My Princess and I have been doing Jazzercise together for a year now. We LOVE it and it’s something we can do together. We are both so much stronger than we were before but are still trying to get control of the eating part of healthy living. Most people say that healthy living is so much more about food than it is exercise and I believe it!! Having said this, I am not a big proponent of dieting because I don’t really think they work…for long, anyway. I think everything in moderation is a great way to live. However, My Princess had a conversation with a friend about a No Junk Food Challenge and wanted to give it a try. So about 10 days ago we embarked on a three week, no junk food challenge.
This challenge includes:
No Chocolate
No Candy
No Biscuits or Cookies
No Cake, Donuts, or Muffins
No Pastries
No White Bread
No Chips
No Fast Food
No Soda
No Ice Cream
Are you still here?? That’s a lot of “NO’s”!! But, we’ve done it. In all honesty, My Princess has done so much better than me. I’ve abstained from these goodies but not without TONS of temptation and lots of complaining!!! The “no soda” rule has been the hardest. I’m an avid Diet Pepsi drinker and have suffered withdrawal…painfully. But I’m sticking to it and trying to get into the habit of choosing healthier things to snack on. So, I thought I pass along to you a list of the things I have found to curb my appetite and keep me from eating the junk food.
1. Unsalted almonds – I found these 100 calorie packs of almonds and they are perfect when I want a snack. They are tasty, crunchy, and portion controlled.
2. Yogurt with fruit and granola – My typical breakfast is a protein bar. I’ve eliminated protein bars because of the chocolate in them, so I had to come up with something to replace them. Yogurt with fruit and granola is a tasty breakfast that holds me over until lunch.
3. String Cheese – This is one of those grab and go snacks. I buy the light ones to cut out some fat, but it still works well as a salty on-the-go treat.
4. Fruit – This is a no-brainer. My servings of grapes, apples, oranges, bananas, and watermelon have increased drastically since the start of this challenge.
5. Mini Cucumbers – I really love cucumbers in any shape or size and now is the perfect time to harvest or buy them in our area, but I found these mini cucumbers a while ago and they are so easy to grab, rinse, and eat. No pealing, no salting or dipping, just grab and eat! They are crunchy and as flavorful as a cucumber can be.
6. Fruit Smoothie – One of my sons just bought one of those fancy smancy blenders that makes one-two servings and is very easy to clean up. Boy, am I glad he did!! I’ve been using it to make a variety of fruit smoothies for lunch. Sometimes I throw frozen fruit in the blender with ice and a little yogurt, but most of the time I fill the blender with ice, add a couple mushy bananas, a little peanut butter, and 1/2 cup skim milk. This makes a delicious and filling smoothie. Yes, it has a bunch of calories but it’s better for me than the slice of pizza I want to eat for lunch!!
7. Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich – This is one of my absolute favorites. My mom made it for me all the time when I was growing up and it has stuck with me over the years. I make it a little differently now… 1 piece of 40 calorie whole wheat bread, a tablespoon of natural peanut butter, and a whole banana. I wrap it up like a tortilla and YUM!!! It is good stuff!!
So those are things I’ve been eating to stay on track with the No Junk Food Challenge. I’ve also been drinking unsweetened ice tea which helps curb the caffeine appetite I have in the afternoons.
I still have another week and a half to this challenge and hope to have made some lasting changes when this is over with, so help me out… What are your favorite healthy alternatives to junk food?? I need all the help I can get!!
Enjoy!
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