Changing Your Ways is HARD!

I don't know about you, but I grew up with the mantra, "If you eat your vegetables, you get dessert!" I often feel as if I deserve a dessert after every meal. It is a funny thing... thinking you deserve all of that sweet sugary sabotage after you eat a healthy (or even worse, unhealthy) meal. You know what you really deserve? Health!

I definitely have developed a sweet tooth over the years. Sugar is one of the most addicting substances on the planet. For most people, this is our crack. When we allow ourselves to eat tons of sugar, our bodies crave it. We just want that cupcake or cookie or heck, just give me plain sugar to guzzle!

Lately, I have been journeying into the world of wellness and learning a lot. I never really gave much thought into what I eat, especially since I am a fairly picky eater and tend to eat the same things over and over. I've been diving into books on what nutrition really means and why lots of foods that claim they are healthy are just advertising rouses.

I have a lot of ideas floating around in my head. I eventually want to cut out most sugar, junk foods, processed foods, dairy and most meat. The hardest part is starting though. That involves trying new foods, actually cooking and planning out meals, dealing with all those sugar and junk food cravings, being mindful of what I am eating, shopping for better foods, avoiding all the junk I know I will be exposed to at home/with friends/at restaurants, explaining to others how I am eating healthier (don't we tend to mock change and think those people who eat right are "health nuts"?), etc. It won't be easy and I have definitely been procrastinating on figuring out a new healthy diet (I hate the word diet... I am skinny and don't want to DIET...so a new healthy way of eating sounds better!).

It is especially hard when they're are so many opinions out there! Some "experts" say vegetarianism is the only way to go, some say sugar isn't the devil but only in moderation, some say soy is horrible and others say it is healthy, etc. With so much information, it is definitely hard to dive right in to any type of new healthy eating lifestyle!

What advice and inspiration do you have for me? Any books or recipes or websites I should check out? Much appreciated!!!