Healthy Eating is Contagious and Good News from my Gastroenterologist

I have had a couple of conversations with complete strangers about eating healthy lately.

Last night, it was with a cashier as I paid for bananas, red grapes, and kiwi fruit. She looked at my purchase and said, "I need to eat healthier, but I just crave sugar and I shouldn't because my family is full of diabetics." I said, "it's simple, don't buy junk and keep it in your house." Easier said than done, right? I ended our conversation by saying, "You can do it. It's a lot easier than you think." I like to think that I inspired her to eat better. After all, the only body you have is the one you are in.

At the gym a couple of weeks ago, I had a conversation with two staff members. One wanted me to back him up on the fact that soda is so bad for you. I completely agreed and told the other staff member that it was not good for his body and he should stop consuming it, if possible. Then we started talking about skim milk and I told them how I switched to refrigerated unsweetened almond milk because I read about the chemicals in skim milk, etc. We also made the switch because I suspect Craig might have lactose intolerance.

Onto my good news of the week:

On a side note, my own eating habits (vegetarian/heart-healthy) are paying off. I feel like I can brag a little bit on the blog today because of the news I received on Tuesday. I paid a visit to my gastroenterologist and after talking about how I have felt for the last year, I learned that I never have to see him again. Well, that is unless someone in my family develops colon cancer or if I get sick for about a week and have intestinal bleeding. If I get an upset stomach for one day and then it goes back to being normal, that's no big deal. I just have to keep eating a heart-healthy diet and stay active to keep things moving along, if you know what I mean. I left that doctor's office feeling like I had just won the lottery. 

How do you stay healthy with your eating habits? Have you had conversations like I have with complete strangers, just based on what you are buying at a cash register, etc.?