Eating healthier is easier than you might think.
The truth is most of us are creatures of habit. Whether those habits are healthy or unhealthy.
In fact, if you were to journal your food and beverage intakes over the course of a few weeks, you’d probably find that you’re basically eating the same things for breakfast, lunch and dinners on rotation. These are the regular eating habits that are ingrained in us as “food.”
Because the truth is most of us don't have the time, energy or desire to whip up a different breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day.
That’s why when you decide to start eating healthier, you want to begin slowly. Making one small change at a time.
Think about it: no one can wake up one day with no training and run a marathon.
The same thing applies to eating healthier. By making one small change at a time, you set yourself up to eat just a little bit better each day, which feels simple, realistic, and doable.
And that my friend is how you build consistency.
Instead of setting goals to 'eat clean' or cut out all the 'bad foods', focus on prioritizing nutrients while leaving room for fun, look for ways you can add more color to your plate, and begin to practice healthier portion sizing.
Here are 7 simple ways to begin eating better:
1. Observe Yourself
For this first step, don’t try to change or do anything differently. As counterintuitive as it sounds, you simply want to observe your current food habits. Track or write down everything you eat and drink in a day for a few days (I use MyFitnessPal with my clients). In this stage you're simply gathering information. No judgement. This will give you a valuable snapshot of where you are right now by noticing your food habits and patterns.
2. One Small Change
Gradual changes are the best way to go. So after you've gathered some information, you're going to choose one one meal, one snack or one dessert that you can improve. Here's a simple one: No cereal with a cartoon character on it. Choose a banana, whole grain toast with nut butter and a hard-boiled egg instead. It takes the same amount of time to peel a banana and egg and munch on some toast as it does to pour the cereal and milk in a bowl and wolf it down. PLUS you'll feel more energized and satisfied by giving your body nutrients it needs!
Small changes will increase your confidence in making healthier choices. Something as simple as trading your bowl of ice cream for a ramekin of frozen grapes can make such a positive impact. And It may be more satisfying than you think.
3. Eat More Mindfully
The next time you sit down to enjoy a meal, eat with all of your senses. Sit down and truly focus on the taste, textures and colors of your food. Put your food on a pretty plate. And only do one thing while you're eating - EAT. Don’t eat in your car or while scrolling social media. When you pay closer attention to your food while eating, your brain will get more satisfaction and recognize that you’ve eaten, increasing feelings of fullness too. Eating mindfully is hands down the simplest way to save calories and increase satiation and satisfaction!
4. Notice Your Portion Sizes
Have you noticed that portion sizes have gone crazy in the last few decades? Bagels have gotten enormous! Look at how serving sizes have grown and just for one day, stick to single serving sizes. If you love chocolate or ice cream, purchase it by individual serving sizes and enjoy it fully.
Make it difficult to go after additional servings. It's easy to keep going back to the pantry, fridge or freezer for more, but most of us aren't going to drive to the store just for a second helping. But if you do, use that time in the car to remind yourself of your goal and ask if this purchase will help or hurt your ability to reach it.
5. Add More Color To Your Plate
Eating from the rainbow (and no I’m not talking about a bag of Skittles or M&M's) is one of the simplest ways you can eat better. Each color offers a different nutrient and is loaded with essential vitamins and minerals. And eating more fruits and vegetables is one of the easiest things you can do to support your long term health and wellness, reducing risk of disease, supporting a healthy gut, and promoting a healthy waistline.
Try making it a game, aiming to consume two colors from the rainbow each day. Just think, a morning smoothie of banana, berries and spinach will contain several right out of the gate! Remember, keep it simple, make it doable.
6. Eat When You’re Hungry
When you find yourself standing at the fridge or pantry, take a moment to pause and ask yourself "Am I hungry?" If the answer is yes, anything should solve it... a hard boiled egg, an apple or a low-fat cheese stick with some whole grain crackers.
If the answer is no, and you're simply reaching for the cookies, ice cream or chips, ask yourself WHY you want to eat. Are you bored, stressed, tired or sad? If the answer is yes, find another outlet to soothe your emotions besides food. Try going for a walk around the block, playing with your dog, cleaning out a drawer in your house or journaling. Learn to feed your physical hunger, not your emotions.
7. Mind the Liquids
Drink. More. Water. Sounds simple, right? Yet many women struggle to do it.
Instead of relying on caffeinated beverages, sodas, sweetened teas and fancy flavored drinks, lean on water. Think water is boring? Try adding some sliced citrus, cucumber or mint for a natural flavor kick.
Limit alcohol and treat it as a planned indulgence. Decide when and how much you will enjoy.
Know what you're drinking. A grande size latte from Starbucks is around 190 calories... and it barely has any nutritional value in it! Even worse, your mind won’t think of it as food, and while the caffeine kick may suppress your appetite for the moment, you'll find yourself feeling ravenous later thanks to the blood sugar spike and crash.
Think a smoothie might be better? Jamba Juice’s large Aloha Pineapple Smoothie comes in at a whopping 520 calories, yet it won't satisfy like a meal, which means you'll be snacking again sooner versus later.
Don’t fall into the "healthy" drink trap: read those nutrition labels and understand exactly what it is that you're sipping on.
Bottom line: Keep it simple. Pick one thing at a time and practice it consistently. As it feels easier, then stack on another. Maybe you start with one food, one beverage, or one meal. Give your body and mind to adjust and adapt to change, to realize 1% wins, and you'll be more likely to seek out more of them. It's all those small wins that add up to big results over time.
Are you ready to make weight loss easier with a simple and personalized plan? Let's chat!
