A lot of people feel that having healthier eating habits has to be this difficult chore. However, it doesn’t have to be that hard. There are many easy things that you can do to ensure that your eating habits are healthier without making a huge effort.
Control your portions.
This one is easy enough. A lot of people have a tendency to eat a lot more than they need. Instead of eating until you’re about to explode, control your portions a little better by using smaller pots and pans to cook your food. Use smaller plates and smaller bowls. This will significantly decrease your food intake and help you eat less, but your mind won’t notice you are eating less because you still have a plate full of food. You still get to eat what you like, you’re just eating less of it. Serve your food in the kitchen and then go to the table to eat it. This way you are less likely to load up on seconds.
Gradually phase out unhealthy snacks.
By decreasing the portion size of your meals, you will probably find that you want to be snacking more often. This is actually healthy, but only if the snacks are healthy too! Eating candy bars and chips is going to end being counterproductive. You want to be snacking on fruits and veggies. There’s no need to attempt this overnight. Just get your body and taste buds used to eating an orange, as opposed to a bag of Cheetos, when you’re snacking. Healthy snacking doesn’t have to be hard. You can easily take a bag of dried fruit or granola with you to work or on the go.
Keep healthy fruits and veggies accessible.
If it’s there, you will eat it. A great way to keep all of your healthy food accessible is to invest in budget-friendly discount refrigerators. Keep a small one in your room or work out room to keep a fresh supply of fruits and vegetables there. That way, you aren’t even tempted to go into the candy cabinet when you’re in the kitchen. The healthy foods should always be right there. If you insist on keeping chocolate or candy in the home, put then up on a higher shelf so that you have to make an effort to set up a step stool and climb to get them.
Don’t skip any meals.
As everyone knows, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. However, you shouldn’t be skipping any meals. A lot of people think that cutting out meals altogether will help them lose weight. Quite the contrary. When you skip meals, your body holds on to fat as opposed to burning it. Calories not only give you energy for the day but keep your metabolism working throughout the day.
Don’t eat a meal right before bedtime.
You want your body to digest and burn off that last bit of fuel from the day. Sleeping while having a meal in your stomach is unhealthy and will cause heartburn and weight gain. A healthy snack before bed is perfectly fine, however. Try to give your body about two hours to digest after dinner before settling in bed. This should be enough time.
Eat a variety of different things.
Don’t think of any food group being off-limits. An occasional burger here and there is not going to kill you. The key is to supplement these things with healthy eating habits. If you have a burger for a lunch, don’t have another one for dinner. Perhaps, make a salad. Completely banning a certain food is just going to make you want it more. Eat everything in moderation.
All in all, there are many easy ways to start eating healthier. Most of it isn’t what we eat, it’s how we eat. By adjusting how we eat, we are able to make much healthier choices. These basic changes can help you have an overall healthier diet without working too hard.