Finding Healthier Ways to "Cheat"

In the health and fitness world, there's a lot of focus placed on eating "clean". I couldn't agree more - a healthy lifestyle means knowing what foods are good for you, and eating them in the right balance. But sometimes, people like to snack. That's just reality - that salty bag of chips is just too much to pass up. 

And it's really ok. Often I think that people who try to eliminate every "naughty" treat from their diet risk falling off the fitness wagon altogether. Instead, play close attention to those nutritional labels, which can guide your choices toward better alternatives, avoiding particularly nasty things like trans fats and high fructose corn syrup.

A quick story on food choices - my daughter and I were traveling last week and had to stop for lunch. We went to Subway, which offers good, healthy options (so long as you choose wisely).  For example, I had a 6 inch turkey on whole grain with spinach, cheese and avocado - not bad for fast food!

The lesson came when she asked for a bag of chips and picked up some Cheetos. In the past I may not have paid much attention, but this time I looked at the nutritional label - that 2 oz bag contained over 300 calories and 20 g of fat! Those Cheetos went back on the shelf, and instead we chose a bag of BBQ Baked Lays - 130 calories and 4 g of fat. So she got her treat, enjoyed her chips and had a much better alternative (and I freely admit that I had a bag too). 

So it was a real reminder for me as well - just by paying attention to labels, you can save on calories and grams of fat even before you make a single change to your diet. Keep that in mind the next time you're in the grocery store - I know I will!