I recently got a question from a reader about food and does it matter what you eat as long as you don’t eat too much.

Sooooo, I thought I would answer this question here.

The answer of course is … YES! What you eat definitely matters!

But I totally understand WHY people can start to think it doesn’t matter, though.

All too often we think of foods only in terms of how many calories they contain …

I mean, have you ever seen those “burpee equivalent” or “exercise equivalent” charts for some foods, telling you how much exercise you have to do to burn them off?

HERE’S THE PROBLEM WITH THAT KIND OF THINKING …

Your food is WAY MORE than its calories! The actual QUALITY of what you eat has a powerful impact on your health.

You’ve heard the old saying, “You are what you eat,” right? You don’t want to build a body out of junk food!

Some foods contain a lot more nutrients and benefits than others … and those same foods can also help fight inflammation in your body. For more on an anti-inflammatory diet, check out my blog post here.

I’m going to wager that you already know what these foods are … they’re whole foods like veggies, lean proteins, fruits, healthy fats, and unprocessed grains.

And other foods can be the OPPOSITE of that, containing a lot of empty calories that can actually PROMOTE inflammation in your body.

These are foods that are high in processed grains, sugar, fat, preservatives, and more.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t EVER have your favorite foods! Everything in moderation is the name of the game – as long as you don’t have any allergies related to those foods.

This is where a shift to something like an 80/20 or 90/10 mindset can come into play, where you eat nutrient-dense foods 80% to 90% of the time, with little “extras” thrown in every once in a while. Read that again … every once in a while.

Knowing you have some treats coming up in the future can actually make it easier for some people to stick with a healthy eating plan most of the time. Let’s be clear here … some treats.

One last thing to remember with all of this … portion sizes still matter!

This circles back around to that 80 percent – 20 percent ratio. Eating an entire box of cookies or a whole pizza amounts to more than 20 percent of “extras” for almost every one of us!

Ya dig?

Yours in health and wellness,

Francine Alleyne (RHNP™)

Holistic Nutritionist, Registered Holistic Nutrition Practitioner™

Email: fran@francinealleyne.com

Website: http://www.midlifehealthy.com

Join my Facebook Group, Midlife Healthy Daily!

Instagram: @wellness.with.fran

DISCLAIMER: Please consult your healthcare practitioner if you are experiencing any symptoms.  I am not a doctor. This post and anything else you find on my website is intended for informational, educational and self-empowerment purposes ONLY and is not intended to treat or diagnose any condition or disease.