Guest post by Keri M. Gans, MS, RD, CDN

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Keri Gans Nutrition

As a registered dietitian in private practice I hear so many excuses every day as to why a client cannot eat healthy. One of the biggest excuses is actually putting the blame on people around us instead of taking full responsibility for our actions. “My husband is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, hates fish”, “My children want junk food in the house”, “I dine out all the time in my line of work”, etc. Well, you could be the type that never changes or, you can decide enough with excuses and take action. My vote is the TAKE ACTION

Here is how you can do it:

1. Who cares if your husband only wants meat and potatoes….you can easily broil a hamburger for him and a piece of salmon for yourself. Give him a potato and let him put as much butter and sour cream on it as he likes…. top yours with just a pat of butter, or add some salsa or mustard. If he doesn’t want to eat a veggie…doesn’t mean you can’t make one for yourself. Hey who knows….he might start wondering why you want to eat healthy and don’t care about him…hmmmm?

2. If you are shopping for an entire family….remember YOU should be the role model NOT the children. Your children will develop your eating behaviors…if you never give them fruit or veggies, they will grow up not eating them. No reason you can’t have some cookies in the house….try and choose a brand that you don’t love. Trust me….it is amazing what kids can get use to.

3. A person could dine out 365 days a week, 3 meals a day, and still be healthy. Obviously, it is what you choose to order that makes the difference. If you have to dine out regularly for business that doesn’t mean you have to overeat every time. Show everyone that you care about yourself and prefer to eat healthy and feel at the top of your game….i would think that is a good quality not a negative. Why not be the leader? If you are at a steakhouse, start with a salad, have the dressing on the side, order a piece of broiled fish, a veggie sautéed with garlic and oil, and berries for dessert. You might be surprised at who follows your lead.

4. No one says you can’t have a cocktail or two while dining out or socializing with friends/family, BUT large quantities are obviously not going to be good for your waist line OR liver for that matter. What I recommend here is to once again choose wisely. Avoid any drinks made with juices, sweetened liquors, or regular soda. If you tend to be a 3 nights a drink person, consider reducing to 2 drinks and having a seltzer in between. I also suggest choosing the drink that you drink slower…for instance if you can down a six pack of beer, BUT sip a scotch….go with the scotch. My personal favorite is a vodka martini with olives, hold the vermouth, one usually does the trick.

5. Stop blaming your co-workers for the food they bring in. If a birthday is once a month, enjoy the piece of cake…but if it becomes almost daily you need to learn to say “NO thank you”. If a co-worker has candy on their desk, try and find a new route to your desk. If that is unavoidable, which it probably is, my advice is to be prepared. Have your own healthy snacks available daily, such as a piece of fruit and lowfat yogurt, handful of almonds, and string cheese. Remember, unfortunately your co-worker does not care about your waist line, but YOU should.

The list goes on and on with so many different scenarios and so many different excuses. The bottom line is that you can eat healthy when others around you don’t…you just have to care enough about yourself.

Natasha Linton
NYC Personal Trainer