I want to reward myself with something to eat or drink.  It is so tempting, isn’t it?

It’s a hot summer day and I’m hot and tired from my day of running errands. I want a rich cold sweet coffee drink from Starbucks!

I stand in line for a few minutes trying to make up my mind. I decide on an Iced White Chocolate Mocha, my mouth starts to water just thinking about it.

The line is really long so I have some time to think. I notice the price…3.75!!! Just for a small drink!

 

 

I leave the line. I’m not sure I want to spend that much money on a drink.

Maybe I should buy a snack instead?

I like to chew my calories not drink them.

I notice a chopped fruit salad. It looks so colorful, sweet and juicy.

It’s also about the same price as the drink.

 

 

I pay for the fruit salad and walk by the Starbucks line up.

This time I made the right choice. I chose nutrient rich food!

The Iced White Chocolate Mocha would have been empty calories. That drink contains little or no essential vitamins or minerals. It provides very little value to my body. The only nutrient worth noting is the 2 % milk; it’s 25 % of the daily amount of calcium.

It has 330 calories and 15 grams of fat!

Yikes!

Those extra calories would have gone straight into extra fat on my body!

Or I would have to walk for 6 miles to burn off those empty calories!

It’s just not worth it!

The fruit salad on the other hand is nutrient rich but relatively low in calories.  It has only 109 calories and 0 grams of fat!

With 5.2 grams of fibre I will feel full longer.

Let’s do a quick review….

Nutrient rich foods provide more nutrients than calories.

• Fruits

• Vegetables

• Milk or milk alternatives

• Whole-grain products

Empty calorie foods contain more calories than nutrients.

• Chips

• Cookies

• Pastries

• Sugar-sweetened beverages

  Not sure about you, but when I read that list of empty calorie foods…they all sound yummy.  Those are my temptations.

  Let’s make nutrient rich choices as often as we can.  Because all these little steps make a difference!

Remember our core verse, “And let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up”. Galatians 6:9 New Living Translation

TODAY’S little STEP: Choose nutrient rich foods most often and limit empty calories.

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