A new survey from DrugGenius.com says Louisianans would give up six years of their life to go on eating fast food.
Yes there are times you're going to indulge in a greasy cheeseburger or pizza or whatever. But, if you're concerned about your eating habits, there is a way to turn your eating habits around. LSU Health Nutritionist Dr. Henry Nuss says trading a bad meal for a nutritious one is a good start:
“It’s not irreversible, so if you do eat something that’s considered unhealthy for you that you can offset that by eating something that’s healthy.”
Yes, Dr. Nuss says you can offset the bad with good. So follow up that bad meal with a good one.
“Every meal you can eat that is healthy is one less unhealthy meal that you’re getting into your body. And salads, green leafy vegetables are an excellent way to do that. They’re full of vitamins and minerals and fiber, which is great, it’s proven to lower blood pressure and it’s filling and satisfying.”
According to Nuss, it’s really simple to turn your eating regimen around.
“The trick is to be able to get people to do that consistently, and get people away from fast food,” Dr. Nuss explains. “Fast food [is bad] because people don’t understand how it’s bad. It’s packed with sodium, fats and it’s all made to taste good, not to be healthy.”
Nuss says remember, this is a slow and steady race:
“The thing to remember is that it doesn’t happen overnight. You just have to consciously start to make more healthy decisions about the kinds of food you eat. Try to avoid going to fast food restaurants at all and prepare as many meals at home as you can--you'll eat less and be more satisfied.”