When it comes to making choices, one of the most important factors we consider is convenience. This is probably the reason why fast food chains and convenience stores do good business. With the hectic lifestyle of today, pre-packed foods, whether from a supermarket shelf or a fast food counter, have become a part of our everyday life. Unfortunately, in exchange for the convenience of such instant meals many of us have become ill nourished.
Convenience foods are high in fat and carbohydrates. Most of the time we are left with no other choice but to settle for these artificial foods because of the thousand and one other things that require our immediate attention. But then, as with everything else, the wrong decisions we make eventually catch up with us. This is most especially true when it comes to our health. Excessive weight gain is one of the more common ill effects of subsisting on convenience foods. In other cases it is the deterioration of one's health.
We should never compromise our health in the name of convenience because in the long run, dealing with obesity or any of the various diseases resulting from eating too much of the undesirable stuff found in convenience foods is definitely NOT convenient at all.
If you are one of those who are caught up in this
unhealthy lifestyle and are seriously concerned about doing something about it, the first thing you need to do is to make a conscious decision to change your lifestyle. Be firm about it and resolve never to give up. Then the two practical steps you need to make are: (1) Choose foods that have a high nutrient content but are low in fat, carbohydrates, salt, sugar, and protein, and; (2) Engage in some form of moderate exercise for at least 30 minutes everyday.
As children we were constantly told by our mothers to eat our vegetables. What researchers are finding out today about the value of high fiber foods is just an affirmation of what our mothers have always known. Increasing your consumption of fiber to 20-35 grams (assuming you're an adult) as recommended by the Surgeon General and the American Dietetic Association, is a good place to start. Aside from vegetables, other excellent sources of fiber are fruits and whole grains. These foods are actually delicious and are not a torture to eat at all.
A high fiber diet not only promotes weight loss but is also your key to overall good health. Fibrous foods are low in calories and they are very filling as well so you don't have to worry about eating too much even if you tend to overeat. They slow down the conversion of carbohydrates into sugar the effect of which is a significant decrease in your cravings for sugary snacks. Also, fiber absorbs cholesterol from the food you eat and takes it along when you expel it from your body during elimination.
When it comes to convenience, a high fiber diet provides the most effortless method of food preparation. Most of the fibrous fruits and vegetables can actually be eaten raw!
You may be pleasantly surprised to find that the transition from a lifestyle of pre-packed meals to an all natural high fiber diet is not all traumatic. And if convenience is really your thing, there is probably nothing more convenient than having a nice crunchy apple for lunch. Not such a bad deal now is it?
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