Where do I start?

Hey guys! Well my sister is visiting and I'm helping her with some healthy meal ideas to follow to not only eat healthier, but shed a few pounds. So first off, here is a couple of things I try to follow:

1. Stay away from fake sugars! And also watch out for even natural sugars that have no calories. If you trick your body into thinking it's getting sugar when it's not, you will not only crave more but  it will keep the calories you took in as reserve because your body thinks " Oh no I need to save this for energy!" Real unprocessed, unrefined cane sugar is the best way to go. Other options for example are grade B maple syrup and local honey.
2. NO soft drinks, and going along with #1...especially NO diet soda. 
3. Limit your juice intake. Juice has sugar, especially orange juice. Just look at the label. It's fine to have some. But don't overdue it. Just because it's "fruit" doesn't mean you can drink it by the gallon. Make sure you buy 100% juice and watch out for the ones with reduced calories or sugar. (most likely they are substituting fake stuff)
4. Try not to eat out. Not only will it save you money, but it's hard to find unprocessed food in a fast food joint. 
5. Get rid of "boxed" stuff. Anything processed, get it out of the house! If it's not there you won't be tempted to eat it.
6. If it says artificial or natural flavors, run! 
7. Buy local! Go to farmers markets. It's not expensive and most likely the farm uses organic practices, even if they aren't certified organic. To be certified organic, it's not only expensive, but a lot of paperwork that most small farms can't afford or deal with. It's something like $1000 a year to be certified!         
8. If you want to lose weight. Count the calories, sticking to a 1200/day diet is the best. You have to be as accurate as possible, a few calories here or there can add up. And that doesn't mean you can't eat what you want. But if you want your calories for the day to be a snickers bar, then by all means. But you will be obviously become tired faster, you will soon be hungry, and as a result will keep eating (despite reaching your daily calorie intake). 
9. Limit your fruit intake, but you can eat lots of veggies!! Fruit has sugar and that's why you can't eat a ton of it. You should only need 1 serving of fruit a day if you want to lose weight. 

So you're probably wondering, well goodness what can I eat? Or this is going to be so hard. But it's not. It takes a life style change if you aren't used to cooking a lot. But you will get used to it, and it will be worth it! Making a meal plan and shopping list will help you out the most. Here is an example of a meal plan. Just to add the possibilities are endless

Breakfast (choose one)

Bowl of steel cut oats with fresh fruit.

Yogurt with granola

Eggs (buy local, they will taste amazing!) with a side of fruit

Smoothie with side of nuts

Lunch/Snacks (choose a combination)

nuts

hard boiled egg

carrots and celery

apples and peanut butter

cheese slices

hummus and pita chips or veggies

local goat cheese and crackers ( make your own!)

chicken strips (organic, free range, and local chicken!) with spinach salad (spinach leaves, dried cranberries, feta cheese, vinaigrette)

We'll soon be posting some more dinner recipes for you to try! But Until then, check out recipes by Chef Derek on North American Whitetail and Ingles Table.

 Or check out some of my favorite blogs Pioneer Woman or Riddlelove.

****Don't take my word. Do your own research!!!****