When it comes to eating healthy, many avoid nutritious meals for the ones that temporarily satiate taste buds. While snacking on your favorite fast food meal twice a month won’t harm you, making it a consistent habit can have long-term health issues.
Some have developed healthy eating habits since childhood, while others like you might find it challenging to stick to a balanced diet. Nonetheless, starting your healthy diet journey isn’t impossible. With these ten ways, you can work on replacing unhealthy eating habits with healthier ones.
Plan your diet
When transforming your diet to become healthy, start with planning. Plan everything from meals to grocery lists to avoid binge-eating or ordering unhealthy fast food. Also, in case of any health restrictions or specific dietary needs, you must consult a dietician or your healthcare provider before making any changes. Be lenient when planning your meals. It is essential to include foods that you enjoy. For example, if you don’t like seafood, don’t put fish in your diet just because it’s healthy. Forcing yourself to eat something you don’t like is the opposite of a balanced diet.
Understand why you want to change your diet
An essential step in making any change is to realize why your diet must change. Nutritional deficiencies, getting ill frequently, not feeling happy with your diet, or weight fluctuations are some of the signs to look out for when considering a diet shift. In addition, poor habits like alcohol abuse and substance use pose mental and physical health risks that may force you to make a diet shift. Especially during rehab or recovery, feeding your body with nutritious meals and regaining your health is essential.
Do grocery shopping in advance
Stocking your pantry in advance will prevent you from ordering delivery food or snacking up on junk. When planning your meals, list all grocery items you may need. Include food from every food group to have a balanced diet. You can choose shelf-stable food options like canned beans, canned tuna, soup, or whole grains like pasta and quinoa. Avoid buying highly processed food like frozen pizza or pasta. They may be time-efficient but lack essential nutrients. Instead, opt for pre-cut vegetables without seasoning to speed up meal prep. Always keep a stock of fresh fruits and vegetables along with lean proteins.
Record your meals
To stick with healthy eating habits, you need a food journal. A food journal will help you track everything you eat to review your diet and see where it’s lacking. You can either log your meals into a digital app or write them in a physical notebook. Once you start logging your meals, review whether you’re consuming all five food groups. Take note of unhealthy eating habits like snacking at midnight or drinking too much coffee. A food journal will help you see where you need to make changes.
Eat food from all five food groups
An integral component of eating healthy is to consume food from all food groups: proteins, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and grains. Every food group is vital for a balanced diet. Proteins are necessary for every process inside your body, from repairing tissues to hormones and making enzymes. Dairy foods are also high in protein, calcium, vitamin D, and potassium. Fruits and vegetables should make up at least half of each meal as they are high in antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins. Lastly, include both refined and whole grains in your diet, as they are rich in fiber and protein.
Consume healthy fats
Fats are an essential part of a healthy diet. The monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats like vegetable oils, fish, nuts, and seeds have lower health risks. The bad fats, or trans fats, are the ones you should consume less. Excessive trans fats can increase cholesterol levels and the risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Trans fats are highly processed foods like fried chips, margarine, cakes, pies, and doughnuts. Some animal foods like red meat are also high in trans fats. Consuming fats in moderation is better since they are a rich energy source, but don’t fill up your plate with fats only.
Eat thrice a day
An often-overlooked aspect of the diet is eating three meals per day. Never mistake skipping a meal and hogging food down your throat in the next meal. A lot of people skip breakfasts only to consume large-sized lunches or dinners. Dividing essential nutrients into three meals helps spread them throughout the day. In addition, eating at least three meals would prevent you from snacking on unhealthy foods. Regular meals are also suitable for keeping the flow of energy and blood sugar level constant throughout the day.
Stay hydrated
Something that a lot of people skip out when creating a diet plan is fluids, specifically water. You may have read about drinking eight glasses of water daily, but you should consume water according to your needs. For example, if you’re engaged in strenuous physical activity throughout the day, you would need more water intake than someone sitting in front of a desk all day long. Regardless, there isn’t a set value on how many glasses of water you should consume. Instead, your goal should be to stay hydrated throughout the day through water and other hydrating foods like watermelon or sugar-free liquids.
Measure your portions
Consuming the right amount of every food group is key to maintaining a balanced diet. You don’t want to overeat from a food group just because it’s healthy. Too much protein can burden your kidneys, heart, and liver, despite protein being a necessary food group. Instead of eyeballing your meal plans, portion your diet. A general rule of thumb is to include 50% vegetables, a quarter of whole grains, and another quarter of plant proteins in your meal. Also, have one to two servings of fruit, and you’re good to go.
Avoid alcohol and fizzy drinks
To maintain a healthy diet, add and subtract a few food groups like those high in sugar or alcoholic beverages. Limit fizzy drinks and alcoholic beverages as much as you can. Avoid highly caffeinated drinks and only consume tea and coffee in moderation if necessary. Though fruit juice may seem healthy, they are still packed with preservatives and artificial flavors, so avoid those for a healthy diet.
Conclusion
Getting rid of old eating habits and developing new ones takes time but isn’t impossible. Remember that whatever you are consuming is affecting your physical and cognitive functions. In addition, certain food choices and habits like excessive alcohol can also impact your social relations. Therefore, make changes in your diet before it is too late.
