I mentioned to a friend that I made kale instead of collard greens over the Christmas Holidays and the expression on her face was, death to you! While there’s nothing wrong with (pork less) collard greens, kale is simply more nutritious. She wasn’t moved by the notion. To her, a southern girl to the core, tradition is everything and you don’t mess with it for any reason. Not even if heart disease or diabetes is factor apparently. She proceeded to run down her Christmas diner menu of: macaroni and cheese, ham, fried chicken, chitterlings, collard greens with ham hocks, green beans with bacon, mashed potatoes, sweet potato pie, yams, red velvet cake, pound cake, and sweet tea. It sounds good, and it might be okay once per year. However, her family actually eats like this all year long, and it shows. Since they seem to be happy about that, I’m happy for them. However, I’ve decided to make different choices.

So what do you do when you are in the midst of making healthy lifestyle changes that cause your friends and family to give you the stink eye? How do you just have salad when everyone around you is asking for Wet-Naps to remove barbecue sauce and fried chicken grease from their fingertips? Then there’re all the skinny jokes and anorexic accusations. However, there’s a big difference in choosing a healthy lifestyle and anorexia. I have even heard someone tell a friend that if she drops the extra weight, her boyfriend will loose interest. It’s a very insensitive and unsupportive thing to say. If the guy is really into you, he’ll stick around. If not, he’s just not the one. When it comes down to it, it’s about you, a healthy and happy you, and no one else. It’s just that simple.

Don’t rely on family and friends for good advice, unless they’re in the medical profession. If you’re like me, you tend to want your information from more reputable sources than your weed head cousin, or your pessimistic bestie that’s giving up and letting herself go. Rather, conduct your own research. WebMD and the CDC are great places to start. Other sources include: www.helpguide.org and www.mayoclinic.org. Knowledge is power, and once you have educated yourself, it makes it easier to kick bad eating habits, stay positive, and establish a regular exercise routine.

For further reading see the following:

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/

http://www.webmd.com/living-healthy

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/healthy-eating.htm

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/basics/nutrition-basics/hlv-20049477