At some point in everyone’s life, we’ve uttered the phrase, “I’ll start eating healthier.” Whether we do it or not is a different matter.
But eating healthy is a good decision to make, and the next step is to actually accomplish it. It’s not easy, yes. But it’s not impossible, and with the right planning and preparation, eating healthy is not only possible, but it can be less difficult. And that’s what this article is about: making eating healthy easier for you.
Have a Diet Plan
Of course, you need to have a plan. While it’s easy to make a sweeping generalization and just say, “I’ll stop eating this food and that, and eat more greens and veggies,” it’s not only hard to pull off, but it’s also unhealthy. Our body needs a lot of different nutrients and vitamins, and we have daily nutritional requirements that we need to hit to stay within the healthy range. It’s best to visit a doctor and get yourself checked to find out if you have any nutritional deficiencies. Knowing whether you have one will help in deciding how your diet should be. And if you don’t, knowing how your body’s measurements, such as weight, height, and overall fat ratio, will help create a goal for your diet.
A fundamental change in diet can start with something basic like eating six vegetable meals in one week. Or eat a side of veggies every meal. Even small actions like this can help.
You Can’t Go Cold Turkey
It’s not impossible, but it’s not something you should attempt. It’s difficult, not just mentally but physically. Drastically cutting your sugar intake when you’re used to eating sweets can affect you, making you feel sluggish and tired all the time. This can then result in negative and gloomy feelings that might make the change in diet even more difficult for you. Start small, slowly integrate eating healthy into your diet. You’ll find that it’s a lot easier to deal with mentally, and it’s also better for the body. Another thing to consider is going to rehab for alcohol or other substances you might be hooked on. After all, nothing beats professional help- and if they can help you get off unhealthy habits, then great!
Eat Less More Often
We’re not supposed to stuff ourselves every meal. This does not only make us feel bloated and heavy, but it can also become a problem for our digestive system. Eating healthy includes how you eat. You should eat fewer meals but more frequently. Be a frequent snacker. Pack some healthy snacks, like fruits and low-calorie crackers with you, and munch on them in between meals. Of course, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t feel full at all during your meal. There still should be a feeling of satiety after lunch or dinner, but you shouldn’t be in a ‘food coma.’
Different Colors Make for a Healthy Meal
It can be confusing how to make your meals, especially when you’re used to eating out. Here’s a tip: eat as many colors as you can. By colors, we mean colors of the food: eat red tomatoes, orange oranges, leafy greens, purple eggplants—all the different colors. This helps guarantee that you’ll have a diverse diet, which is essential, as not all nutrients can be found in a specific set of food. Eating different varieties of food helps you get your fill of various nutrients. Food coloration is often indicative of their nutritional content (carrots are orange because of beta carotene, kale is dark green because of phytochemicals, tomatoes are red because of lycopene, etc.). By reminding yourself to make colorful meals, you’re increasing the chances of eating a healthy and diverse diet.
Prepare Your Meals
It’s difficult to eat healthy outside. Most restaurants serve decadent food, delicious but not the healthiest. Fast food is basically a no-go as the number of fats and extenders they contain is something a healthy person shouldn’t eat consistently. There are healthy restaurants out there, but they can be difficult to spot or too expensive for something consistent. The most economical and logical way is to simply prepare your meals beforehand. Meal prep takes a lot of work, as you have to buy multiple ingredients beforehand and half-cook them in advance, but it’s definitely worth it. You’ll never run out on healthy meals, and you’ll save money from buying in bulk too.
Eating healthy is not easy to do. After all, it’s a significant shift in lifestyle, and you’re most likely going to be consciously trying to avoid food that you like. You might even have to start eating food you don’t particularly enjoy.
