Disclaimer:  I'm not a nutritionist.  I'm a normal person trying to find a healthy balance of working out, eating right and living a happy life. That being said these are some general rules to live by that will help everyone's lives. 

1.  You ACTUALLY aren't hungry, you're bored and thirsty, DRINK SOME WATER.

2.  There are too many rules on "this ingredient is good, this one is bad," and quite frankly most of them don't have conclusive scientific evidence either way.  Regardless, if you want to beat the system, eat single ingredient foods, then you don't have to worry about it.  Keep it simple!

3.  Try new ways of eating and use your own personal experience to determine what's right for you.  Try paleo, try vegan, try whatever, LEARN about how YOUR body reacts.

4.  Eat for YOUR goals, not someone else's.  Just because a super model or actor is eating a certain way, doesn't mean it's right for you.  Invest in a nutritionist now.  It may be a big investment but you can use the lessons you learn for the rest of your life.

5.  Vote and vote often.  Every time you buy something from the grocery store you're voting on that product being sold there.  If a store isn't selling a product than they'll stop stocking it.  Grocery stores are businesses.  It's simple, stop buying crap and the stores will stop selling it.  Together, we actually can make a difference. 

6.  If it's labeled as 'diet', 'healthy,' 'natural,' 'fat free' or any other lingo that is out there it generally isn't.  Companies use this as marketing to make you feel better about buying it.  The real foods (fruits, vegetables, etc) don't need these labels, because everyone already knows they're good for you.  Read twice before purchasing these items. 

7.  When in doubt look for labels that are HIGH in vitamin's & minerals, protein, and fiber; AND LOW in fats, carbs and sodium.

8.  Have cheat meals instead of cheat days.  Once you've mastered that, have cheat snacks instead of cheat meals.  After that, see how long you can go without cheating.

9.  Learn portion control.  It takes time for you stomach to tell your brain that you're full so give it some time.  When out to eat, order less then you plan on eating, you'll save money and maybe some inches off of the waist.  If you're still hungry, you can always order more.  I doubt the kitchen is going to run out of food.

10.  You're 100% in control of what you put in your mouth and body.  Period.

I saw this the other day and I just had to write about it.  They renovated my local grocery store and put this in the middle of the store.  This new 'stay healthy' and 'live well' sign is, I'm assuming, their answer to living healthy?  A huge 'stay healthy' and 'live well' sign above the pills, supplements and other various drugs.  Way to go!  Ah... what I wouldn't give to meet the person who designed this.

Now I believe pills, supplements and drugs have their place in the world of health and nutrition but it seems as though that's the first place we turn to now-a-days.  Have an issue?  Hmm maybe there's a drug that can fix it.  I mean it certainly can't be something you're doing to yourself right?  


We all need to TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for our actions, and in many cases our inaction's.  Just because some medical minds have come up with a solution to fixing YOUR problem doesn't mean you should  live like it's okay to continue to make the same mistakes.  And remember, you're not just affecting yourself anymore. Many of the people I see making these mistakes have children, and guess who they're learning from?  Telling your child to not do what you're doing simply doesn't work.  YOU HAVE TO BE THE EXAMPLE.

I want to keep this one short but my point is to take care of yourself and lead by example.  Be the change you want to see in the world, don't just sit back and complain about it.  I'll admit I'm not perfect or anywhere close, but I am trying.  Don't continually band-aid problems, start to look for ways to fix the origin of the problem instead.  I think if we all worked on this a little more we would see a lot of positive change all around us.