Momma B: Always Judge a Food By It's Cover

The key is not great changes, but small changes you practice consistently, that will create great results!
Challenging myself to eat food with only five ingredients or less is how I got started on my journey to eating real food. Before that, the idea of purchasing kale or anything else from the produce section was so foreign to me because these foods didn't come in a package with preparation instructions. The changes in my health and lifestyle have been dramatic since I started eating real food - foods that are grown and raised close to home - here's how you can get started:
Change is never easy, but if you hold yourself accountable, the difficult will become your daily routine and the new will be your norm.
To start the transition, focus on avoiding anything with ingredients you don't recognize or can't pronounce. By slowly working out those artificial colors, sweeteners and preservatives as food options, you will eventually find your way to the outer perimeters of the grocery store - the produce section. It's intimidating at first though! It's hard to be creative and find recipes that keep you on track. In the beginning, it was common for me to not use the new foods I had bought at all, and I'd end up wasting them; but I knew these things I wasted were great for my body, so I didn't stop trying. Change is never easy, but if you hold yourself accountable, the difficult will become your daily routine and the new will be your norm.
Even if you don't notice a difference in how you feel right away, just remember that what you eat creates your cells, becomes your blood and influences your mind. These are all long term processes, which are the results of long term behavior, so stay committed to your transition to a happier, healthier lifestyle. The key is not great changes, but small changes you practice consistently, that will create great results!

Momma B Well: The Best Diet For... Everything

Momma B:

I remember the days of buying every magazine in the grocery check-out line that claimed to know the “best” ways to lose weight, increase energy, or cure headaches and migraines. Little did I know, the “best” solution for someone else's body wouldn't necessarily be the best for my own. Some of the diets even made me feel poorly. Ultimately, I had to find my own unique “diet” - sustainable, healthy eating habits - in order to feel my very best.

Have you ever felt that way? Disappointed that the diet that worked for your friend didn't do anything for you. Or the magazine article that promised you would lose 10lbs in 10 days didn't work. Want to know the “secret”? As a professional Health Coach I call it “Bio-Individuality”.  What it means is: you don't need a book to give you a plan - you need to develop a relationship with your body. Recently, in “Decoding Your Cravings”, I explained that the way you feel is your body's way of communicating its reaction to what you fuel it with. Your body already tells you what it needs, (and what it doesn't), to function at it's highest potential. Tuning in and listening to your body, you will cultivate the ability to eat intuitively, trusting your body to guide you to the foods that best support you and your lifestyle.

You don’t need a book to give you a plan - you need to develop a relationship with your body.

This is far more challenging than following a prepared plan from the latest media-hyped fad diet, but in the end it will be far more effective. Plus, the process is way more rewarding! To learn how to tune in to your body check out my recent article “The Food Mood Connection”. Instead of following a plan, follow your body’s guidance to understand your own nutritional needs. You will arrive at a place of lasting health and physical well-being.