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While portion control is an essential part of losing weight in a healthy way, sometimes we are overcome with our desire to eat, and eat a lot. It could be when we’re snacking while doing some work, or grazing while watching a game, or even just munching on something absentmindedly because we’re bored. Sometimes, it isn’t even food! How many times have you been watching a show, or reading, and decided you need a drink, only for that to be a soda or another sugary drink? And then when it’s time to eat a proper meal, we either ruined our appetite and overeat at the next meal, or we eat it anyways and feel guilty. It happens. It happens frequently, to be honest. But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. If we take the necessary steps to make sure that we reduce the amount of calories we are eating or drinking, this doesn’t have to be such a discouraging thing. Truth be told, it doesn’t even have to be unhealthy!

What Effect Does Junk Food Have on Us?

We get it. Junk food is quick, it’s convenient, and sometimes (most times, if we’re honest) it’s tasty. But the sad reality is that these foods do nothing but give us bloated calorie counts, excessive sugar, and nothing positive to show for it. Quite the opposite in fact, because junk foods high in added sugars and refined carbohydrates cause a quick spike in our blood sugar, this leads to a rush in insulin, which in turn drops our blood sugar very quickly. That’s bad news, because it makes us grouchy, tired, and still craving more junk food to offset the roller coaster we just felt our body go through. Not only that, doing this frequently can cause a drastic change in our food preferences, which makes it harder to follow a balanced diet. We’re not saying the occasional treat isn’t ok, but switching to more nutritious choices is beneficial in the long run, not only for managing weight, but for building better habits, and not suffering the quick spikes and crashes in our blood sugar, and the mood swings that come with them.

Sugary Drinks Are No Better

While junk food does nothing good for us, we could make the argument that sugary drinks, including soda, are worse. Aside from having the same effect as junk food regarding spikes in blood sugar and mood, they also bring two more problems to the table. One, they don’t do anything to help us feel full, so we get all the calories, all the sugar, all the cravings, but no feeling of fullness to discourage us from getting another one. Second, even though it can feel so refreshing to get a cold soda on a hot day, it’s counterproductive, as soda dehydrates us. When our blood sugar gets too high, we dehydrate faster, so while junk food can also contribute to this, soda and sugary drinks have the added disadvantage of making us forget to hydrate properly, since we’re already drinking something. Seems unfair, doesn’t it? Thankfully, we can adapt and find solutions that are both tasty, and better for us!

Swap Soda for Water (with some tasty add-ons!)

We could go on and on about the benefits of just drinking water, but since we’re trying to break bad habits and replace them with better ones, it’s easier to, well, ease into them! One of the easiest ways to do this, is by adding a little something extra to your glass (or pitcher) of water. Doing something as simple as adding lemon slices, strawberries, and basil (seriously, it’s delicious) to a pitcher of water and letting it sit in the fridge for a few hours will give you a tasty and refreshing drink, without all the headache and concerns brought on by sodas. Feel free to get creative and try with other healthy add-ons! These infusions will keep for about 3 days in the fridge, but if you prefer room temperature drinks, just make them as needed!

Work Fruits and Veggies into Your Snacks

Again, we understand why people like snacking so much, but that doesn’t mean we can’t adapt our snacks to make them healthier! Snacks like carrot sticks and apple slices are a long-time favorite snack of many, and orange slices have always been considered a post activity snack. Any one of these would be a great addition (or replacement) to your snacking favorites, but if you want to be a bit more adventurous, you could combine a modest amount of peanut butter to add a new flavor, as well as some protein, to the mix! Mixing it up has the added benefit of variety. By switching up your healthy snacks, not only are you building better habits, but you are making sure you don’t get bored of eating the same thing repeatedly. That will make it easier to stay on a healthier path.

The Medical Benefits

Changing your eating habits, even with snacking, can help lower your weight, but it also has some added benefits. By switching to foods that incorporate fruits and vegetables, you add a good amount of soluble fiber to your diet, which aside from aiding in digestion, helps lower your glycemic index, keeping your blood sugar steadier. This keeps your cravings in check, and helps you eat in a more balanced and well rationed amount. For more medical benefits, its best to go to the source.

The Medical Experts

The professionals at Olivera Weight Loss have over 40 years of experience in helping people reduce their weight to a healthy BMI, in a clinically proven and medically safe way, and with the means to help their patients keep it off. And with our established patients having the option to continue their care with our Telehealth service, receiving the support, encouragement, and continuing education they need, including access to our Meal Plans! All the tools you need to succeed in your quest to improved health via medical weight loss.

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