How to be healthy as a picky teenager?

[Anonymous]

My diet currently consists of fast food and junk food. I like convenient food that I can access quickly and easily. I also am picky about the foods I eat because I'm sensitive to texture. And I'm used to putting a lot of butter/salt/pepper on food.

I haven't felt motivated to change my diet in the past because overall, despite my diet, I look pretty great. I'm very thin with visible muscles in my arms and legs. But I can definitely see the effects of my diet when it comes to my waist. And I know fat around your waist is the most unhealthy place to store it. Plus I know that eating healthier will be better for me overall. But I honestly don't know where to begin. I don't want this to be a 2 week fad, I want a lifestyle change.

[Rawrzz]

Ew. That's really bad for you. Reeeeally bad for you. Like, you're going to die. You're a drug addict, dude. If you don't change your habits early, they will become a lot stronger, and it'll be a lot harder to change them.

Okay. Here you go. A big part of the convenience of fast food is, well, it's fast. First thing you need to do is buy a shitloads of microwave safe Tupperware. Say, 10-15. So, what you need to do is pick one day of the week, where you cook a bunch of healthy meals. Rice, chicken, fish, eggs, lean beef, pork, mixed veggies, quinoa, etc. etc. Find some seasonings you really like on this stuff, then stack it on there. It's not hard. You don't have to know how to cook really well to do it. Cook the veggies halfway through, that way they'll finish when you pop them in the microwave. These will be your fast meals.

Also, I like to make a bunch of PBJ sandwiches then throw them in the freezer. Put a light coat of peanut butter on the sandwiches before putting the jelly on there, otherwise it'll soak into the bread.

Okay. For a lifestyle change, you need to enjoy what you eat. Simple, right. You can't be hating what you eat and forcing yourself to eat it. That's not sustainable. Secondly, it takes two weeks of doing something to form a habit. After that, the more you do it, the stronger the habit becomes. If you fuck up a day, don't stress about it; just pick it back up as soon as you can.

You need to learn how to recognize when you are hungry, and eat before your brain tells you "You know what, fast food would hit all of our needs." It does that because fast food hits all of the taste buds, unlike most foods. Salty, savory, bitter, sweet, salty etc. etc. Usually, taste is a signaler of nutritional content, so something that hits all those areas tells your body that it is SUPER healthy for you. So, you crave it.

Noticing when you're getting hungry is important. If you let it go, you'll cave and binge on fast food. So you need to get some food in you quickly when you notice. When you're full, you don't care about unhealthy food.

Lastly, you need a cheat day. Pick one day of the week, where you don't have to hold to your diet. People usually pick Sunday. If you just try to stay off junk food forever, you're going to cave eventually. This way, you can reward yourself for a job well done throughout the week and you always know it'll be coming.

Having already prepped meals will save you when you feel lazy and just want fast food.

[Anonymous]

DRINK IT! DRINK IT NOW!

https://www.soylent.com/