Sugary cereal for breakfast followed by a cup of coffee. A croissant and some more coffee to stay awake at work during midday. For lunch, a store-bought sandwich or 2-minute noodles. Later, a nibble on some chocolate before heading home, and upon arriving home, reheating whatever is leftover in the fridge or quickly ordering a takeout. Ultimately, most people end the day with some ‘well-deserved’ TV time and a pack of chips or lollies, and downing a glass of wine. If this sounds familiar, you’re probably feeling the same way I used to – tired, bloated, unable to concentrate, and just overall unhealthy and sick.
The best thing is though, you don’t have to feel that way anymore. To become healthier and happier, simply start by changing your mindset about food.
IT’S TIME TO EAT REAL FOOD!
No more takeout’s, fast foods or junk foods! Your body, brain, mind, and even your soul needs real, fresh, wholesome food. Things like fresh fruit, vegetables and anything completely unprocessed are just some examples of ‘brain food’ that help you nourish your brain, and cooking with these ingredients can be fun, easy and cheaper than you think. I found that buying good food at my local farmers’ markets saves so a lot money when compared to what I used to spend on fast foods and quick, on-the-go meals. Bonus? Cooking has become a major stress reliever for me when I get home from a busy day.
COOKING AT HOME
For the family, cooking together can become time to spend with each other – whether with your significant other, or with the kids.
I know cooking might seem like an extra task. But if you change your mindset about cooking, you will find that it can be very enjoyable. Rather than looking at cooking as a task, you have to look at it as the healthier option, because it is! Get the kids involved, throw on some music to lighten the mood and you know what, you can pour yourself a glass of wine if it makes better for you – everything in moderation!
THE MINDSET
Everyone has their own idea of what happiness is for them, so I cannot give you an exact ‘recipe for happiness,’ If I will… lol. But by changing your mindset you might find the perfect balance for your life! Changing how you think about the food you consume will change what you eat, a.k.a. your daily diet (no, not the dreaded prescribed weight loss ones), to something that is everything you want while being good for you.
“But I like the convenience and taste of takeaway curry and the cheeky pizza!” So did I, but I just make my own ‘fast foods’ with real food, instead of buying the deep-fried, oily fast food crap. Buying fresh foods and making your favorites at home is an adventure for the family, and you might find that pizza made at home is so much tastier. So, changing your mindset is not about choosing salads over burgers, it’s about you choosing what goes into the burger, and how the fries are made, in greasy oil or in the oven. You can still have your sneaky pizza or Indian curry, you are just going to put the time and nourishing ingredients in because you deserve it!
I always say, “we all have different ideas about what happiness is,” but the question some might have is, “will I really be truly happy if I continue my unhealthy lifestyle?” My answer is it may be easy and convenient now, but your health should never be easy and convenient – you deserve the best!” If you don’t believe me, just try it. Take it as a challenge if you’d like but go for a month eating only real food and see what changes for you; I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Happy healthy eating
Caralee xx
Leave a Reply