Define "Better"

I was telling a friend about my New Year's resolution to "be less tired," and what that meant for me. She sighed and said, "yeah, I should eat better." I asked her a few questions about her habits, and it turns out she wasn't doing as bad as she thought. She knew she was supposed to get "5 a day" of fruits and veggies, but she didn't know how big "1" is. A serving for most fruits and vegetables is 1/2 cup. That means a tennis-ball-sized pile of broccoli or green beans for dinner is TWO servings. A normal sized apple or orange or banana is TWO servings of fruit. So, if you're wanting to eat "better" you have to define what that means.

For the purpose of this blog, "better" will be defined as meals that have higher nutritional value than a chicken nugget value meal from a fast food restaurant. (More nutritional value=fewer calories and more vegetables) Why? First, because that sets the bar pretty low nutritionally speaking, which makes it easier for me to come up with ideas. Second, because that's what I want when I'm not feeling like cooking. My son knew all about 'chichenfenchfies' at 20 months old. My husband's preferred default is pizza, but that's more of a moving target nutritionally speaking. Thin crust with lots of veggies and low-fat, if any, meat is better than deep-dish double pepperoni with extra cheese.

Most people feel they ought to eat "better," but have never defined that very subjective term. If you are someone who has said for a while that you want to "eat better," define what that means. Does that mean eating a fruit or a veggie at every meal? Does that mean replacing afternoon candy bars with an orange at least 3 days a week? For me it meant drinking at least 6 glasses of water every day in addition to any other beverage. Knowing I need to finish my water to meet my goal keeps me from getting as many sugary drinks when I'm thirsty.

As a side note, the "5-A-Day" guideline was meant to be a minimum. They don't use that slogan anymore. Women who are 19-30 should get 5 servings of vegetables and 4 servings of fruit. Men in that age range should get about 11 servings of fruits and vegetables. People who exercise every day should get more than "normal." These stats and more about nutrition, including lots about serving sizes, can be found here.