Salad is served!
Mom was right… Eating your vegetables really is good for you.
For years, I ate a high protein diet. Lots of meat, eggs, cheese. The more meat, the merrier.
Thanks to some wonderful friends, I discovered a great book called “Eat To Live” by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. This book changed my view of meat and I started to eat a plant based diet.
Not only did a lose weight and keep it off, I felt better mentally and spiritually. I don’t have scientific evidence as to why I’d feel better when eating a plant based diet, but I just know that it worked for me.
In fact, I plainly remember less than two weeks into my new “plant loving eating”, one night about midnight, I was in bed trying to sleep but had too much energy! I wanted to get to sleep because I needed to be up at 6am the next day for an early morning training at a client site, but could not sleep! I threw off the covers and pounded out as many push-ups as I could muster… Finally collapsing on the floor. With all the extra energy burned off, I fell asleep quickly. Eating a plant based diet radically changed my mental, emotional, spiritual and physical life. I highly recommend it!
I also became very aware of how food was impacting my clients. Those clients who ate healthfully were experiencing better careers. They enjoyed the benefits of:
- More sustained energy throughout the day
- More clarity of career and purpose
- Less stress and frustration (in work and personal time)
- Etc.
There was something to this plant based eating that I couldn’t ignore! While I haven’t become a certified health coach, I now recommend that people pay attention to what they put in their mouths.
If I’m ever needing a snack, I eat a piece of fruit and drink water first. HA! This coming from a lady who thought that nachos were a food group. If I can do it, anyone can!
Since I’m not certified to give nutritional advice, I would recommend that you look into options for yourself. Find ways to monitor how you feel based off what you’re putting into your mouth.
Since you spend a majority of your time at work, I’d suggest keeping healthy snacks on hand. A little preparation can make for a much for effective work day. Plus, I find that if you’re eating better throughout the day, you’ll have a better evening at home with the family… because your mind and body aren’t ready to crash from being fed terrible food all day!
If you’re in a position to influence the snacks in the break room, encourage that fruit and healthy snacks (like nuts) are on hand instead of high sugar, high refined carbohydrate treats are available. You may be seeking for a quick mid-afternoon pick-me-up, and if cookies and chips are available you’ll eat them. But, if there’s a bowl of fresh fruit available in the break room, you’ll be much better off with that choice!
If you’re putting good fuel into your system, you’ll get a better output. I promise! I know this for myself and I’ve seen it with other professionals as well.
Order an appetizer as your lunch…
Another way to monitor your vegetable intake is by eating smaller plates at lunch. I have eaten out more for lunch appointments than most people in my life. It’s important that I eat out – the client lunch appointments have led to helpful relationship building experiences that couldn’t have happened over the phone or with an in-office meeting. But, eating out often can be a lot of calories! I’ve found that if I order a smaller dish, that I’m still satisfied but with fewer bad calories. I also suggest restaurants were I know that I’ll get the best plant based options for my needs.
I love green smoothies, huge green salads, Asian based recipes, and fruit as much as possible. How do you get your fruits and vegetables in each day?