Start With a Smoothie

TRUST ME. As someone with a severe disgust for many of the 'health' foods, and an allergy to a lot of tasty fruits and vegetables, getting the right nutrients into my body is pretty hard. With smoothies, you can add all of the good things you detest, and still end up with a GREAT taste. As often as I can, I drink a fruit smoothie for breakfast. I can cram all of the nasty vegetables I hate eating into one drink that actually tastes good! Here are some smoothies that you can try.

Eat Your Cravings, Don't Fight 'Em

Yep, that is the tagline for Blue Diamond Almonds (Slightly modified for trademark reasons). It's actually good advice though: Find one healthy snack that you REALLY love. Whether it be flavored almonds, apples, and peanut butter, or "Ants on a Log", now replace one or two of the unhealthy snacks in your pantry with this, and eat it when you're feeling snacky. You'll remove the excess fat and sodium that comes from a bag of chips, and replace it with really good stuff!

Yogurt is Good for More Than Taste

Yogurt helps with bloating, and honestly, need I say more? Yes I do. Besides the aesthetic benefits, there are health benefits to eating yogurt as well. According to Activia's website, "Research suggests that regular consumption of some probiotics helps maintain the balance of the intestinal microflora, which can have a wide range of positive effects on intestinal functions. Adding probiotics to your daily routine can help maintain the gut flora balance needed for overall digestive health." Yogurt contains those probiotics, and helps balance the microflora inside your gut.

4. Push the Fast Food Away for Now

This one isn't really sneaking something IN to your diet, it's sneaking something OUT. Fast food meals contain high levels of fat, sodium, and cholesterol, which, in unchecked amounts can be very bad on your body. When I get cravings, I sometimes just tell myself I don't want to go out, and that I'll get the tasty fast food tomorrow. Then the next day, I say the same thing, going on as long as I can. Alternatively, I make it a special treat. Making it a special treat will:

a.) Make you feel better about what you've eaten

b.) Make yourself see it as a reward for eating healthier.

Getting a reward for eating healthy will make yourself feel way better about meal choices, and let yourself feel the benefits of waiting for it, or cutting it out completely.

Eat vegetables with your meal (Your mom was right!!)

(Maybe be a little more subtle than in the gif) The best way to get healthy and 'detox' your system is with fresh fruits and vegetables. Even if you go with the fast food meal, combine it with the healthy stuff. Frozen carrots, broccoli, corn, or peas will help to get some good healthiness into your body. My mom's favorite trick was mixing squash into Mac 'n Cheese. If you do things like that, and mix vegetables into your meal, you'll become healthier on the inside, without trying as hard as going on a juice cleanse.