I am learning how to eat healthy, but I didn’t realize how much energy and effort goes into maintaining a healthy diet. It takes me longer in the store to buy groceries because I must read labels on different types of foods I want to buy, such as sardines, breads, and ice cream. I have to lower my salt intake, as I spent time in the hospital for congestive heart failure last month. For all these years, I have had a heart issue, but now the symptoms are showing up, so I must be more vigilant and eat a more healthy diet.
What is important about starting a healthier diet is learning the guidelines for what constitutes healthy eating, and then reconciling those rules with the instructions I have been given. For example, I can have between 1500-2000 mg of sodium a day. In hindsight and checking the labels on packages, I realized that I had been eating more than that just for breakfast, as I love bacon, sausages, and eggs, with biscuits, if possible, or buttered toast. I was shocked to learn just how much sodium I consumed each day. I had no idea how much sodium was in cereals, meats, and even some vegetables.
One of the best tips I can give for eating healthy is to teach children while they are young guidelines for healthy eating. We shouldn’t take children for fast food often because it is hazardous to their health and becomes thought of as good. It’s hard to change the habits of a lifetime. I struggle, but I am doing better, mainly because I don’t want to be in the hospital once a month. Thankfully, my arteries are clear, although I have ate unhealthy for more than 70 years. My doctor was astounded, and she says I shouldn’t die of a heart attack or stroke. But I still need to walk the walk, staying within the healthy diet guidelines.
Lastly, if you eat out a lot like my husband and I used to do, read the nutrition on what you plan to choose before you go. You can find it on the internet. Look up several options you may want, and then make a decision best on which will be more healthy for you. Doing this means that we don’t eat out because every meat, side dish, and dessert have more salt or sugar than most of need in one day. Eating healthy takes work, but in the long run, it is worth the extra effort to be active and on your feet, rather than find yourself incapable of doing even the smallest activity.
Copyright ©
All posts on my blog, Help From Heaven, are my intellectual property protected by copyright. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express written permission from the author and/or owner of this blog is strictly prohibited.
Leave a comment