"Spring" Into A Healthier You!!

Don't forget to spring clean your cupboards, and your fridge!!
AAAAAHHHHHHH spring is fast approaching and many of us will be doing just that spring-cleaning. I love spring!!! Spring is the time of year where we start getting ready for bikini season. It is typical for us to start eating less, eating healthier and exercising more around this time of the year. I often get a new sense of freedom when spring comes. Leaves are returning to the trees, I can now drink cold beverages like healthy shakes, homemade ice teas and lemonade. I can also eat lighter. No more cravings for comfort foods, warming, thick rich foods. Though yummy they tend to pack on the pounds a lot faster than a crispy fresh salad do. So in our preparation for spring lets remember a few things. Spring-cleaning should apply to the foods you have available in your home that is not beneficial to your health.

This spring lets rid our cupboards of the salty snack, the salted seasonings, and all sugary foods and beverages that well, have more calories than they do nutrients. Pack all the unnecessary, unhealthy foods that you house in your pantries and take them to a shelter, or a soup kitchen that feeds the homeless. Trust me they need it more than you do. Start planning for your next grocery trip. The first step is to make a shopping list, make sure this new healthy you shopping list is void of all the things you just removed from your cupboards. Substitute sodas with more water, or a 100% juice drink. Replace sweets, such as cookies and snack cakes with fresh fruits or fruit cups in light syrup. Items such as sugar free Jell-O, Popsicle treats made of fruits or 100% fruit juices are great. Try something different; explore other snack options such as your favorite fruit dried. Purchase frozen berries and make a quick healthy shake when the sweet cravings begin. My favorite is banana, 1/2-cup soymilk and a tsp of honey for taste and one banana.

There are many different food items available to us. Let us all be adventurous and break away from the norm this spring. Challenge yourself to find a new seasoning that is just as tasty as the salted one you currently use. Eat less meat, and drink more water this spring. Buy healthy snacks for home and for work. Having a healthy satisfying snack at work will keep you away from the vending machines and from the convenient stores. Being prepared is only the second phase in your quest for a healthier lifestyle. Let spring be your springboard into making the changes that will impact your health for the rest of you life.