The Dietary Shift

It is common for individuals to feel intimidated about changing their diets. One of the most popular misconceptions is that for one to begin a stricter diet, it means that they will only be living off kale, tuna and brown rice, thereby giving up on the foods they love. The reality is that very few individuals would be able to sustain such an intense diet, which typically results in falling back to their comfort foods.

Instead of falling under the belief that all of the foods you love are the devil, begin your transition to a healthier eating lifestyle with baby steps. For example, fajitas are amongst the most popular items at several Mexican restaurants, but the heavy oils, high fat content in the beef and excess salt used in preparing fajitas are what make them a dietary nightmare for any person looking to lose a couple pounds. An effective strategy to continuing to enjoy the foods you love, such as fajitas, is to make a couple changes to the recipe. In the case of fajitas, swap the beef for skinless chicken breast, use only the amount of oil recommended on the label (this is usually one tablespoon) and use a healthier oil, such as grapeseed oil. Also, instead of using heavy portions of salt, use a medley of spices, like ground cumin, black pepper, crushed red pepper, onion powder, and so on.

As you can see, you should not look at eating healthy as making radical changes and giving up on everything you love, but, rather, making small, yet healthier, substitutions to the recipes that you love.