So if you've read the first two entries, you now know the "magical steps" to feeling good while you eat food that's good for you. That's sounds rather dry and boring. But the truth of the matter is that eating good, wholesome food is a lot more enjoyable than you might think. There is nothing boring about eggs scrambled with onions and/or sausage with a helping of whole grain toast for breakfast, or tuna or salmon salad on a bed of greens with a crunchy piece of lightly buttered baguette for lunch or tacos, burritos, grilled fish, chicken or steak on garlic sweet potato mash with any vegetable of choice for dinner. And the list goes on and on.

Eating meals that I've mentioned above is probably not hard for anyone to imagine. The harder part for most of us trying to eat healthy is imagining life without "the bad stuff". The hard truth is
THE MORE BAD STUFF YOU EAT, THE MORE BAD STUFF YOU WANT AND IT'S THE BAD STUFF THAT MAKES US FAT AND CRANKY. In my experience I have found sugar to be the mother of all evil.
Things such as:
Pop
Fruit Juice
Iced tea
Fruit flavoured drinks in any of its variations or guises
Candy
Chocolate bars
Cookies
Cake
Doughnuts
Muffins
Rice cakes
Crackers
Popped corn
Potato chips
Granola bars
Most Commercial Breakfast Cereals
are evil in disguise and should never be a part of our diet. They are all high in sugar and simple carbohydrates. You have one, you want another one. Before you know it, you have eaten more that you want to admit.If you want to read up on the action of sugar on our body chemistry you will see how and why that happens. Needless to say, if you have been eating the above mentioned foods, it will take a few days to get the need for them out of your system. But once that's happened, it's magic! You don't want it anymore!

You may find it hard to believe now, but a day will come in the not so distant future when you will be sitting with an array of desserts before you and you will simply not want any of it. I speak from experience. I was the original sweet roll with coffee for breakfast, snack, afternoon pick me up or dessert kind of gal. Now I can entertain or be entertained and reach for the savory treats on the table because I want to not because I think I should. Once you have gotten to this point you are on your way. The rest is easy.

Therefore, the first week or two of your new way of eating should look something like this.

No caffeine, if you want to you may want to drink decaff, but I have found that decaff is not always totally so and just the taste will play havoc with the memories of the real stuff and it may be easier to just go cold turkey. You can have coffee later on when you got the eating thing under control and learn what to eat with the coffee to minimize the effects of the caffeine. I have a mug of coffee with my breakfast now every morning without any negative effects.

Eat breakfast. You need to have fuel in your body and your blood sugar on an even keel as you are off to start your day. Have wholegrain toast with cheese or cottage cheese, toast and egg any way you like it, toast and peanut butter, a fruit smoothy with protein powder etc. You get the picture.

Have a sandwich for lunch if that's what's convenient or if that's what you like. Have left overs from yesterday' dinner. Make sure you have healthy protein ie, meat, fish, cheese etc. with salad and wholegrain bread or another complex carb or starch of your choice.

For dinner follow the same idea as lunch.

Of course, the healthier you prepare your food the better. Avoid deep frying and high fat content meats if possible. Grill, saute, and avoid rich gravies if you can.

REMEMBER ONLY EAT TILL YOU FIRST FEEL SATISFIED. YOU CAN ALWAYS HAVE MORE LATER.

IF YOU FEEL THE NEED FOR SOMETHING SWEET HAVE A FEW BITES OF A HIGH PROTEIN PROTEIN BAR.

START PAYING ATTENTION TO FOOD LABELS THEY ARE A FOUNTAIN OF INFORMATION.

Drink herbal tea or water if you are thirsty.