Today I’m going to dole out a little tough love, so brace yourself and know that this is for your own good.
It’s time that we had an uncomfortable little talk about a very important issue…
That junk food in your house.
You know the stuff that I’m talking about. The ice cream jammed into the back of your freezer. The packaged cookies that you say are for the kid’s lunches. The candy stash that’s leftover from the last few holidays. Those bags of crunchy, salty snacks in your pantry. The bottles of soda that you know you shouldn’t drink. And the list goes on…
Here’s the bottom line: If you eat junk food then you’ll get fat. Junk = Fat.
Now I know that you have justified the presence of junk food in your house, so let’s walk through these justifications and I’ll shine some truth on it for you.
1) It’s For The Kids: This is the oldest excuse in the book when it comes to keeping junk food in the house. It’s flawed for many reasons, namely because you know you eat some of it. When junk is in the house you are bound to eat some of it at times. And your kids should NOT be eating junk food on a regular basis, such as in their lunches. It’s not good for them and it’s not good for you.
2) I Didn’t Buy It: Oh, I didn’t buy it. My in-laws, friend, sister, kids, spouse bought that. OK, it’s still in your house. I understand why you may be hesitant to throw out food that someone else gave you, but look at the big picture. By throwing junk out of your house you are protecting your health and the healthy of everyone who lives under your roof. That’s huge!
3) A Little Bit Won’t Hurt: When you keep junk food in the house you’re fooling yourself if you think that you only eat a little bit of it. The contents of your kitchen become the things that you habitually eat. If there’s junk in the house then you habitually are eating it, and a little bit of junk every day adds up to a LOT of junk over a week or month. And you wonder why you haven’t lost the weight yet…
4) It’s My Favorite: I understand that there may be junk foods that you’ve become so used to eating that it’s hard to imagine going a day or more without it. In this case, you really need to cut the junk out in order to achieve your ideal health and fitness level. Birthdays, holidays, and special occasions are the time to have a taste of your old favorite junk. And after you’ve stopped eating it daily you may find that it doesn’t even taste as good as you remember.
5) Life’s Too Short: YOLO, right? (You Only Live Once) If this is your excuse for having junk food in the house, then I’ve got a new one for you. YOLO, so why not live that life in a healthy, fit, attractive body that’s full of energy, free from aches and pains and looks amazing?! Being fit and healthy is so much more rewarding that eating a favored junk food every day. Nothing tastes as good as fit and healthy feels.
Now it’s time for you to take action. All you need is a big black trash bag and the determination to be fit and healthy. Grab that bag, march into your kitchen and start pitching the junk.
Look for anything in a package that contains processed sugar, grains and high amounts of sodium. Go get ‘em!
Wheeew! Didn’t that feel great? Your kitchen is now wholesome and healthy, and your body will be too.
Eating a healthy diet, free from junk, is one side of the equation when it comes to getting into amazing shape. The other side is consistent, challenging exercise.
Zero Tolerance Policy
Watch out, or that junk food will come creeping back into your pantry. Decide here and now to adopt a zero tolerance policy when it comes to junk food in your house. Be vigilant and stay strong when your kids start to whine for their old favorites. Replace the junk with wholesome food such as fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds, and lean meats.
A great way to avoid eating junk food is to enjoy wholesome homemade versions of your favorite processed foods. Fast food chicken nuggets are filled with MSG, sugar, gluten, sodium phosphates and other toxins, but not these healthy homemade nuggets. Enjoy these nuggets guilt-free! Servings: 80 nuggets
Here’s what you need:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup arrowroot starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard (gluten free)
3 eggs
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 box Mary’s Gone Crackers, gluten free crackers, ground to crumbs
1 cup nutritional yeast
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets with olive oil.
Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry. Place between two sheets of parchment paper and pound it down to ½ inch thickness. Trim off any excess fat and cut into 2-inch strips. Cut the strips into about 80 2×2 inch nuggets.
Arrange 3 shallow bowls next to your prepared baking pans. In the first bowl combine the almond flour, arrowroot starch, salt and pepper. In the second bowl combine the Dijon, eggs and olive oil. In the third bowl combine the gluten free cracker crumbs and nutritional yeast.
Take each chicken piece and drag it through bowl #1, dip into bowl #2 and roll in bowl #3. Place each coated nugget on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake the chicken for 20 minutes, then turn the oven on high broil for about 2 minutes to get them really crispy.
Serve with natural ketchup and mustard.
*Freeze leftover nuggets in a freezer safe bag. To reheat place on a baking sheet at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until warmed through.
Nutritional Analysis: One Serving equals: 37 calories, 1g fat, 44mg sodium, 2g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, and 4g protein
Motivate your friends, family and co-workers!
Editors note: Sterling Wise is a Certified Personal Trainer, and the CEO and Founder of The Wise Decision. If you would like to learn more about the fitness coach and motivator visit https://thewisedecision.com/ or email him at sterling@thewisedecision.com.