When you walk down aisles of supermarket, many of choices available are not “whole” foods nor natural. They are not filled with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients we need to thrive. Instead, they are preprocessed, presweetened and laden with artificial flavors, colors and preservatives. They have very little, if any nutritional value left within them. Take a moment to inventory your eating habits. How many of these foods do you eat? Kraft macaroni and cheese: box-o-chemicals, Betty Crocker potatoes a gratin: box-o-chemicals, hamburger helper: box-o-chemicals, Spam, Vienna sausages, Franco-American Spaghetti-O’s, Cheese Wiz, all chemical laden. This is only a small list of products available to American consumers that we happily and whole-heartedly consume.

The truth is, our bodies were not designed to handle these non-food. There are no keys in our genetic make-up designed to utilize these products. Instead of promoting health, they promote disease. While nutritionists contend that soft drinks, white flour and other calorie-rich, nutrient-poor foods can fit into a good diet, in theory, they are correct. However, they regrettably ignore fact that most Americans consume great quantities of these nutrient poor foods and only meager quantities of healthful foods.

The good news is that many American women are becoming more proactive about their health and well being. A great place to start any kind of health program is by adopting a healthful diet. Many health enthusiasts have led people to believe that in order to be healthy, solitary route is to eat only organic foods, or to become a vegetarian, leaving many with feeling that it is an “all or nothing” proposition. In big picture of things, yes, they may be right in their assertion, but making transition from typical American diet to one a more healthful one may seem like an insurmountable task. Many quit before they even try. If you are raising a family, you might not be able to financially afford to live this lifestyle. This, however, shouldn’t exclude you from peak and optimal health.

Like so many woman, I am constantly on go and have to translate concerns of proper nutrition to meet a fast food lifestyle. An important key to health and healthful dining is to become an active chooser when it comes to our food choices. Being an active chooser is easy. It is art of shopping selectively, picking healthful alternatives over nutritionally poor ones. This can be accomplished, even if you are on a budget!

When creating a healthful food plan for yourself or your family, here are a few guidelines you can use to help you as you transition to a healthful diet and lifestyle.

One of reasons people find retirement challenging, is also solution to problem of better aging: we identify with roles in our lives. Worse than that, we enjoy them. They’re what our life is all about or we wouldn’t have been doing them in first place. Now my friend certainly knows how to do things. He can cook his breakfast, he’s an attentive father, he knows how to mow lawn. But to his way of thinking, now that he’s no longer a broker, he “doesn’t know how to do anything.”

Whether it’s being a manager, a doctor, or a mother, a recent study confirms we do best when have control over roles we value, and that this is more important than a sense of control over life itself. ["Role-Specific Feelings of Control and Mortality," Neal Krause, Ph.D., and Benjamin A. Shaw, Ph.D.; Psychology and Aging, Vol. 15, No. 4.]

What does this mean to you and me on a daily basis?

In study, conducted over 6-7 years, participants were asked to name roles they valued most in their lives, including such things as parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle, friend, homemaker, provider, volunteer work, church member, etc.

In follow-up study it was found that participants who were able to maintain a sense of control over role most important to them were less likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors (smoking, drinking, obesity) and less likely to die prematurely. And, research found, it was only most important valued role that correlated with decline, not choices two and three.

By “having a sense of control,” I imagine they mean being able to continue doing that. I also would imagine, unless your life has been different of mine, there’s no sense assuming control over life in general. You’ve learned that by now!

Your most-valued role amounts to why you like being alive, or what makes life worth living. In other words, what matters to you.

The researchers suggest that psychological coping abilities “decline” with age. I suggest they can be bolstered, even increase by studying EQ, and a look ahead is an emotionally intelligent thing to do.

In my coaching work with clients in transition, “transition” often amounts to fact they’ve lost or been ousted from a role they enjoyed. Some were fired, some forced into retirement, others lost children prematurely, others are between parenting and grand parenting, and not “needed” by anyone in that special nurturing role.

How can you cope better? While life is about losses, it is equally about gains and wins. While you may be dumb-founded by an immediate loss, with time and Emotional Intelligence competencies, you can make next step and find a new role.