We do believe the old saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” and September is apple month! We are going all apple and teaching the benefits of this fabulous fruit. Let’s learn about our metabolism, cutting out added sugar and junk food, and good food substitutions for your cravings. High-processed foods can be loaded with sugar, salt, chemicals and trans fats, which can lead to health issues. Cutting junk food is an easy way to eliminate empty calories that don’t contain any nutrients.
Meal tracking is a great way to keep you motivated when trying to eat healthier. It can help you understand the nutritional values of the food you are eating and how exercise impacts your daily calorie intake. Bonus, your calorie intake levels rise when you exercise, so you will be able to eat more if you work out! (Which is basically the only reason I ever work out.)
Tips:
- Use the Swap This for That chart to help you curb your cravings
- Keep healthier foods around the house for snacking on
- Use a food tracking app (such as My Fitness Pal) for a week while eating normally. Then cut out junk food and track for another week to learn how it can make a difference on your health.
- Eat natural foods to eliminate unnecessary added ingredients
- Think about eating naturally sweet food, like fruit, as a dessert/treat to get your sugar fix
My Blog: Challenge Accepted: Cut the Crave – I’m doing tip #3! I’m going to use a food tracking app to show difference in one week of normal eating, then one week of no junk or added sugar. I want to see the difference in calories, sugar and fat. My wedding is at the end of the month so this is perfect timing!
Member Events: Merritt Monday is September 10 - Delight in some delicious apple recipes with us, or bring your own to share! Get out your cookbooks and pledge to go junk food free with us.
Play With Your Food Workout:
Keep your food in mind and prepare for fall with this pumpkin themed workout! Buy a pumpkin early, use it to for this killer exercise routine, and save it to carve next month!
