The "Good" Day Diet

My love for candy is in my GENES. Just ask my mother and my dentist. But for mostly 3 weeks out of each month my eating habits can be kept at bay. For that "bad" week, I just let it go and take comfort in my brownies if you know what I mean.

Many of you have asked what I eat so I decided to blog this too. Anyway, I am not a nutritionist, but I enjoy trying to get the best out of my foods and applying newly learned nutritional facts to my life.

When I was young and dumb, I used to think that because a product said "fat free" then I could eat it without worry. A standard lunch for me was FF Bologna, with FF cheese and FF mayo on brown bread. I drank Diet Coke by the Costco case. I did more damage to my body than good. I was starving it of nutrients.

This list is what I strive to include in my daily diet. Of course, if I haven't been to the store to stock my fridge or if we are on vacation or I'm on a date with my husband then this goes out the window.

My Daily Diet

• Plain Yogurt - Low Fat
• Blueberries, blackberries, any berry
• Granola
• 1/4 of an Avocado
• Carrot
• Almonds
• Whole wheat bread (1st ingredient must say whole wheat flour)
• Milk - not my favorite, but don't we all need the calcium
• Peanut Butter
• Cherries (as jam or just plain cherries cuz they are great for repairing muscles/joints)
• Tons of fruit - it helps control my sweet tooth
• At least two veggies with dinner
• Meat (lean cuts, but no Turkey bacon)- I can go all day without it so I try to include it in one meal for the protein
• Green Tea and Black Tea - great antioxidants
• Olive Oil or Flaxseed

Foods I try to stay away from:

• Nonfat or Fat Free product
• Fake/Imitation Cheese
• Fake sugars, but rather just smaller amounts of the real thing
• Meat with Nitrates - look for All Natural varieties (hard to find)
• Hydrogenated Oils - it is in most of our pre-packaged snacks
• Flavored Juices or waters
• Diet Sodas - they just make me feel hungry
• I can't believe it is not butter - I just use the real thing and it has only 2 ingredients

Some of my Diet Tricks

• If I am going to eat my kids' leftovers, then why make my own plate?
• Put leftovers in the containers before I sit down with my plate. It keeps me from eating more than I planned.
• If I am taking the kids to the drive thru, then I will eat a protein bar prior so that I am satisfied and not tempted to order.
• If I want something sweet, then I drink a tall glass of water and eat a piece of fruit, which will normally take the craving away.
• Don't eat sweets during the day because once I eat one tiny piece of candy it will turn into 10.
• I try to eat my sweets at night so I can sleep off the rest of my simple carbohydrate cravings.
• When I need to take back control of my eating habits, I start a food log to keep track of my calories.
• Rather than beat myself up emotionally after a "bad" diet day, I try to put it behind me and welcome the new day.
• Stay away from the scale. A little water weight can ruin my whole day.