5 Healthy Eating Tips
Making wholesome healthy food choices can be a struggle, it certainly was for me. I found that the struggle stemmed from a lack of planning, having to cook when I was hungry was never a good idea and often, I ended up putting that off and chose to have meals that were already prepared instead i.e., junk, lol. Junk food is awesome guys (I don’t think you’ll find many people that disagree) but the consequences were always negative for me, I would be mentally and physically tired, bloated and my skin would become oily. So, about a month ago, I decided to make better food choices by eating more wholesome meals and less processed meals. This meant I had to take the time and plan ahead what I was going to eat on each day. This includes planning which meals and snacks to have on specific days, figuring out what groceries are needed, and accounting for which foods are most convenient or accessible for specific situations. Below are 5 hacks that have helped me tremendously and can help you to. Feel free to use whichever hacks are most appealing to you!
Willpower is a muscle: You eat what you see
If you are guilty of snacking on sugary treats like chocolate or cookies, don’t worry you’re not alone. I have been guilty of this many times and most of the time its simply because I am aware that I they’re in the house. Instead of trying to fight off the urge of eating these treats, we must understand that willpower is a muscle and eventually it will fatigue and you will succumb to your desires. It is better to remove all foods that will tempt you from your house and choose to replace these with healthier options, such as fruits and nuts, out in the open for you to see in clear view. Rather than tossing a sack of oranges in your pantry, take the time to peel and slice them into sizable chunks for you to eat when you’re feeling peckish. For example, I always have a handful of cashews on my desk when I’m working, this keeps my hunger at bay and allows me to snack on healthy nutrients without much effort.
Welcome a healthy relationship with food
I welcome having a healthy relationship with food. Too often we look at food either being good or bad but the truth is food is just food, how you perceive it however is on you. I used to get discouraged and ashamed anytime I had ‘bad’ food (even the slightest bit!) which led me to a bad space mentally. Now I have a totally different outlook on the subject, instead of looking at whether food is good or bad, I view it as being wholesome with a few treats here and there. For example, when I plan my weekly meals, I’ll include a certain day where I can have a treat, usually Sundays, and this is for two reasons 1. It keeps me balanced and motivated to stick to my plan 2. It’s not bad to treat yourself if you feel that you deserve it. Now I’m not saying you should treat yourself everyday because that would change to cheating, but its always good to reward yourself for the good work that you’ve done. Don’t cheat yourself, treat yourself.
Pump up your nutrition with seeds
Seeds offer a combination of antioxidants and phytonutrients which have many benefits such as healthy aging, reduce the risk of cancer, heart, and Alzheimer’s disease. I like to add seeds such as chia seeds, flax seeds and hemp seeds to my morning oats or smoothie.
Plan ahead
I’m sure you’ve heard this one before, hell I said it in the intro! Planning is so important and it can make your life so much easier because you don’t have to think of what you’re going to eat on that day, its already laid out in front of you, all you have to do is grab and go. One of my favourite meals to plan is my overnight oats. I will usually do this on a Sunday where I mix all my base ingredients (oats, plant-based milk, chia seed, banana, plain yoghurt) and leave it in the fridge. Then during the week, I can just scoop a decent amount, put it in a jar and top it off with my favourite fruits and off I go. Another way of planning ahead is by chopping up and storing your favourite fruits in the freezer then in the morning you can simply chuck them in a blender and have a smoothie to-go in no time.
Side note😉 I have added some of my favourite overnight oat recipes at the bottom.
Snacks are handy
I am prone to have cravings (especially sweet ones) during the day. So, in order to make wholesome choice, I have come up with a few ideas to satisfying those cravings whilst keeping the processed stuff at bay. Here are a few ideas to try:
1. Frozen Raspberries stuffed with unsweetened yoghurt
2. Wholewheat pancakes
3. Apple pie cookies
Take away
Well that’s it guys, those are my 5 tips start (and stay!) on a healthy eating regimen. Let’s make healthy eating fun, delicious and easier. Thank you all for reading and see you next time!
Try out these overnight oat recipes!
Comments