Get healthy - without the sacrifice

Many people tend to associate the word 'healthy' with making sacrifices.\n\n"What do you mean, I should try to avoid eating too much sugar, fats and processed foods? But, they are all the tasty stuff? What is left?!"\n\nThis is a typical response from someone who enjoys food - and doesn't enjoy the thought of having to start cutting out certain treats.\n\nBut let's be honest, a diet extremely high in sugar and fat is not going to be good for anyone, regardless of how delicious it may taste.\n\nAnd even for those who are blessed with superb genes and never find themselves putting on weight, eating too much of the wrong things can lead to other health complications, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.\n\nYet the reason so many people fail to make better choices when it comes to food is because most traditional diets are built around the concept of sacrifice.\n\nInstead of encouraging people to eat the right things, diets focus on what they cannot eat.\n\nAnd when someone is told no sugar, no fat, no carbs, it really does feel like there are no food groups left to play with.\n\nSo how can we encourage people to get healthy without presenting them with a blacklist of banned treats?\n\nThe answer is simple - provide them with alternatives. For every delicious bad food there is bound to be a delicious good food. People just have to be prepared to expand their horizons and try new things.\n\nTake sugar for example. Nearly every health expert will recommend that people eat this in moderation, which can make things hard for the average sweet tooth.\n\nBut if you start using a natural sugar replacement, such as Stevia or Xylitol, you can still get that sweet taste in your hot drinks and sprinkled over your cereal - without the calories.\n\nYou can even get more creative. From baking delicious sugar-free cakes to whipping up a low-fat and sugar-free chocolate mousse, your options are endless once you start exploring.\n\n