making us happy. Making meals special reminds us how blessed we are.
Emma,
This is interesting as I was thinking about doing ABC of saving money a few days ago!
Lovely, I like this as it covers all for eating healthy and balanced meals which many of us not eating due to rushed and hurried life, including myself.
Health is true wealth.
Zengirl @ Heart and Mind recently posted..101 changes: Change 8 Stretch Your Comfort Zone
Preeti! You sum it up so well…health IS true wealth and so much of it is in our control as far as self care and self love. Looking forward to learning to ABC’s the Zengirl way.
hello cc
how are you?
thanks for sharing this and it’s confession time i have unhealthy eating habits such as no breakfast, snack lightly during the day and a proper meal for dinner.
hmmh!! i eat because i am hungry(thats a good one isn’t it).
Go to the grocery shop with a shopping list lol!!! no way that’s the difference between my wife and i.
i go with a view to spend a fixed amount and once it’s reached i’m off to the counter unlike my wife who writes a list which is usually long and more expensive lol!!(cant complain though)
recipes: i love cooking and i devote certain times to try out or experiment new recipes.
with regards to drinking lots of water, it’s a habit i’m gradually embracing with a view to replacing my daily intake of milk and juice.
i can go on cc but …
take care of yourself and enjoy the rest of the day
ayo recently posted..The Benefits Of Flexible Optimism
Ayoooooooo…so many naughty things here. *lol* No breakfast?? No fuel to get that engine revving for the day? Color me shocked! Kudos on the water drinking and um…maybe the wife should doing the shopping from now on. *grins* Always great to see a comment from you here…very, very great.
Wishing you wellness, happiness, and breakfastness!
Hi Clearly Composed! One thing busy business owners are having to do is just what you’ve said: get in line and seek out “a balanced relationship with food.” My favorite of your A-Zs is Offer to bring a healthy dish to the party. Does chocolate zucchini cake count?
Vernessa Taylor recently posted..5 Creative Ways to Use RSS Feeds To Spice Up Your Writing
Hello Vernessa and yes, in my book it sooooooooo counts! Welcome to Graceful Balance and many thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Now then…cake? *holds a plate out with a smile*
Haha! I had some friends over for dinner last week and one brought that delicious chocolate zucchini cake.
I’ll keep you mind for the next go ’round.
Vernessa Taylor recently posted..Video Broadcasting Equalizer: WebcamMax With UStream.tv and Skype
Well said Emma and I love the whole concept of creating a balanced relationship with food..What I need now is to “ Play with new healthy recipes that excite” me….exploring new chunky vegetable dishes ..Thanks for sharing love the way you have presented it.
Fatima Da recently posted..7 Simple Tips to Solve Problems in Life
You are welcome, Fatima.
I love veggie dishes. Roasted root vegetables in the winter are perfect comfort food and there are so many great recipes out there to season them in different ways too.