Fitandhealthycarol

I think eating whole foods as compared to processed foods is healthy. You don't have to go to extremes unless you want to. Avoid packaged foods as much as possible. For example, make things like mashed potatoes or scalloped potatoes from potatoes you buy in the vegetable aisle, not from a box. Read the ingredients. You can't pronounce half of them. That's why you can put them in your pantry and not eat them for 8 months and they don't spoil. Make home-made chili and soups instead of using canned from the store. Eat a lot of vegetables from a wide variety. If possible, make them fresh or frozen, not canned. If you have to buy canned, look for sodium free or drain and rinse them well before cooking in water, not the liquid that comes in the can. Stay away from empty calories, such as candy, baked goods, salty snacks. There is no nutrition in them and your body does not need them. And don't say you're buying them for the kids because they don't need them either. Don't introduce these snacks to your children at a young age. They will learn about them soon enough when they go out into the world and hopefully by that time, healthy eating habits will be firmly planted. Don't take them to fast food restaurants. They don't want that food, they want the toy in the bag and the playground. If necessary, take them to a family type restaurant. They will learn table manners and how to behave in public, while eating a healthier meal. Let the kids help you cook. They will be more willing to eat something that they prepared themselves.