Don’t buy what you shouldn’t eat.

My wife were having this conversation last night (which was a few nights ago as this is posted) and, coincidentally, Dr. John Berardi (Precision Nutrition1) posted on the topic the next morning on social media. I thought it presented itself as a Celestine Prophesy moment.

“Berardi’s First Law states: If a food is in your house or possession, either you, someone you love, or someone you marginally tolerate, will eventually eat it.”—John Berardi

Our kids—and, consequently, my wife and I—don’t always have the best dietary habits. My kids like my wife better than me because I have a greater capacity for saying “no” than she does (and a I yell—a sign of my need to work on my Emotional well-centeredness). Less nutritious snack foods are more likely to be in the house when my daughter goes shopping with my wife. My son gravitates to the most convenient foods—that which generally comes in a plastic wrapper. I’d like to believe that I am better than my family, but truth be told, I am not. The reality is we are nearly all like this. So, how do we manage this? We manage our lack of self-control by considering Berardi’s First Law.

Buy only healthy foods. Okay, this is nearly impossible, but…. We have choices when we shop. Avoid the impulse aisles. Shop fresh produce, meats, and dairy. If possible, shop local farmer’s markets and butcher shops. (Whatever happened to butcher shops?) Buy quality frozen—freshly frozen fruits and vegetables and foods with few added ingredients. Buy canned foods for things that need a longer shelf-life and/or can easy food preparation time (beans are a good example), but read the label. The less the packaging the more likely it is to be healthy (or healthier).

Make healthy options most convenient. Don’t leave sweets and junk food where it can be easily accessed. Put high-calorie foods where they are difficult to get to—top cupboard shelf way in the back, a garage refrigerator/freezer, at the back of the refrigerator behind the vegetables, etc. When we are hungry, we are likely to grab what is convenient and requires little-to-no preparation. Things to keep more accessible: hard-boiled eggs, vegetables like celery and carrot sticks, nuts, and, for the moments of greatest weakness, quality dark chocolate. Keep fruits out on the counter where they are easy to grab. Have berries on hand. Have Greek yogurt on hand. Know your weaknesses and provide a desirable alternative.

Plan healthy meals. This should go without saying, but healthy meals mean healthy leftovers. Healthy leftovers mean healthy, convenience foods. Eating more vegetables at mealtime will allow for more accessible vegetables on which to snack, as well as more flexibility in snack opportunities—if you are getting healthy vegetables at mealtime, there is room to indulge on occasion.

Plan snacks. This can be difficult with kids—especially teens and preteens who are going to want to eat when they want to eat—but it is not impossible. Build healthy habits! Planned snacking helps keep our calories and macro balance in check. Knowing what we are going to snack on ahead of time removes the impulsive eating. Good habits can be built in children by allowing them input into the planning process. Planned snacks can be delicious (as they should be). They can also be nutrient dense with restricted calories. Smoothies are a great example. They can be quite filling and include a good macro balance—adding protein, berries, and greens. They can even be a great way of sneaking some greens into your finicky eater’s diet. (Use powdered greens, if they turn their noses up at adding spinach or kale to the smoothie.)

Be a considerate neighbor. I am being a bit tongue-in-cheek, here, as I know that neighbors are being well-meaning when they bring cookies and such to gatherings or as a holiday gift. We should realize, however, that what is tempting for us is tempting for our friends. I both appreciate and despise when friends bring sweets to a gathering we host and then leave all the leftovers behind. Taking healthier options to gatherings not only gives the bringer the guarantee of having healthy choices, but also offers one’s neighbors better choices. Be that person who sets the high standard of health.

Make indulgence a special occasion. The occasional desert is fine. Indulge out of the house, though.  Want cake? Eat a slice of cake, but don’t have a whole cake sitting on the counter of your kitchen. Share a dessert at a restaurant. Have some chips on occasion, but buy a single serving package rather than a supersized bag that will tempt you from the cupboard. (Lay’s offers a fair warning when they advertise that you can’t eat just one.) Commit to only eating your favorite “unhealthy” foods at limited special events. Commit to eat overall healthy.

The popularity of the ketogenic diet and other similar low-sugar diets has made snacking healthier. You don’t have to be on such restrictive diets to benefit from the available recipes. Enjoy your favorite foods, just adjust grandma’s recipe a bit. Use sugar substitutes and healthy fats. Add protein. Make them foods that, should you over-indulge, will provide better overall nutrition. A healthy diet need not be boring an unsatisfying. Diet, we should remember, is a habit—not a self-inflicted torture in response to periods of over-indulgence.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

1https://www.facebook.com/insidePN/

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