How to give up junk food? How does the rejection of junk food affect the body? How to give up junk food forever.

Improper nutrition always leads to weight gain. And if in youth it seems that you can eat anything - you still won’t get better, then at a more mature age you begin to understand: you can’t deceive the body, all the same, junk food will sooner or later lead to a set of extra pounds.

The most difficult thing in the process of weight loss is to give up these harmful products, switching to proper nutrition once and for all. But it is not so easy to do this, especially if a person is used to eating improperly in general, he does not know how to plan his time and easily succumbs to other people's opinions.

Often, people themselves do not understand that they have become hostages of junk food, they do not know why they cannot pass by the next fast food, and chips have again appeared in their grocery basket.

Let's look at the main causes of addiction to junk food and find ways to get rid of them ...

Reason 1. Family traditions

Most of our food rituals and habits are laid down in early childhood.
If the family is accustomed to having three courses for dinner, then, having matured, you will not imagine dinner without the first.

It is in childhood that the family habit is laid to eat everything to the end, to try everything that is on the table, to eat certain foods, to eat up for the holidays.

Our parents play an important role, because it is they who decide how to build our relationship with food: to scold for poor appetite or let them leave half-starved from the table, to allow sweets before meals or to forbid it, to reward sweets for good behavior or to find something else. promotion.

If your family had wrong food rituals and habits, then you should analyze and correct them. This can be difficult to do. Psychoanalysis will help to facilitate the task.

Take a piece of paper and describe in detail how you sat at the table as a child, what your mother most often cooked, how your holidays went, how your parents treated poor appetite, unwillingness to eat certain foods, games with food, whether you ate while watching TV.

Now carefully read what was written and think about what eating habits are not considered healthy. Start getting rid of them today. Do not worry - you will succeed, because you can get used to something new, forgetting about the old, in 21 days.

Reason 2. Pressure of surrounding people

"With whom you will lead - from that you will type." Are you familiar with this set expression? Indeed, our environment influences our habits, thought patterns, and behavior patterns.

It has already been proven that if you communicate among obese people, then you yourself will be prone to gaining excess weight, and if there are slender people around, then there will be much more motivation for losing weight.

We all subconsciously copy the accepted model in the group in which we often find ourselves. Not many agree to be a white crow. That's why it's important to analyze your social circle and try to get away from common eating habits if they are harmful.

Is it customary among your colleagues to dine at fast food? Do your colleagues drink beer on Fridays, often chip in and buy cakes and pies, wear greasy sausage sandwiches to work? Yes, with such habits you will not lose weight.

In this situation, there are two ways out: take a leadership position and try to change the group's eating habits to the right ones, or, contrary to sidelong views, start following your own healthy habits.

The first one is harder to make, but you will not lose weight in society, and, perhaps, you will become a universal favorite and will be able to change the lives of others for the better.

It is easier to act according to the second plan, but then you can lose good relations with colleagues and become an occasion for silent discussions of colleagues.

In any case, it is more expensive to maintain the bad eating habits of those around you, and you need to get rid of them. Try a soft tactic: start casually talking about how someone you know gave up junk food and recovered from some kind of disease. Or vice versa, act on the principle of intimidation - tell horror stories about the consequences of malnutrition. Fear is contagious too!

Reason 3. Taste tricks of manufacturers

It turns out that our dependence on junk food is involved not only psychology, but also physiology. Receptors are responsible for the perception of tastes, and hormones are responsible for adherence to tastes.

For example, addiction to sweets is very easy to explain. Under the influence of sugar in the brain, dopamine receptors are irritated, which are responsible for the production of dopamine, the hormone of pleasure.

Frequent use of sweets leads to the emergence of dopamine addiction, the brain asks for more and more pleasure, and a person begins to lean on sweets every day.

Fatty foods also affect our receptors in the brain. Research shows that fatty foods have the most palatable taste in our brain's understanding. That's where the craving for sausages, fatty meats, fried foods comes from.

Spices added to food also interact with hormones and receptors. As a result, spiced food seems incredibly delicious to us, and we can no longer refuse spices when preparing home-cooked meals.

Salt has a similar effect. We get used to salt, although we need only 5-10 g per day. Unsalted dishes seem bland and tasteless to us, the hand itself reaches for the salt shaker, which only contributes to weight gain.

It is also interesting that different people have different attitudes towards bitter food. Our body has a gene that is responsible for the perception of bitter taste. Some people have two copies of this gene in their DNA, and as a result, such people are very sensitive to bitter taste and avoid bitter foods: radishes, onions, beer, coffee, etc.

Changing physiological food cravings is the hardest thing to do, but it is still possible. To do this, you need to gradually change your eating habits: reduce the amount of sugar and sweets consumed, replace sugar with healthy analogues (for example, stevia), reduce the amount of salt, reduce the use of spices, giving preference to dried herbs.

Reason 4. Replacing emotions with food pleasure

People who cannot or do not want to express emotions, or who for various reasons lack emotions, often replace them with food pleasure.

Therefore, try to diversify your life, do what brings you positive emotions, which leaves pleasant impressions. Once your life is full, junk food cravings will lessen or even disappear.

Have you noticed that happy people are more likely to stick to proper nutrition? Think about it!

Reason 5. Lack of control in life

Sometimes simple control makes it easy to overcome bad eating habits and cravings for unhealthy foods.

Keep a food diary and record in it what, when, how much and under what circumstances you eat and drink. Now, using the calorimeter, calculate the number of calories consumed per day and the ratio of B/F/U. Analyze how your results differ from the norm and draw appropriate conclusions.

Now try to create a menu that meets your protein, fat, and carbohydrate needs and doesn't go beyond your daily calorie requirement. Again, use a colorizer.

Try to follow this menu. Even if it doesn’t work out right away, then at least gradually move towards compliance with the menu.

Advertising is the engine of trade, including trade in harmful food products. Marketers deliberately show us chips in full screen, splashes from pouring cola, golden crust of freshly fried chop.

It looks appetizing and makes you want to try it. And also in the store, when you see a familiar package from an advertisement, your brain will dictate pleasant appetizing associations to you (here are these splashes, here are those crispy chips allegedly made from natural potatoes).

Advertisers know their business and are able to influence your choice. The only weapon that works against beautifully packaged ads is your knowledge. Start carefully studying product labels, do not be lazy to read what this or that product is made of, look out for its calorie content and value in terms of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

Do not let anyone or anything influence your eating habits, get rid of bad eating habits, act in a way that will be useful and beneficial for you. Good luck on your journey to a healthy lifestyle!

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Nutritionists have long drawn our attention to the fact that cravings for junk food are more dependent on the habits of our brain than on the habits of the body. Sometimes the flavorings generously supplied by such attractive hazards are addictive, but not to such an extent that it cannot be eliminated by an effort of will. Let's try to train the will and the brain?

We are in website We decided to collect working tips that will help us figure out what we buy in the store and approach the choice more consciously.

1. Read labels

A working way to buy less junk food is to be aware of what we get with it. And this does not mean that you need to completely abandon, for example, cookies. After all, spending a little more time near the shelf in the store to read the composition, you can find a product that will have less sugar, there will be no harmful preservatives and additives.

By reading the label, you will learn about the amount of sugar, the presence of flavor enhancers and unnecessary additives.

Pay attention not to the name of the product, but for the components. For example, dumplings may be called "Beef", but there will be 20% beef. Check out the chocolate: if sugar comes first on the list, and then vegetable fats come, then it’s anything but chocolate.

Even if you are not ready to immediately give up not quite healthy food, you can always choose products that are less harmful in composition.

2. Follow the 5 Ingredients Rule

Finding less than 5 ingredients on a package of sausage is difficult these days, but possible. Please note: if you see more than 5 items on simple products (dairy, pastries, juices), this is an alarming indicator.

Many additives are used to improve the consistency, thicken, increase the weight of the product, and extend the shelf life.

It is worth knowing that:

Manufacturers also use natural analogues of chemical preservatives, look for them on packages: citric acid, honey, salt, vinegar.
Is pectin added to sweets instead of gelatin? Great, it is considered more useful, it is not without reason that this ingredient is used in eco-products.
The E label on products is worrisome, but keep in mind that not all E's are bad. For example, E260 is just acetic acid, E500 is baking soda.
For example, riboflavin E101, pectin E300, ascorbic acid E440 are the composition of an ordinary apple.
The addition of E250, or sodium nitrite, in the composition of the sausage suggests that the product is protected from the formidable botulinum toxin. Only this substance can resist him. Sodium nitrite is found in large quantities in spinach.

3. Take pictures of food

Visualization helps you control your diet, which is why nutritionists advise keeping a food diary. If you are in the mood for weight loss or a healthy diet, then you will no longer be able to eat a cake and quickly forget about it. The diary will not forget, but the photo will remind.

The amount of food eaten per day, you can "totalize" in the evening, and this will help you adjust your diet and get rid of extra pounds faster.

4. Replace a harmful product with a useful alternative

Who will voluntarily replace a cheeseburger with a carrot?! At first, the prospect of substituting one meal for another does not inspire enthusiasm. Until you notice that your well-being is improving, and the weight is coming off. Such a replacement will sweeten the bitterness of parting and will allow you not to change eating habits drastically and cardinally. Popular alternatives that get used to quickly are:

milk chocolate - dark chocolate;
chips - popcorn without oil;
french fries - baked potatoes;
ice cream - frozen yogurt;
sweets for tea - dried fruits;
cookies - whole grain bread.

5. Diversify your diet

A well-known fact: the craving for harmful substances is due to a lack of useful elements in the body. This is easy to notice in the summer: during the ripening period of your favorite berries, you are no longer drawn to sweets, right?

If you are irresistibly drawn to eat something fatty, the body lacks calcium and fat-soluble vitamins - add dairy products, cheeses, broccoli to the diet.
Craving for flour indicates a lack of nitrogen and fat, eat more legumes, meat and nuts.
Unbearably craving sweets, especially chocolate? The body lacks magnesium - seeds, nuts, buckwheat make up for its deficiency.
Are you craving coffee? The body needs phosphorus and sulfur - they contain cranberries and seeds.
If your passion is ice cream, try adding rabbit, chicken and turkey meat to your diet - you lack calcium and tryptophan.

6. Add More Colored Foods

Research has shown that the red color of food makes it more attractive and tasty from the point of view of our brain. We tend to consider red food more nutritious and tasty, while green food, on the contrary, is not very attractive, “immature”.

Have you noticed that junk food often does not have a special color? Baking, chips, cookies, fast food the brain perceives as one. We eat "beige food" and do not monitor saturation, the body requires more and more.

Add “colors” to the plate, and the process of saturation will go completely differently - a bright banana and a red apple can work wonders.

7. Experiment with new flavors

Many harmful foods are bright flavors: spices, sweeteners, flavor enhancers, salt. The best way to pamper your receptors is to do some experimenting. Add new dishes to the diet, play with spices and seasonings, mixing them. There are thousands of dishes in the world that you have not tried.

For example, hummus can perfectly replace a purchased meat pate with stabilizers and flavor enhancers, and a familiar dish to which you add aromatic herbs will “play” in a completely different way.

8. Avoid extreme hunger

If you are used to snacking on fast carbohydrates (sweets, chips, ice cream, buns, fast food), then your blood sugar levels are constantly jumping. When sugar drops too low, there is again a strong desire to eat something unhealthy. and it is difficult to get out of this vicious circle.

Do not allow severe hunger, and as a "prevention" drive it away with healthy snacks, preferably protein ones. They give a feeling of satiety for a long time and do not allow blood sugar levels to change so dramatically. These are yogurts, cheeses, nuts, pumpkin seeds, chicken fillet pieces, green smoothies, eggs.

Have you managed to overcome the addiction to harmful goodies?

11.06.2016

It often happens that a person who was inspired by stories about how to eat right decides to do it abruptly. As a result, it lasts for a week, after which the stomach and tongue take up - and everything returns to normal. A person gets upset and generally abandons this idea, but in vain, since a sharp transition is not the lot of all people. Many transition to a healthy diet gradually - I am a classic example of this.

How long did it take me to transition?

I really liked pancakes with condensed milk. Of course, I did not eat them every day, occasionally, and one day the following event happened: the wife baked delicious vegetarian pancakes, I looked at them and put them aside. How long do you think it took for this last frontier to fall?.. Several years….

In 2011, I ate everything. By the end of the year I gave up meat, chicken and fish and for the first 3 months I was constantly hungry. Everything else was a pleasure to gobble up, without any special restrictions.

In 2012, I additionally gave up eggs, even if they were part of any products, such as egg powder. I could eat fried potatoes and thought it was normal.

In 2013, I drank black and green tea. I didn’t really follow the sweet or starchy foods, the time of eating. I began to practice yoga and various health practices irregularly. There was almost no fried food, but I could afford it.

In 2014, he still did not hesitate to buy cookies, chocolates and various sweets in the supermarket. He liked to eat pizza in a restaurant. I hardly drank tea, coffee too. Irregularly engaged in yoga and various health practices.

In 2015, I looked with horror at the sweets that are sold in the supermarket. Only specialized stores or home production. I didn't drink tea or coffee at all. Every day he performed health practices from yoga and special systems. Fried potatoes caused wild horror.

In 2016, he minimized dairy products, and they are close to being completely eliminated from the diet. Of the milk, only sour cream remained; even the cheese is gone. There are almost no flour and sugary snacks left ... Of course, I can very rarely treat myself to something, but I don’t really want to ... and this pampering never goes beyond a certain limit.

See how fast everything happened for me. Gradually, one after another, harmful foods were excluded from the diet, habituation, cleansing took place ... This all did not happen in one day, most of my friends also followed approximately the same path.

Once it seemed to me terrible and wild to exclude meat, and then I began to feel extreme disgust for it. Once I thought that I could not exclude cheese, because I love this taste very much, but the time has come when the body itself began to ask for it. The trick is that the body itself asks, awareness rises, the transparency of the feedback from the body increases, the receptors are cleared, and slowly everything happens by itself.

Of course, without willpower, nowhere.

Willpower is definitely required, but it’s one thing when you simply forbid yourself to eat something, and another thing, when you really realize the benefits of this action, an internal desire appears to do it, and then it becomes easier to agree with the tongue and stomach.

There are, of course, people who switch to a raw food diet at the moment, but I have met very few of them. Therefore, do not be upset if you cannot suddenly change your lifestyle in one day, it may take you several years, like me, before you radically change your lifestyle. But if you want to live a healthy and fulfilling life, then there is no other way for you than to start taking what you eat seriously.

What you eat affects the entire body. On the gastrointestinal tract, all organs, vessels, joints.
The purity of food affects your level and quality of energy. The better you eat, the less stress, depression, bad mood in life. More positivity and joy. More willpower!
Nutrition seriously affects your thinking and outlook. More clarity, you see the truth more, you better feel your destiny and where you go in life.

Of course, you won’t get out on just one meal. You still need movement and a certain inner attitude, but nutrition is the foundation.

The most interesting thing is that my transition to a different type of nutrition has always been closely connected with spiritual and personal growth: the more I gave life priorities to questions about the soul, the meaning of life, the more I became calm, trusted life, my heart, the more I thought about about what I eat, about how I feel about my body.

If you decide to give up junk food, then you need motivation and parallel work on all aspects of your life.

What could be the motivation to stop eating everything indiscriminately?

Positive. Write down all the benefits that you will get from a healthy diet, listen to inspirational stories from those who already enjoy a healthy lifestyle. It seems to me that for most this motivation will not work very effectively.

Through fear. Now this is a more powerful argument, especially when something really starts to hurt. If you do not take care of your diet, then there are many chances that your life can quickly become not very joyful, because what a joy it is when there is no health. The loss of health is not only pain, because it begins to interfere with earning money, actively spending leisure time.

Without parallel work on yourself, there is practically no chance.

As many successful and famous people have said, proper nutrition is more than just a diet. It is a way of life, a way of thinking, spiritual and personal growth.

It is difficult to stop solving the question of how to give up junk food, stop eating cookies in the evenings, if you constantly watch TV, are stressed, there is no harmony inside you, do not spend time in nature, live someone else's life, your daily routine is broken, a mess business, depression.

Another thing is when you are active and mobile, think about how to develop your soul, know how to work with your inner states, follow the path of your calling, get up early and so on.

Agree that without putting things in order in your life, thinking that you will switch to healthy food in an instant is on the verge of the impossible.

Most of them bang their heads against the wall for years to put things in order in their diet, grind their teeth so as not to eat all sorts of nasty things and nothing happens. Break down, become unhappy from such restrictions. Why?

You have to work on all aspects of your life. This is not easy, because there are too many new and useful habits to be introduced into life, too many “weeds” have grown in your garden of life, often you need to pull them out one at a time, which means it takes time.

If you heard me and decided to take care of your whole life, and not just think about how to eliminate sugar or starchy foods, then my following articles will help you:

Be healthy and have a long active life!

Comments:

Anna 06/15/2016

Thank you for the article! very useful information, I smoked for 20 years, I quit smoking 3 years ago, it took only a month, not years, but a clear reason why I do this led to good consequences. everything went smoothly and successfully. work with my mind is definitely bearing fruit, I always read your articles and try to follow your advice. Of course, I immediately wanted to read about pancakes with condensed milk))) I love pastries and all sorts of sweets))) I understand that addiction is the same as from cigarettes, but today this is my weakness, but I'm working on it)))) thanks Once again, I wish you all enlightenment and spiritual growth!!! I love you all, GOOD LUCK!!!

Orlova Anna 15.06.2016

Admin 06/15/2016

The whole set of vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, legumes, various greens, vegetable oils, seeds - a huge variety. There are no only eggs, meat, fish, sugar, salt, a minimum of flour. I didn’t quite understand what “do not eat anything” means, I still eat how!

Ulyana 15.06.2016

Michael, thank you so much for this article! It never crossed my mind that you can gradually switch to a healthy diet, I thought that you need to do it right away - here and now)) but this is really a great option to painlessly switch to a new lifestyle. Although the option of a raw food diet and vegetarianism is in no way close to me, I don’t support it, but properly cooked food and a lot of fresh vegetables are, of course, great! You feel lightness not only in the body, but also the brain begins to think faster)
Good luck, love and strong willpower to all

Igor 06/15/2016

Thanks for the article! But most of us go through a similar path, some breaking down several times and rarely anyone combines it with putting things in order and spiritual growth. This once again proves that the goal can be achieved only within the framework of a system drawn up individually. Your awareness Michael is impressive... Peace and health to you...)))

Anna Kucherova 15.06.2016

Your experience with a gradual weaning of 5 years has somehow consoled)). Some issues of healthy eating, such as fish and meat, have generally gone unnoticed. Moreover, a year later I noticed that there was a clear aversion to food that had eyes. But it’s difficult with sweets ... But there is hope))

Vyacheslav 06/15/2016

Wonderful path! Yes, you can “adjust” your body and desires to fit your goals. Now tell me WHAT did you get in return besides “achieving your goals” in your confidence that you began to eat “right”? What specifically has changed in your life? It is clear that you will answer cheerfulness, energy, more time and opportunities ... but I would like to know FOR WHAT?
I will explain more specifically, I admit “harmful” products for pleasure, because. I really get a lot of positive emotions from this, while I don’t feel any “harm” to my health (I can admit that these “pleasures” shorten my life). Hence the age-old question - do we "play" to live as long as possible or as "better" as possible?
PS I hope I expressed myself clearly enough and will not cling to terms

Admin 06/15/2016

Vyacheslav, most do not fully understand the consequences of these "pleasures", that's the problem, and when it leads to serious illnesses, then there can be no question of any life "better". That is, you can get addicted to these pleasures for the n-th number of years, and then a punishment can overtake and then you come.

The body does not break down immediately, it accumulates poisons in itself, and then these poisons must be removed, but few people do this. Most take pills in their hands and sign their own sentence.

Therefore, the choice is this: satisfy your taste buds for part of life, and suffer the other part of life, and suffering is putting it mildly. Or take care of your health and all your life, right up to old age, enjoy life: breathe, move, create ...

If there is KNOWLEDGE about the consequences, causes and effects, about how to remove these consequences, then the attitude is completely different.

And another important point. Health, a healthy lifestyle makes a person happy all the time! And food brings pleasure of the lowest level per unit of time.

Answering your question:

HAPPINESS has arrived!!! And it is possible to live with this happiness for the greatest possible part of life. Happiness - which those people who live only for the pleasures of food, sex and running around for banknotes do not know.

This is a direct consequence of nutrition and lifestyle. Being determines consciousness.

And another moment. In a healthy lifestyle and nutrition, there is simply a lot of pleasure. An ordinary apple with purified receptors and a clean gastrointestinal tract can bring such sensations that more than one pizza did not stand next to it.

Anastasia 15.06.2016

Thank you for the article! She is the answer to my question. I have been a vegetarian for a year and a half and since March I have been striving for a raw food diet, but without fanaticism. In principle, I don’t limit myself in anything, but I notice that I no longer want what I used to be. And I began to treat fasting days very calmly, I constantly increase my awareness and more and more often there is a feeling of unity with everything that exists.
It happens, out of an old habit, that I eat something harmful, for example, bread with cheese, and then it becomes uncomfortable in the body and I think, but did I need it? I have been reading your articles for a long time and I am very glad that you are growing spiritually!

DMITRY 16.06.2016

Everything is fine, but it is not clear what is then. One fruit and vegetables?
you can eat monotonously, of course, only then you need some source of pleasant emotions in life, which will replace the usual food that has abruptly disappeared. Since the brain will have "emotional hunger". The topic is much, much broader than the author writes. Since all these sweets for many people are not only calories, but also the “joy” in life. For many, they are included in the "top 3 joys" of life. Those. in order to switch to a raw food diet, a healthy diet without breaking, you need to solve the question “where is the joy to take? After all, the usual sources of joy will dry up ... ".

Admin 06/16/2016

JOY and pleasure are two different things. I already answered about it. You can continue to “please yourself”, and then get sick for half your life. Everyone chooses the path. And in proper nutrition (everyone can have their own) a lot of joy, which cannot be compared with any yummy.

TOP 3 joys of life speaks only about how a person lives. Tongue, stomach, genitals, but there is still a lot to enjoy)))

Andrey 16.06.2016

Of course, the theme of a healthy lifestyle, and in particular nutrition, is very relevant. I went vegan for half a year. My friend is a few years old. She began to eat meat and fish after health problems began precisely because of the lack of necessary substances in the body. Although the person is literate in this matter, he lives in the south of Ukraine, and has his own garden and vegetable garden. That is, the vegetable and fruit diet was rich.
In my opinion, the question is not only how to go vegetarian. It is necessary to clearly substantiate this transition from a scientific point of view. And the opinions of experts here are different and not unambiguous. In dairy and meat dishes there are substances that are difficult to replace with plant foods. And some can't at all. For example, some amino acids can only be obtained from animal protein. In general, animal protein is better processed and digested. The only question is moderate consumption and proper cooking technology.
I understand that perhaps many vegetarians feel better and even think more clearly. But the fact is that the result of such nutrition can affect in general in old age.
I summarize. The article is good, but there are absolutely no opinions of nutritionists and doctors - how safe is vegetarianism.

Admin 06/16/2016

The article is not about vegetarianism, so I do not disclose this topic here. But about irreplaceable amino acids ... you know, in fact, children grow up without meat without consequences, what kind of irreplaceable ones can we talk about ...

I have children and my friends. Dozens of children who have never taken anything meaty in their mouths. I don’t know what other evidence is needed)))) Not a single opponent of vegetarianism has been able to explain to me so far how it is possible that whole organisms are built from scratch without meat and everything is fine.

There are many people who are vegetarians from birth. These facts cannot be ignored.

And so you need to approach everything with your head. Here's a friend began to feel bad, what did she miss exactly? The reasons? If she ate only apples, then this is natural.

I take tests all the time, saving them up so that by the way I can show them to everyone later. The only thing that requires special control is B12, but again, a separate conversation.

In general, a separate topic about the rejection of meat and eggs.

The article is not actually about vegetarianism, but about healthy eating and LIFESTYLE!!! Most are not up to vegetarianism))) And without it, there is so much filth in the diet that it’s just a nightmare.

About old age:

The problem is not only in what we eat, but in how it is digested and how many poisons the body has accumulated during its lifetime. Many bring their body to such a state (in society this state is considered normal) that even if you eat meat, it will only get worse. By the way, an interesting statistic is that with age, the number of vegetarians per thousand people increases five times! Most older people are generally shown a diet without meat. About age, sorry, but I don’t believe, I don’t see the logic. Why would a vegetarian suddenly experience problems in old age if his body is minimally polluted? Quite the contrary, those who dirtied it as much as possible and did everything to make the food assimilated as bad as possible will have problems.

Valentine 16.06.2016

Michael - You wrote such a wonderful article. Nutrition, proper nutrition is a matter of life. More than once I tried to switch to proper nutrition and it came to the point that the smell of meat (boiled) was disgusting. And yet it gradually came back. My daughter doesn't eat meat and meat broth soups, but she does eat dairy products and eggs. Does the body need protein? Of course it is in legumes. I understand that we need to eat more vegetables and fruits (ecologically friendly), which we do not have enough in Siberia. We will try to eat more cereals, vegetables and fruits. Thank you for the article!

Admin 06/16/2016

There are a lot of questions about vegetarianism in the comments))) Although I didn’t talk about it in this article, although indirectly this is also related to the topic. Still, the message of the article is healthy food! In whatever coordinate system we would not consider this issue, it almost always comes down to the rejection of well-known harmful foods, eating at the right time, a certain balance of the diet.

Protein is everywhere, just a different content of it. Not only in beans. If we talk about vegetarianism, then it does not exclude dairy products, then this is not a problem at all. The topic of a separate article: "What is there?".

In Siberia, there are many not only vegetarians, but raw foodists, I don’t see any problems with this. Cereals, legumes and more are in any region.

Yuri 16.06.2016

Mikhail, with all the understanding of the importance of the topic, I have a different attitude towards its solution. To date, I have not seen a single representative of this or that teaching, who could with 100% certainty confirm the absolute benefits for the human body. I will not argue. Please take it for granted.
I'm talking about something else. About the option of refusing certain products. I have a sweet tooth. Associated with health products. There is an option for refusal. I also include mercenary interests, such as "I pay money to harm my health, etc." ultimately resolve the issue. The rejection of the "white death" was painless and calm. Without breaking. I understood one thing, the topic must be kept in mind and the brain should be given simple confirmation of the need for a solution. He's not stupid. He'll manage himself. The main thing for us then to keep his decision. And here is another story.

Julia 16.06.2016

My path is similar to yours ... Even the dates are temporary ... But during this time I realized that a real food addict (((. My struggle with sugar has been going on for 3 years .... Of course, I don’t eat it like I used to. And I almost don’t even eat at all ... But I can still treat myself to a baked cake or pie ((
Recently I read an excellent book “The end of gluttony”, where the main secret of the food industry is revealed ... This is not boiled food, this is not sugar and white flour .... These combinations are: FAT-SUGAR-SALT. After that, it became somehow more conscious to look at what I put in my mouth .... But all the same, I'm still just at the beginning of my journey ... Although the progress is great.

Admin 06/16/2016

Marina 16.06.2016

Michael, I envy you! Everything is so hard for you!!! I am also for a healthy diet, but not with such asceticism as you have. Maybe consciousness and refusal of more products will come later, if you really go this way ... we'll see ... But so far I have 2 problems: 1. My family, who crave sweets and seduce me. 2. Fear that by ridding myself of meat, eggs, cheese ... I do not get enough protein, calcium, etc., thereby, on the contrary, I will harm my body!
P.S. I would be offended if my husband did not eat my pancakes ...
I don't understand how you eat at a party? Do you bring food with you? In this case, how not to offend the hospitable hosts?

Admin 06/16/2016

To be honest, I don’t see asceticism))) I don’t starve all day))

About resentment and pancakes. This is one example of how our family lives. My wife is only glad that her husband will be healthy. No one is offended by such things, so we have never quarreled in five years of marriage.

When visiting, we take with us and treat. Usually no one can believe for example that the pie we brought was made without eggs, but so delicious!! The hospitable hosts have been warned in advance))) Among our acquaintances there are no those who would not understand that we have our own eating habits and they must be respected. This is hospitality - in RESPECT for the habits of the other, and not in stuffing the guest with poison (I do not mean meat), even if it is tasty.

Vyacheslav 06/16/2016

Thanks for the comprehensive answer! You're right, that's a good "way". Only a small detail remains - everyone should be able or learn to "feel / know" which food is healthy / necessary, and which only "seems" so. After all, you must admit that the same Evenki, the Chukchi will not live on vegetables and fruits without meat and fat, because. their gastrointestinal tract is adapted for the processing of other products from which it receives everything it needs. Therefore, there is no universal recipe for what you can and cannot eat. But that is of course a completely different topic.

Admin 06/16/2016

Marian 16.06.2016

Admin 06/16/2016

I am for taking nutrition very seriously and making sure that everything is enough. If there is a shortage, especially in the spring for many (regardless of the type of food), then this issue must be resolved, if it is solved only with vitamins, then it’s good. Vitamins are different.

Mishan 16.06.2016

I started with alcohol. For 4 months now, not a gram, no alcohol in any form and quantity. 😛 and it's not that I was forced to give it up, it's just that an inner conviction came by itself that I don't need it at all, absolutely.

Admin 06/16/2016

Anna 16.06.2016

Michael, thank you very much for the articles, and especially for this one! Our family has been smoothly transitioning to a raw food diet for a year now. At first, from vegetarians (I am a vegetarian from birth), we switched to veganism for 3 years, it was difficult to give up cheese, but it worked out! I have a vegan baby growing up, we are seeing doctors - the tests are excellent! I realized from my own experience that a lot is imposed by advertising and society, but how to live is up to me to decide

Admin 06/16/2016

Marina 16.06.2016

Michael, thank you very much for the article! Very relevant for me .. about a smooth transition) For almost a year I have been switching to vegetarianism (sometimes I eat fish, eggs) and I worry about this (that this has been happening to me for so long))). I will listen to my body more) I'm sure everything it will be good)) everything is already good))

Tamara 16.06.2016

Dear Michael! After your articles, I want to address you exclusively in this way. You seem to be reading my mind. I just wanted to ask and you already answered my questions. If possible, advice from me to those who want to change their taste preferences. And not through willpower, but with pleasure. Start eating bee pollen, and it must be absorbed, otherwise it will go in and out. Honey is also possible, but pollen is more powerful. And then there is the wonderful Ayurvedic product Chyawanprash. It harmonizes all tastes. You will distinguish between good and bad food without any testers.

Marina 16.06.2016

Admin 06/16/2016

It depends what you mean by delicious. She doesn’t eat or ask for any chips, Snickers, lollipops and other things, because she knows that we don’t eat it and that we won’t buy it. We never have anything like this in our house.

Most of all she loves fruits, nuts, cereals, seeds, loves linseed oil)), milk .. We don’t have any problems with food, as it often happens that children don’t want to eat anything except cookies. Flour-based snacks are only vegetarian and homemade, but not very often.

I will probably write a separate article about the dishes that we cook.

Alex 16.06.2016

Admin 06/16/2016

There is this anecdote:

“I will never eat mushrooms again!”
- Why?
I promised them yesterday!

Mushrooms are delicious, of course. Here I have not decided yet, but for now I eat, though very rarely - a couple of times a year, since there is nowhere to get fresh and real ones. Whites especially! Wow!

Nina 16.06.2016

Good article, I agree! I like how you present your experience - calmly and without pathos, and without notations (as sometimes happens with some militant vegetarians). But I do not agree with the definition of harmful-useful. There is no harmful or healthy food, everything that is created by nature is not harmful. Everything is poison and everything is medicine. An important measure. (Although yes, all sorts of chemical substitutes, additives are probably still harmful and you should strive to minimize them). It's all about the quantity and quality of the product itself. Stale grass or vegetables will definitely be more harmful than the freshest steak. But if you “eat” ten of these steaks at a time, this will also not bring any benefit. Everything is good in moderation.
Pancakes with condensed milk are wonderful and never harmful. Why introduce false installations? I think it is much more harmful to forbid yourself to eat pancakes if you really want to. Another thing is if the attitude has changed in a natural way and you simply no longer want to eat them for some reason of your own. I also used to eat a lot of things that I don’t eat now in principle, it’s not tasty for me now.
In addition, all people are too different for everyone to benefit from the same diet. If someone is "rushing" from a vegetarian meal, he feels happy, healthy and full of energy - great! But this is not a reason to argue that this is the only proper diet and that meat is poison and so on! By the way, those who believe that the absence of meat deprives a person of some useful substances are wrong, because all these substances are also found in plant foods, sometimes in greater quantities than in meat. And it's been proven. In the end, the meat receives these substances from plants initially, which are the only ones capable of producing them through photosynthesis. And it is useful for everyone to regularly check the condition of their body.
But there are also a huge number of other people for whom meat is shown to be both useful and necessary for good health, and there is nothing wrong or strange in this. Here I am a non-vegetarian, and I feel bad if I do not eat meat, dairy for a long time. Once or twice a week I need animal food to feel good. especially in winter. But that doesn't stop me from doing yoga and meditation. And feel a surge of energy, be cheerful and healthy.
As far as health is concerned, it definitely depends on the diet, but it has little to do with vegetarianism. Everyone, if they wish, will find examples of healthy (meaning "healthy" and not "fat-ruddy") meat-eaters, and vegetarians who died of cancer (which is often considered a "consequence" of eating meat).

Admin 06/16/2016

I agree that everyone decides what he eats. This is the right of everyone and I try to just share my thoughts and feelings.

Meat is different and you can eat it in different ways. Most often, there is uncontrolled eating of it, which causes rotting in the gastrointestinal tract and poisons the body with various chemicals with which it is stuffed. There are a lot of nuances that usually a person does not know. For me personally, this is no longer a matter of benefit or diet, but a matter of sensations of the body and spirit.

Pancakes with condensed milk. Fried food has never been good + useless and harmful sugar + dead flour + processed food. There is nothing at least a bit useful, only taste sensations that only disperse the desire to eat something else like that. I am sure that if a person eats them often, then this will definitely negatively affect his health and desire to eat similar things in large quantities. And the question of refusal lies in the plane of UNDERSTANDING and feeling of the body that this is bad. This is not a limitation in the full sense.

Refusal or austerity is also the control of the body, when you are the master of yourself, and not your stomach or tongue. This is a very important part of human growth. I can write a lot about this, everything is very deep here.

It's good that each of us has a choice!

Liana 16.06.2016

Thanks for the article, Michael. I am not against a healthy diet, I don’t switch to it simply because it’s expensive, I don’t eat sausage for a long time, if I suddenly want to, it’s enough to read the composition on the label and the desire disappears. And when vegetables and fruits in your garden begin to ripen, you automatically become a vegetarian, because everything is fresh and tasty, and you don’t want any store-bought sweets. Now the berries have begun: so fragrant and sweet!

Tamara 16.06.2016

I re-read the comments and answers of Michael. It's great that many people are simply touched by this topic. Among my acquaintances there are vegetarians, and vegans, and even one raw foodist. And they all changed a lot mentally after they changed the way they eat. The only thing, but not least, is that eating like this in our climate is very expensive. Not India and not Thai. All heavy, sweet, starchy food is historically the food of the poor. For heavy physical labor, and now in order to have constant work for pharmaceutical companies, fitness centers and others like them. And yet, Mikhail, how much money does it cost to be a vegetarian family?

Admin 06/17/2016

If we talk about vegetarianism with the exception of meat, fish and eggs, then there is no difference. Meat is replaced with legumes: mung beans, chickpeas, lentils, beans. 1 kg of lentils costs less than 1 kg of meat, so I do not see any particular problems here. Nuts are more expensive, but you don't need a lot of them. Good olive oils are expensive, but there is no need to drink them in liters, 1-3 tablespoons a day. In general, there is not much difference. There will be a difference if you order farm products, buy fresh berries all the time, and so on, but this is already a different level. For an "ordinary person" this will not be a problem if he replaced meat with legumes, seeds, nuts.

Alexander 16.06.2016

It is strange, of course, that there are so many conversations around food: some see such joy in it that they cannot refuse, others practice “refusals”, training the body / spirit and counting, incl. fried potatoes with pancakes cause early illness.

My grandfather drank vodka in large quantities all his life (unless to give credit - he never smoked), cursed with a three-story obscenity, ate only pasta, sausage, dumplings, potatoes, soups, meat by itself. And he lived healthy, strong, powerful, strong, energetic until almost 80 years old (except that his teeth often bothered him during his life). And he died with almost no pain.

So the question is, is it food?

P.S.: I myself am interested in issues of healthy nutrition, I conduct some experiments on myself, therefore, in no case do I argue with the author. But I will be glad to hear his comment about the above. Thanks in advance.

Admin 06/16/2016

This question cannot be considered only on one parameter. Of course, INCREDIBLY a lot depends on food, evidence of how people who change their eating habits become much healthier, but genetics also matter.

My great-grandfather lived for 97 years and never heard about what is right and wrong to eat, but if he also cared about nutrition, he would have lived even longer, and spent the last years of his life much more active. Grandma is 89 years old, she was killed by sweets and coffee - bowel cancer.

Nutrition + genetics = this is generally a bomb, of course, but in the present generation I have not seen cases of genetics pulling out, but among my own relatives of past generations it is full. Our ancestors again ate normal food! They did not know GMOs, poisoned meat, stale fruits and vegetables from fields with pesticides. They breathed the air, there was activity, they didn’t sit in front of the computer ...

So no matter how you look at it, nutrition is still extremely important, ESPECIALLY in the long term. Clean air and activity too.

Alexander 16.06.2016

There is another observation that the question of FAITH in the correctness of one's nutrition is very important. If you vegan with the fear of animal protein deficiency, most likely there will be little benefit (perhaps, this fear also explains the health problems of the vegetarian from the comments above).

And of course, in this context, I recall Richard Branson’s book “To hell with everything, take it and do it!”, In which the author enthusiastically tells how he was brought up in the spirit of service and helping others, and the conclusion is “the secret of success is simply take and do.

It is the difficulty and sometimes the impossibility of comparing the true causes and effects that gives rise to contradictions between people, different experiences, different points of view, different views on life and mutual misunderstanding on many issues.

Also with food. Relatively speaking, you can eat a lot of meat and pancakes, but enjoy life, love life, appreciate what you have, give thanks, enjoy life and serve / help people - and you will have a long, healthy and happy life.
And "vegan" (let's call them so) types of food, as a rule, are simply impossible without all (or at least part of) the above. Because almost no one, probably, for no reason becomes a vegan. As a rule, this is preceded or accompanied by some kind of practice, awareness, understanding of the need for a “near-ikigai” being (I don’t know how to briefly describe this, therefore, in order not to spread additional scribbling on 3 pages, I use this somewhat strange term, but whoever is in the subject, that will understand, and who is not in the subject, look in Google for the request "ikigai" what it is about, it is better written there and even with pictures, I'm not kidding).

So think about what is the true reason for prolonging active and healthy longevity))

Admin 06/17/2016

Victor 06/17/2016

The article is good, although the information is public knowledge. But here's what I want to draw your attention to. Many write about changing the diet from a position of denial: I refused this one, then another one, and so on. But few people write about ways to fully replace what was abandoned. It is clear that not all products require replacement, but in general, if, for example, we refuse a conditionally “dirty” source of certain substances, microelements, then emptiness is a bad substitute. It is important not only to refuse, but to replace, and most importantly, to accustom the body to adequately absorb this replacement. Otherwise, many will stumble on this thorny path, because. will feel the negative effects of the change in diet.
For example, a fairly common, although rarely voiced problem in the transition to vegetarianism-veganism-raw food-raw food diet. In addition to a bunch of positive effects that no one denies, many fairly young people experience a decrease in libido. It is not customary to discuss this, and it manifests itself in everyone in different ways and, as a rule, after a year or two of refusing animal proteins, eggs and milk. It’s easier to brag about a toned waist, tonedness and the absence of colds. But people do become more asexual. Men prefer to just be friends with women, and women may have problems along the female line.
To say that the raw food diet is to blame? Hardly. Rather, fixated on the topic of abandoning the old type of nutrition, we pay too little attention to the topic of forming a full-fledged and balanced new type.
It turns out that most raw foodists are pioneers. I haven't seen second-generation raw foodists yet. Moreover, I have not even seen raw foodists permanently living in the Nordic countries with more than 10 years of experience. In Australia, in America, in warm European countries, yes. What about Russia, Norway, Finland?
The fact is that when touching on the topic of the natural food system, we exclude the related topic of the natural habitat. Indeed, in the bottom line, if we discard all the husks, physiologically we will look like naked monkeys, which in the conditions of Siberia or even St. Petersburg would not last long. This means that our diet should differ from the classic version of the raw food diet, which is possible in countries with a warm climate.
I am writing this because I have personally encountered many of the pitfalls of the raw food diet. Now my diet consists of two-thirds of raw vegetables and fruits, but I began to include eggs, occasionally milk, and even less often animal protein. For me personally, this departure from the classics allowed me to keep the positive effects and remove the negative ones. But this was done intuitively, through trial and error, which is generally undesirable.

Today we will talk about how to give up junk food. Quick snacks, foods with strong, artificial flavors, salty, fried, fatty, baked and sweet - no matter how harmful such food is, it is very difficult to refuse such favorite delicacies, and many believe that it is not necessary! As much as one would like to believe otherwise, this food leaves an indelible scar on the human body. And yet it is worth thinking about the transition to a healthy diet.

How to refuse junk food?

Many, inspired by stories about the benefits of a healthy diet, about the ease that it gives the body, about the beauty of hair, skin and nails, acquired as a result of switching to healthy food, begin the process of rejecting various harmful things very abruptly. Without proper preparation and the necessary, right attitude, believing that it would be more correct this way. Too bad, it rarely works. More often, patience is enough for a short time, a maximum of a week or two.

If such a goal has already been set - by all means to refuse junk food, then it is better to switch to proper nutrition gradually, so you can avoid stress for the body and emotional "overheating". Gradually getting used to the hardships will be much easier.

How to tune in to give up junk food forever?

To begin with, no matter how stupid it sounds, start a notebook - a diary, where the first thing to do is write down all the pluses, starting with the most important ones. Look, listen and read the blogs of those who have already walked this path. Rather, your goals and the stories of people who have chosen healthy food will come down mainly to cleansing the body of accumulated poisons, maintaining health. In a healthy body, as you know, a healthy mind! Even better, it motivates the appearance of some kind of sore that interferes with a normal and full life, enjoying every day. But it is better, of course, not to bring your body to this and take care of it in a timely manner.

The hardest job is working on yourself

Now you need to work on willpower and lifestyle. How else? Changes in the body must necessarily be accompanied by changes in consciousness.

A bunch of accumulated cases, constant fatigue and unreasonable depression are the lot of weak personalities. Killed time within four walls on the couch in front of the TV will not make anyone happy - this is a fact, it's time to change something. It is very important to spend time outdoors. Rest by the sea should not consist only in lying on the sand, but in nature - eating barbecue. More activity, interests and hobbies, life will begin to acquire new colors! There is no need to put off important things for later, because “things for tomorrow” is a loose concept and very deceptive.

A broken daily routine confidently leads to depression and poor health, the day should start in the morning, not at noon. At first, changing the regimen will be difficult, irritation will appear, but this will quickly pass and be replaced by a positive and useful habit of not staying up at night for a long time and getting up early.

Gradual transition to a healthy diet

But no! You just have to start, take responsibility for yourself, start to truly love and appreciate yourself. Fears like “hard”, “impossible”, “I can’t”, “it’s all poison” - you need to get rid of them, throw these words out of the lexicon like garbage. Now the main words should be - "easy" and "can handle." If the idea to switch to a healthy diet has appeared, then you need to listen to your mind and take up such a useful thing seriously and responsibly.

Change in diet

It is better not to let yourself be tuned in to false hopes, a quick transition to a healthy diet is a rarity. Stock up on motivation and patience, using the same notebook, gradually eliminate individual foods from the diet, keep records. Gradually changing the menu will be much easier and much more enjoyable.

Because they do not give any benefit to the body, but on the contrary, they leave a negative mark, leading to many diseases. The food is simply digested and converted into sugar and fat and builds up in your adipose tissue. Influence the emotional state. And food, as proven by numerous studies, even affects the personal growth of a person.

In addition to the harmfulness of the products themselves, do not forget about the correct diet, do not overeat, eat before bedtime, especially heavy food! If you really want to, take an apple, for example.

Over time, with the rejection of various hazards, taste buds will become more sensitive, ordinary carrots will become an incredibly tasty vegetable, which they are.

Now that the goal has been set, start walking towards it with a firm step. All this may seem difficult, there will be a desire to break loose, to refuse, but if you still resist, the result will be doubly positive:

For starters, this is pride in oneself, and indeed there will be something to be proud of, to show willpower and change something in your mind, change your lifestyle, this is worthy of a lot of praise.
Well, and the second is the goal itself, for the sake of which it is worth stopping eating everything, it is an infinitely grateful organism that will respond.

But most importantly, do not be afraid to change anything, especially to give up junk food. And if these changes are beneficial, they will lead to a healthy and fulfilling life, new emotions and impressions. Act bolder, because what is really scary is illness and rapid aging, do you really need it? Hopefully, these tips will help you make the right decision. Good luck to you!

1. Read labels

By reading the label, you will learn about the amount of sugar, the presence of flavor enhancers and unnecessary additives.

Pay attention not to the name of the product, but to the ingredients. For example, dumplings may be called "Beef", but there will be 20% beef. Check out the chocolate: if sugar comes first on the list, and then vegetable fats come, then it’s anything but chocolate.

Even if you are not ready to immediately give up not quite healthy food, you can always choose products that are less harmful in composition.

2. Follow the 5 Ingredients Rule

Many additives are used to improve the consistency, thicken, increase the weight of the product, and extend the shelf life.

It is worth knowing that:

Manufacturers also use natural analogues of chemical preservatives, look for them on packages: citric acid, honey, salt, vinegar. Is pectin added instead of gelatin in sweets? Fine, it is considered more useful, it is not without reason that this ingredient is used in eco-products. The E marking on products is alarming, but it must be borne in mind that not all “e-cooks” are harmful. For example, E260 is just acetic acid, E500 is baking soda. For example, riboflavin E101, pectin E300, ascorbic acid E440 are the composition of an ordinary apple. The addition of E250, or sodium nitrite, in the sausage composition indicates that the product is protected from the formidable botulinum toxin. Only this substance can resist him. Sodium nitrite is found in large quantities in spinach.

3. Take pictures of food

Visualization helps you control your diet This is why nutritionists advise keeping a food diary. If you are in the mood for weight loss or a healthy diet, then you will no longer be able to eat a cake and quickly forget about it. The diary will not forget, but the photo will remind.

The amount of food eaten per day, you can "totalize" in the evening, and this will help you adjust your diet and get rid of extra pounds faster.

4. Replace a harmful product with a useful alternative

milk chocolate - bitter chocolate; chips - popcorn without butter; french fries - baked potatoes; ice cream - frozen yogurt; sweets for tea - dried fruits; cookies - whole grain bread.

5. Diversify your diet

If you are irresistibly drawn to eat something fatty, the body lacks calcium and fat-soluble vitamins - add dairy products, cheeses, broccoli to the diet. Craving for flour indicates a lack of nitrogen and fat, eat more legumes, meat and nuts. especially chocolate? There is not enough magnesium in the body - seeds, nuts, buckwheat make up for its deficiency. Are you craving coffee? The body needs phosphorus and sulfur - cranberries and seeds contain them. If ice cream is your passion, try adding rabbit, chicken and turkey meat to your diet - you lack calcium and tryptophan.

6. Add More Colored Foods

Add “colors” to the plate, and the process of saturation will go completely differently - a bright banana and a red apple can work wonders.

7. Experiment with new flavors

8. Avoid extreme hunger

Do not allow severe hunger, and as a “prevention”, drive it away with healthy snacks, preferably protein ones. They give a feeling of satiety for a long time and do not allow blood sugar levels to change so dramatically. These are yogurts, cheeses, nuts, pumpkin seeds, chicken fillet pieces, green smoothies, eggs.

Have you managed to overcome the addiction to harmful goodies?