Why Eat Healthy?
Please remember this is a perspective from someone who has experienced first hand the effects of food on the body. PCOS is incredibly dependent on the food you eat and that is no different for me. I learned from a very young age how to listen to my body and become very in-tune to what it was telling me. Unfortunately, I was not educated from the beginning to help it in the ways I know how to today. Again, I AM NOT a nutrition expert or have any specialized degrees in nutrition or fitness. Always do your own research, listen to your body and ask your doctor questions. (notice I said "ask your doctor questions", not necessarily listen to what they say without checking it out first) I hope to inspire and encourage you to begin your health journey.
To really begin your journey, figure out WHY you want to be healthy. This is a very common concept with many weight loss type programs. It is even mentioned in The Daniel Plan. But it is so true. So my why is easy, I wanted a baby! Not only a baby, but without the use of fertility treatments. I had always wanted kids for as long as I could remember. My husband and I dated six years before having our first child. That first year of marriage we got a dog to help combat my desire to have a child right away. My journey began to loose the weight I had put on after college, but as we became closer to being ready to start a family, my motivation changed slightly. I still wanted the weight off, but once I was diagnosed with PCOS and realized how much food played a role, I was even more determined. I hope to share with you my experiences and what I have learned so far. I will also warn you, I am not a fan of the USDA nutrition information and do not recommend following it.
To really begin your journey, figure out WHY you want to be healthy. This is a very common concept with many weight loss type programs. It is even mentioned in The Daniel Plan. But it is so true. So my why is easy, I wanted a baby! Not only a baby, but without the use of fertility treatments. I had always wanted kids for as long as I could remember. My husband and I dated six years before having our first child. That first year of marriage we got a dog to help combat my desire to have a child right away. My journey began to loose the weight I had put on after college, but as we became closer to being ready to start a family, my motivation changed slightly. I still wanted the weight off, but once I was diagnosed with PCOS and realized how much food played a role, I was even more determined. I hope to share with you my experiences and what I have learned so far. I will also warn you, I am not a fan of the USDA nutrition information and do not recommend following it.
Fiber + Protein + Good Carbs + Good Fats = Healthy Body & Mind
post paragraph below here and put a picture of .......something
put in a slideshow of foods and how much fiber or protein they have in a serving and show how much a serving is.
find a picture of how food is broken down in the body.
put in a slideshow of foods and how much fiber or protein they have in a serving and show how much a serving is.
find a picture of how food is broken down in the body.
I am not really sure where the idea got started to count calories to loose weight and get healthy, but I hope that is changing. If you were to eat 5o calories of cookies and 50 calories of carrots, would that be the same? Not really when you look at the other components of food. This is one reason why the popular weight loss program that promotes counting calories bothers me. Yes, this may work for some people and it may work for some people for the rest of their lives at keeping the weight off. But are they healthy? I do not know. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't. Cholesterol and blood pressure numbers do not lie. Calories is not all there is to food. Food has so many other components such as fat, protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, etc. Our bodies are unique and every single body reacts to foods differently. I strongly believe in trying new whole foods and cooking them in various ways to find out how YOUR body reacts to foods. You know your body and you know how you feel after you eat a food. While one person may have a dairy allergy or sensitivity, another may not tolerate eggs or nuts. Wheat, of course is another common allergy/sensitivity. I personally should avoid wheat, not because of the gluten, but because it is a grain and grain breaks down into sugar, sugar is something my body does not regulate as well on its own. I have to do extra to help it along. This means limiting grains/starches, eliminating added/artificial sugars and reducing natural sugars. Yes while an apple is a healthy snack, it is not something I should be eating on an empty stomach alone. I need to eat a protein and/or fat with it. The protein or fat will help slow the breakdown of the sugars. This is true for all sugars (I think), but an apple has more healthy attributes then, let's say that
Fiber Is Not Only in Bread
Fiber, fiber, fiber....oh how fiber is so important in our diet.
Protein, Protein and More Protein
Protein is essential in keeping us full.
Good Carbs Versus Bad Carbs (hint....all carbs are NOT created equal)
Let me say it again....ALL CARBOHYDRATES ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL!!! The same goes for calories, but more on that later.
Good Fats (all fats are not created equal)
It's Not All About the Calories
Like carbs, not all calories are created equal.