This edition of Hood Health 101 gives you tips on how you can get your diet in order to emote your inner dopeness!
Looking dope, being fit and looking fly is something that we all want to do. This is not about being a particular size nor a particular weight. It is about being the best you that you can be. Now, you can exercise everyday all day, but if your diet is not right and exact then it’s pointless. That being the case, many of us do not have the money to hire personal chefs to ensure that we eat healthy well balanced meals. So what is a savvy individual to do? I’ll tell you, you get smart about the way you shop and prepare your meals. Below are a few tips to help you get started on that fit and fly journey.
Always buy the ORGANIC version of these items due to the high pesticide content. The goal is to decrease the amount of synthetic chemicals that you put into your body. Many of the pesticides used have components that could potentially cause harm (many of the pesticides contain carcinogens etc.).
Apples
Strawberries
Grapes
Celery
Peaches
Spinach
Sweet Bell Peppers
Nectarines
Cucumbers
Cherry Tomatoes
Snap Peas
Potatoes
Hot Peppers
Blueberries
Lettuce
Kale/ Collards
I also recommend intermittent fasting or reduced food intake a couple days out of the week. This will enable your digestive system to take a bit of a break with breaking down the consistent intake of food. For some individuals the added benefits of weight loss is great, but the focus is mainly to giving your body a bit of a break. Please note that If you have any medical conditions, special dietary requirements, or chronic diseases, it’s wise to consult a doctor before intermittent fasting.
In addition to the above, I recommend substituting certain foods to create healthier meals of their calorie dense or oil ridden counterparts. You will find this approach to be very helpful in the long run, trust me.
Avoid fried foods: Bake everything that you would normally fry. This should enable you to decrease your the grease intake.
Low fat substitutions: You can cut your fat intake and replace using butter and margarine by using apple sauce, tofu puree, and flax meal. Applesauce can coincidentally be used to replace eggs because it makes a good binder. While Tofu, on the other hand can be used to replace dressings and sauces.
Pasta can be something that has the ability to produce a calorie dense punch. Instead of using pasta, take zucchini through a spiralizer to create spaghetti shaped zucchini noodles. This is a super healthy alternative to wheat or white pasta. All that you would have left to do is to determine what type of sauce that you would like to use. Rice is also a type of food that has a healthy alternative. Instead of using white rice, you could use fresh cauliflower and grate it; afterwords simply cook it in the oven, or on the stove top. This creates the look of rice and is very easy to make. From there you would simply season it according to your tastes. Cauliflower also works as an alternative for mashed potatoes. Instead use a masher after it has been cooked simply and season to taste.
These tips will have you on your way to being fitter and just as dope as you want to be. The thing is to understanding that a healthy lifestyle is priceless beating out a fad diet any day. No one expects you to change in the span of a day, but it only takes on small change a day to be on your way. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @NakeashaJ and on Instagram @Melanated_Beauty.
