After WLS, we figure we’re eating better. More fresh ingredients, lean proteins, lots of water. But of course, as curious creatures of nature we’re never 100% sure. So I thought about life now vs. life before and came up with a few signs…symptoms if you will…of healthier eating habits.

So without further adieu…
Five signs that you MIGHT be eating healthier

Your compost pile is bigger than your trash and recycling combined.

Ok, so some of us don’t compost (I actually save my stuff for a co-worker who does). Onion peels, carrot shavings, zucchini skins. If, at the end of preparing your meal your “thank you for coming” bowl is filled with that stuff instead of mostly food packaging…you MAY be eating healthier.

Even fast food in your house isn’t really fast.

Granted many of us nuke food we cooked ahead, but if your first making of a meal takes a while because you are preparing it from scratch (to ensure the best ingredients), you MAY be eating healthier.

Your kids can easily pronounce all the ingredients in your packaged food.

To me, that’s a good estimation of how close to the source food is. I give the divas a package and ask them to read the ingredients. If my nine year-old gets stuck on more than one word, it raises a red flag. If your kids (and by kid I mean kid) can easily read the ingredient list, it probably doesn’t have a bunch of preservatives and THAT means you MAY be eating healthier.

Someone at the grocery store asked you what aisle fruit roll ups were in and you couldn’t tell them.

This happened to me. When you eat better, you spend more time around the perimeter of the store (where the produce, meat and dairy aisles are) and less inside (where a lot of pre-packaged foods are). Typically when we have packaged foods we like, we can make a beeline to them and pay attention to little else. If this sounds like you…you MAY be eating healthier.

The sugar in your sugar jar has turned into a crystalline rock. You figure if you leave there long enough, maybe it will become a diamond.

This means you’ve found other ways to satisfy your need for sweetness that doesn’t involve sucrose. Some use naturally occurring sweeteners while others use artificial, but if that sugar jar looks perilously neglected, you MAY be eating healthier.

My point here: when you’re eating better, you are paying attention to your food. Where did it come from? How far did it travel to get to you? It might take a bit more work to cook it and a bit more time before serving it, but the benefit you give to your body by eating more healthfully will pay you back tenfold.

What are some more “symptoms” of healthful eating. I’d love to hear what you think. Leave a note in the comments, hit me up on Facebook or Twitter or e-mail me!