5 Ways To Enjoy Healthy Food
January 26, 2019
Eating healthy doesn’t have to be deprivation and colorless food that tastes like cardboard. Transitioning into a healthy lifestyle can go as slow as you want or as fast as you want – it all depends on you and your personal goals. Start with getting rid of one bad habit each week, and replace it with a healthier one. You’ll be surprised that after only 3 or 4 days, you’ll have established a certain routine for yourself, with smarter, healthier choices.
Your plan should be to become the one in control of what you eat and drink, not the other way around. Even your morning cup of coffee shouldn’t dictate your daily routine – it should be something you enjoy, morning or evening, because it tastes good with certain nutritional benefits.
Here are 5 tips for tastier ways to eat healthy:
1. Fruits and vegetables. They should always be a staple in your home. Having them readily available to you on your kitchen table and in your fridge makes eating healthy easy. You should especially focus on fruits and vegetables that are in-season since they contain more nutrients and minerals. Also, stock your pantry with nuts, dried fruits and seeds.
2. Plan your meals for the week. Cook your meals at home regularly and you guarantee yourself healthier dishes because you know what’s actually in them. You can also add ingredients or replace them from recipes according to your likes and dislikes. This will make you feel in control and able to make the right choices, because when we’re given the opportunity to choose, we’ll ultimately make the right choice because we care about our well-being.
3. Don’t deprive yourself of anything. The trick is in the amount of snacking you indulge in. One square of dark chocolate a day is okay, even welcomed. But a whole chocolate bar is a definite no-no. On a psychological level, when you ban yourself from certain foods, they suddenly become the one thing you can’t live without. This also goes for those delicious recipes you’ve kept for years and years that call for a lot of butter and sugar. Instead of throwing these recipes out, replace what you think is harmful for healthier options which will guarantee you a more nutritious dish, but without feeling guilty at all the calories.
Here are some easy substitutes:
· Replace half the amount of butter or oil with applesauce, mashed banana, or Greek yogurt
· Use whole wheat whenever you use pasta and flour
· Opt for fat-free or skim milk when a recipe requires milk
· Honey can be used instead of sugar.
4. Eat a nutritious breakfast. And we’ve all heard just how vital breakfast is – after all, it is the most important meal of the day. But in all honesty, that saying is completely based on scientific facts. Eating a well-balanced breakfast boosts your energy levels, maintains your blood sugar level and increases your metabolism throughout the day. You can enjoy almost any type of foods for breakfast, then reduce your caloric intake for the rest of the day, and you’ll feel a difference in your ability to concentrate and focus all day long. Even something as delicious and nutritious, yet simple, like a smoothie can make all the difference between feeling sluggish by lunchtime and feeling like you’re revved up to go until the end of the workday.
Another factor we don’t necessarily tie in with a good breakfast is that eating the right types of food helps keep our mental health in check. Eating well does wonders to improve your mood. All that processed, sugary food we eat wreaks havoc on our mental health. Scientists have carried out research proving how indulging in a diet rich in sugars and carbs increases the risk of mental health disorders, such as stress, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety.
5. Use smaller plates or bowls. When you consciously decrease the size of your plate, you unconsciously convince yourself that you’re eating the same amount as you would with a larger plate – it’s a simple trick but it works great. You feel fuller after a small meal and you won’t give yourself a hard time for indulging in a little bit of dessert afterwards.
