Last month, at the request of some of my readers, I shared a post with healthy eating tips. Rather than cram everything into one post, I figured I would break it up into two parts.
Ice cream is Mr. Handsome’s weakness. Honestly, homemade milkshakes are usually the only sweets he eats aside from baked goods. And the once-in-a-while donut from Five Daughters. Several months ago, he decided to only eat ice cream on weekends and has done a fantastic job sticking to that about 90% of the time. I’ve been really proud of his self-control.
My principle of choosing items with the shortest ingredient list is very applicable to ice cream. The vast majority of ice creams on the market are filled with artificial ingredients.
Another thing that I keep in mind is that products that are advertised as having low or no sugar or fat aren’t automatically healthier. In fact, you could make the argument that they are often “less healthy” than their conventional counterparts.
Low sugar or sugar-free dessert items almost always contain artificial sweeteners. My opinion is that if you are going to have a treat, go with the real thing (real sugar). Not only do artificial substitutes often taste fake (at lease in my opinion), but studies have shown that they can be quite bad for the human body. Here is a specific example: Cottage cheese that is low fat or fat-free often contains stabilizers to make it creamy, so I opt for the full-fat (4%) cottage cheese and just make sure to control my portion sizes.
We both really enjoy a cup of coffee each day, whether it’s decaf or caffeinated. Well, Mr. Handsome won’t drink decaf, but I will. Neither of us takes sugar in our coffee, but we do like a bit of heavy cream. In the evenings after Little Buddy is in bed, I enjoy a bit of snack food. The “natural” section of grocery stores like Kroger has a great selection of snack foods that don’t contain artificial ingredients and are lower in fat but are still satisfying. They certrainly aren’t health foods because they do contain some fat and salt, but they are much better than conventional potato chips.
I’ve also trained myself to see frozen fruit as a treat. Slightly thawed in the microwave, so it’s soft but still cold, and it makes a great reward after a long day.
It’s crucial to do everything in moderation. Choose a few things that really make you happy (cream in your coffee, a piece of chocolate, a single homemade cookie) and find ways to make those treats as healthy as possible.
As far as exercise goes, my goal is to exercise 4-5 times per week. There are a lot of great YouTube videos (I like Blogilates) and DVDs (Walk away the Pounds).
I’m with you– if I’m having a treat, I want the real deal! And I don’t worry about it because it’s a treat, so by nature that doesn’t happen very often.
I agree…moderation. My son is a type 1 diabetic and we have to watch carbs and sugar. Vanilla Lattes are my guilty pleasure 😊.
I love lattes! Never tried a vanilla one, but I’m sure it would be good.
Jennifer I’m a type 1diabetic i was never told to watch my carbs or sugar.
I haven’t had any problems eating crabs or carbs.
I eat regular ice cream since the sugar free ice cream gives me diarrhea. My doctor said it was ok to eat just as long as you have a cup of ice cream.
Can you share with us some of the snack food products you do find to eat? Thanks for sharing this!
Hi Jill,
I really enjoy tortilla chip with salsa or guacamole. I started buying veggie straws because my son likes them for a snack, and they are surprisingly good. Also fresh popcorn. I’ll write down some other items and let you know. 🙂
Ellie
Veggie straws are high in fat and not always the good kind.
The ones I buy have no trans and 1 gram saturated, plus a total of 6 of mono and poly. So there is some fat, but I think perhaps that’s the point of a treat. If there’s no fat or sugar in my treats, I don’t feel satisfied, and then I don’t see a point in eating them. 🙂
Veggie straws are not high in fat. Doctors are the one’s who tell you can it them
I think I might have a fatty liver. The solution is to cut out sugar in all forms. Also over the counter drugs and alcohol. Then don’t eat for 16 hours at a time. I don’t know what else. But there’s a Dr who has some good advice videos on youtube. I need to start following good advice.
Your article seems close to the truth of how to eat. You mention a lot about food pleasure and control. But that is how we get our vital organs in trouble. So good to mention. Good topic.
Hi Ellie,
What is the intensity of your workouts and how long is each session? Do you also run indoors?
It varies. Some days are more intense than others. I really try to make each session 30-60 minutes. If it’s only 30 minutes, I try to make it more intense. I do have a treadmill which is wonderful. My husband bought it for me for $40. I’m not great at running though, so on the days that I run, I usually just go 1-1.5 miles and then do a little bit of strength training in addition.
I have a question: What do you mean when you say exercise? Does it mean get sweaty? Like running for an hour or work out? Or do you count e.g. walking or biking in a moderate speed? I personally find it difficult to find time for exercise more than three times a week (sweaty or not, walking is time consuming too), since I work full-time and have kids.
Hi Netta,
I would definitely count power walking or biking as exercise, as long as it is done at a brisk speed for at least 30 minutes. For me, I’d say a minimum of two miles for walking and 4 miles for biking. But when I jog, sometimes I only go 1-1.5 miles. I know, it’s so difficult to make time to exercise. I would say that if you’re exercising three times a week, you’re doing really well! Especially if you’re a working mom–that adds lots of walking and lifting too. 🙂
Ellie
Good topic, Ellie. You are so positive and encouraging. Eileen
Thank you, Eileen! 🙂
Thanks for the explanation :-). Unfortunately I work with administrative assignments mostly so not much walking at work and our kids are relatively old, 7, 10 and 13 so I really do not get much exercise (that is a difficult word to spell!) unless I make an effort. And life is filled with things to do like cooking, driving kids to hobbies/friends, cleaning, grocery shopping and much more. Anyway, concerning food and healthy eating I find it a bit hard. On the one hand I definitely support healthy eating but on the other hand I think there is a danger in focusing on food too much. It might turn into a bad thing, like you are stuck in thinking about food and what you eat all the time. Do you understand what I mean? I think it is especially dangerous if you are trying to loose weight. I do not know, but maybe the situation in Scandinavia is slightly better than the US? Of course we have a lot of processed food, and it has increased in the last, say, 20 years, but we do have a lot of not processed food too. Animals are not stuffed with antibiotics and we have lots of laws and regulations that the food industry has to follow. I spent a few months in Scotland in 2003 and at that time there was a clear difference between Scotland and Finland with the latter having a much smaller selection of processed food and snacks. But that is a long time ago. Interesting topic anyhow.
It sounds like you’re doing great with exercise. As long as you’re making the effort to workout a few times a week, that’s wonderful for a working mom! You can always try to make workouts a family thing by making them fun (biking together, playing games/sports outside). But the older your kids get, the easier it will be to find time to exercise. So I would say continue to make the effort, but cherish the time while your kids are young, knowing that as they get older, you’ll make more time for exercise.
I definitely agree with you as far as food goes. Obsessing about it, especially when trying to lose weight, can be dangerous. I think the goal is to make a plan and find a friend or family member to help hold you accountable. Then you can live your life with a plan in meal place and not have to think about it every moment of ever day. And I bet you’re right about there being less processed food in Scandinavia than the United States. 🙂
Ellie
I am glad that those tips work for you. However, when you are 50+, those tips don’t always work with health conditions. My husband is a Type 2 diabetic and I use “fake” sugar as much as possible to make food healthier for him. For pasta I buy whole wheat whole grain with 5 or more fiber because it’s better for him. I also use “fake” brown sugar in some recipes also. I always am trying to reduce fat so buy 1% cottage cheese and milk.
I hope I didn’t offend you, Lisa. I should have added that there is a need for the sugar replacements for those who are diabetic. There’s definitely a difference in health between the various sugar replacements, although as the wife of a diabetic, I’m sure you know all about that. And I’m all about that whole grain pasta. 🙂
No, Ellie, you didn’t offend me. No worries! As far as exercise, we do a lot of walking. However, in the Midwest where we live, it is not always possible to do as much as we like in the winter because of the cold weather, wind and snow. With the virus, most of the indoor walking places are not available now.
Oh I’m so glad I didn’t offend you! Covid sure has made things complicated. I used to do quite a bit of walking around the mall with friends and strollers in the wintertime. Not sure if that will be possible this year though. 🙁
After traveling and gathering with friends and family all year, why let something like Covid stop you from mall walking too?
LOL. We have been taking precautions all year according to the severity of the situation. Recently, since cases have gone up, we have been very careful. I wouldn’t mind walking in a mall if it was at a time of day when there weren’t many people and I could keep my distance, but I wouldn’t want to go if it was busy.
Ellie
You need to get fat free milk over 1%. 1%milk has fat in it and is not good for diabetic.
Ellie,
How does the walk away the pounds work? Do you need a treadmill? Are you just marching in one spot on the floor? New mom here who would love to incorporate more exercise. I was looking for something I could start doing once the weather gets too cold for outside walks.
Hi Stacey,
I wrote a post about Walk Away the Pounds a while ago.https://nashvillewife.com/body-after-baby/
I still use the program to this day. You don’t need a treadmill, but you also aren’t just marching in one spot. There are different moves that will have you going front to back and side to side. It’s a great program and lots of fun! I think it’s great for moms because your young kids will enjoy watching you jump around. I know mine does. LOL. He is starting to want to participate, which can make it harder for me to do all the moves, but I try to just roll with it and enjoy the time with him.
Ellie
How often do you eat sweets Ellie?
I’ll usually eat a small treat (like a couple small cookies or pieces of chocolate) each day. Once a week or a few times a month I’ll have a larger treat.
Ellie
My kids love to eat frozen fruit . When I buy a bag or two , it’s normally gone in one day.
I need to learn to drink coffee with no sugar as well . I found out this year my sugar level is high ,so I need to watch more of what I eat . Diabetics runs in my family and I hope I don’t get it. Carbs is another one to stay away from. I try to eat whole wheat most of the time .
How are you doing Ellie with healing emotionally from your miscarriage ? Tomorrow was our due date with our baby we lost 2 years ago . It’s still sometimes hard. The good news is , our little girl is turning 4 next week.
Thank you for checking in, Tiffany. I really appreciate it! 🙂 We’re doing well, although we had another setback. I’m going to share about it soon. I hope your due date anniversary isn’t too painful. Mine is coming up in February, and I know it will be hard.
Ellie
Is everything all right Ellie? You don’t blog often anymore.
Hi Tina,
Thanks so much for asking. 🙂 We’ve had a recent struggle, but we’re going well. It has been hard, but God has been good. I’m planning to blog about it soon.
Ellie
I am really sorry, I hope everyone is ok. It must be hard to deal with another struggle after suffering a miscarriage already. 2020 has not been a good year to most of us…My thoughts are with you.
Thank you so much, Tina. 🙂
Thank you for asking about Ellie, Tina! I have been thinking the same thing. How are Ellie and her family? Haven’t been hearing from her and hoping everything is okay. Hope you had a good Thanksgiving. God bless!
Thank you for reaching out, Kelsey. I so much appreciate your concern. 🙂 I just finished a post explaining why I took a blogging break.
Ellie
Another thing to add about artificial sweeteners is that they trick your body into thinking you ingested more calories than you actually did, which makes you hungrier and more likely to overeat. For example, that fat free, calorie free cookie tastes like calories but then when your body processes it, it doesn’t get any calories. So then your body ramps up your hunger signals and you might bingeeat. It is ALWAYS better to go for the full fat, normal option (unless you have a medical reason not to), and just eat in moderation. Also, fat is not bad for you, but empty carbs are. For example, cottage cheese is a very healthy and filling snack, especially when compared to a roll of bread. I lost 20 pounds by changing my diet, and a big part of that was I ate either high fiber or fatty foods instead of empty carbs. A bowl of carrots and a small chunk of cheddar cheese is much healthier for you than the same calories in potato chips and will keep you fuller for longer.
Ice cream has been my favorite food for many years. Unfortunately, for some reason I recently developed a sensitivity to dairy products. So after 72 years I’ve pretty much given up ice cream. The funny thing is, I don’t really miss it.