Fruit as Part of a Healthy Diet for Lazy Non-Fruit Lovers
By debeven11
@debeven11 (7)
United States
May 26, 2008 4:46pm CST
If I'm honest about myself, my best work is done when I'm officially an employee and at work, doing a job that I'm paid for. When I'm by myself at home, I'm lazy, and that includes being lazy about what I eat and how I plan my diet. I don't have enough fruits and vegetables in my diet.
So far, my best solution for convenience foods has been mini-packs of fresh fruit, such as pink grapefruit or a citrus mix. Mandarin orange packs are also nice. They're more expensive, but psychologically, if I get a mental boost from food(one of the causes of compulsive overeating) maybe I just need to feel like I'm indulging in order for it to satisfy me.
Considering how many people are overweight in America--2/3s of the population now--and the increasing presence of convenience foods at the store, I guess I'm not alone in this. But the budgeter in me feels guilty for spending that extra money, and the junk-food junkie in me knows I'm really avoiding addressing the psychological factor behind it.
How do you change a long-ingrained habit? Although I've never smoked cigarettes, I identify with people who are trying to quit that--even quitting unhealthy eating is hard, and that involves no chemical addiction. If you're reading this and having similar problems, here's wishing both of us better luck including fruit and vegetables in the next few days.
1 response
@fluffnflowers (1594)
• United States
27 May 08
I've gotten a lot better about eating fruits and veggies, recently. I have a tendency to buy fruits and veggies, and I end up not eating them and they go bad. Of course, this makes me really hesitant to go out and buy more fruits and veggies, because I hate wasting things.
Something we've found that works is buying frozen fruit. Sounds weird, but it works for us. If anyone gets the urge to eat fruit, all they have to do is open the freezer and grab a handful of berries. Having yoghurt on hand to mix it up in is even better. If I buy grapes, I immediately take them off of the bunch, rinse them, and stick them in the freezer. You can also make great smoothies with frozen veggies and a bit of milk or soy milk. I know you can also buy some decent canned fruit, most of which is great mixed in with cottage cheese, or just on it's own.
Same works for frozen veggies. I buy the flash frozen broccoli; and, if I'm in the mood for chips and dip or something like that, I take some of the broccoli out, lightly steam it so it's still crisp and 'fresh' (usually, that's much fresher than what might be lurking in my fridge!) and use it in hummus, ranch, bleu cheese, whatever dip. The dip is still fattening, but I figure that the broccoli is better than the potato chips so I'm saving something, nutritionally.
I've also found that getting up and cooking something before you get to the starvation point is the only way I don't end up gorging on crappy convenience foods. I usually have some things around that are quick to prepare, in case I do wait too long. I freeze small portions of veggie curry, and it only takes about 3 minutes in the microwave to be ready to eat.
It's a hard road, really. I love to snack, and the only thing I've found to do is just HAVE the good stuff around and not bring the 'junk' into the house. Occasionally, though, I do treat myself to something fat, salt, and preservative-filled goodness, but I do pretty well at munching what's around (and safe.) I wish you luck! It just takes a little work to figure out what system works for you in terms of organizing healthier foods into your diet.
