How to Swap Your Junk Food Diet for a Healthy One

I think you’d agree that it’s easier to start a healthy diet than it is to complete one. The reason most people fail to swap their junk food diet for a healthy diet is that they go about it all wrong. See if this sounds familiar... You wake up one random morning feeling bloated and tired and tell yourself, “enough already”! Starting today, you are giving up the junk food. You skip breakfast thinking that it will give your weight loss a jump start, and then order a salad for lunch. Everything is going great, and your busy workday keeps your mind off of eating, but as your day winds down, things start to change. By dinnertime, you’re starving, moody, and you have a headache. The frozen pizza would be quick and easy, but it’s not healthy. The box of mac-n-cheese would taste so good, but that’s not on your new diet either. You open the refrigerator and stare for 10 minutes before you realize that this diet is not going to happen. You grab the milk carton and a box of cereal and say, “maybe tomorrow.” Do you see the problem? Many of us decide to cut out the junk foods before adding the healthy foods. This approach is completely backward and will fail every time. To successfully swap your junk food diet for a healthy one, you need to think ADD before SUBTRACT. The Healthy Diet Approach That Works Healthy foods like leafy greens, vegetables and fruits are naturally low in calories while at the same time naturally high in nutrients and fiber. The nutrients and fiber fill your stomach and slow digestion, so you feel satisfied, which makes it easier to say no to the junk food. The high nutrient content also helps you overcome junk food withdrawal symptoms, like mood swings, headaches, and fatigue. In my 7 Day Challenge Diet, I outline how to switch from a junk food diet to a superfoods diet in one week. Here’s how to follow the challenge. Days 1 through 4 you add non-starchy vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, and seeds to your daily diet without changing any other food choices. That means you can still have some junk food if you want, but you might not have room. During the first half of the challenge week, you want to eat a large salad, up to three pieces of fruit, at least a ½ cup of beans, and a handful of nuts and seeds each day. You’ll find that there is simply no room in your stomach for as much junk food. Days 5 through 7 are subtract days. During these days you strategically cut out sugar and refined carbs, and then eliminate or reduce your intake of red meat and dairy products. By the end of the seven days, you notice your energy rising and your cravings falling. You avoid the common pitfalls that come from going cold-turkey on a junk food diet, and you feel in control and capable of continuing without the junk food. Conclusion: The reason most people fail to swap their junk food diet for a healthy diet is not a lack of willpower; it’s because they did not add before they subtracted. If you’re ready to give up the junk food and want to avoid the withdrawal symptoms that come from going cold-turkey, then take the 7 Day Junk Food to Super Food challenge. It will guide you on which healthy foods to add on days one through four, and then show you how to subtract the junk foods on days five through seven.