We Know What to Do. Just Do It!

This post is more than just the typical speech about how to eat properly. Our eating habits go much deeper than that. So I will not give you a tongue lashing about why you should eat the right foods. I'm sure you already know!
I'll take you back to the time when I was a kid at the dinner table. There was a daunting plate filled with food in front of my face that I broke a sweat finishing. Everything was finished except for those nasty orange rutabagas! My mother would then say "finish your food if you want dessert." The challenge was on. I would choke back every orange cube of those nasty rutabagas and even though my stomach was about to burst, I still managed to make room for that chilled piece of soft lemon box cake. It was sooo satisfying as I meditate on every bite. There are three takeaways from this story.

The best choice is better health.

The Challenge
Although I was full, I still forced myself to finish my plate. There is only so much our stomachs can hold of food and liquids. Once we have satisfied the hunger pains and continue to eat we are only training our stomachs to sustain a larger capacity of food. Continued eating in that fashion will lead to obesity and a slew of health problems. Remember, it takes about 20 minutes for the brain to register the stomach being full.

Dessert after Dinner
To this day many of feel the urge to have dessert after dinner. I swear it's like we have grown an extra stomach just for this purpose. No. It's not necessary to eat something sweet after dinner but it is just so darn comforting to have some cake or ice cream after dinner. It says 'mission accomplished!' I understand it was an incentive given by our parents to eat all of our food but now we can make better choices for the after dinner goody and it doesn't have to be after every dinner. Try two days per week for having a goody after dinner.

Ingrained Behavior
As a highly competitive person, I refuse to let a plate of food defeat me (pound my chest). Good thing I don't live in Texas where "everything is bigger." I would be too! Many of us share that mentality to finish our plate like our parents ingrained in our heads. Now it's time to get smart about it and leave the rutabagas off the plate! We can also just not put so much food on the plate too. Hmm.
I know. I know. Dessert after dinner is just one of things that just has to happen. There can be no other way because that's is how we were raised. Well, we can be smart here too. The question is, do we really need the cake, ice cream, or whatever your sweet after dinner treat is? How about this; substitute the sweet dessert with some sweet fruits. I know it's not the same but think about the health benefits in the long run. It's simply better for you. We know what to do. Just do it.

As always, thank you for your time and for putting your health first.