Obsolete Habits

I check myself as getting up from my desk, to avoid stepping on the elderly dog who parks herself at my feet. I worry that I have forgotten to let her in from the backyard when I don't find her in her usual places. I check to see that the inside water bowl is full before retiring since she always gets up in the night for a drink. Alas she is not there because old age and disease took her from us. The habits mentioned above will be there for a long time, they will be an effort to change. So what about our food habits? Are they ingrained too? Do we automatically reach for comfort foods created by habit? We all have those habits that are controlled by our subconscious mind, some good, some old and outdated and always an effort to change should we choose to change them. Frustration with many who mouth the words "I would love to learn some new food habits, some new recipes and eating theories" but don't put in the effort behind the words expressed. Improving eating habits is a choice and one that requires a bit of effort. Small changes make that improvement managable so try one thing this week. Reduce or eliminate your soda pop consumption and choose water or natural juices. Reduce or eliminate your white bread or white rice and choose some full grain options. Incorporate one more vegetable each day, then each meal or if you are like many, incorporate ONE VEGETABLE into your diet this week. [Yes there are many people out there that do not consume even one vegetable each week. They won't be with us for very long because their body chemistry will eventually crash their system but that is their choice] Reach for something besides margarine. So I will unlearn all those habits my old dog taught me and learn some new ones that the cat will probably teach me. Allow yourself to learn one new healthy dietary habit this week. Live long and prosper because of it.

Truth and Consequences

I can't believe it has been nearly a month since my last post. Putting fingers to the keyboard isn't hard but deciding what to write and what might interest others seems to stop me many evenings when I take the time to anticipate posting. I suppose others have this same problem when they are new to blogging and others effortlessly type and share often and with seeming ease. Enough of my musings about limitations. I want to encourage everyone to do a simple evaluation of their veggie intake. Knowing how many daily veggies and fruits are beneficial to maximum health doesn't help us consume them. Knowing how good they are for us doesn't always motivate us to consume the proper quantities each day. So what is your answer to why you know what is good daily nutrition and yet don't manage to complete the task? I know my answer: laziness mostly....complacency too. When I can't see all the good stuff happening inside my body, I lack motivation. When nothing bad happens immediately when I miss my veggie quota, I don't think they will be missed. I know this is not true, but still. Talking to people who were on the precipice between life and death and moved toward quality life by nutrition has been a huge reality check for me. Their stories are what motivate me to continue eating quality fruits and veggies even when I can't immediately see all they do for me, even when I don't see immediate decline because I missed a few days. Their stories remind me that the day will come when my nutrition errors show up as health consequences.