For many Americans, eating healthily is a goal, not a habit. Since many of us live lifestyles where we rush from one place to another, preparing and eating healthily is hard to do. What can we do to eat healthily when we’re always on-the-go? Is it even possible? Of course! There are four main points that will help you to eat healthily.

1. Keep it simple: A healthy meal doesn’t have to take four hours to prepare. Chef Billy Strynkowski, executive chef of Cooking Light magazine, says that cooking healthy and tasty meals at home only has to take about twenty minutes--maybe less. He also says that most people envision healthy cooking a big job that requires a long wait for the food to cook and a big clean-up after, which, of course, isn’t very inviting.

            2. Snack healthily: Have healthy snacks waiting when you need them. It’s much easier to pick up a bag of chips from the pantry or cupboard than to dig an apple out of the refrigerator. But, if you happen to grab that bag of chips, pour some of them into a bowl or container; that way, you won’t eat as many. Set up a “snack corner” in your refrigerator and/or pantry with healthy snacks ready whenever you need one.

            3. Eat a good breakfast: Studies show that people who eat a good breakfast are less likely to snack compulsively during the day and consume fewer calories at lunch and dinner. But, what is considered a good breakfast? A good breakfast is high in fiber and carbohydrates and low in fat. Examples of “grab and go” breakfasts (things you can eat on the run) can be a banana, a bag/bowl of dry cereal (such as oat squares), or berries mixed into plain yogurt.

            4. Every bit helps: Eating healthily doesn’t mean that you have to eat healthily all of the time, count calories, or go on a diet. For instance, substituting one soda a day with a glass of water cuts approximately 100 calories from your diet. That’s about ten pounds a year! Also, switching to 1% or skim milk, holding the fries, and skipping the extras on your burger helps.

The average American eats 2-3 pounds of sugar each week, and the amount of sugar consumption in the last 20 years has increased from 26 lbs to 135 lbs per person per year. Also, consumption of white bread has been linked to type-2 diabetes, which is not linked to insulin. Men who eat a lot of red meat, refined grains, and sweets are 64% more likely to develop heart disease than men who have more prudent diets.

The US government has also updated the food pyramid to teach Americans that people need to eat right and exercise to stay healthy. http://www.mypyramid.gov is the website for the new food pyramid.

Other miscellaneous potpourri for eating healthy are:

·        Hold the butter on your popcorn

·        Don’t supersize

·        Don’t believe everything that you read. Things that are ‘low fat’ and ‘cholesterol free’ are not necessarily healthy. Both a bowl of sugar and a bowl of salt are ‘low fat’ and ‘cholesterol free,’ but they’re not very healthy.

Does the Bible say anything about eating healthily? Not exactly, but it does say that you need to take care of your body, which includes eating healthily. 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17, and 6:19 all mention your body as a temple of God. 1 Corinthians 3:17 (NASB) especially, says that ‘if any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.’ Also, Ephesians 4:16 says, ‘He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love’ (New Living Translation).

Keep in mind that anyone can eat healthily, no matter if they hang out in front of the TV all day or rush around and sit down just in time for dinner.