Have you tried all you can to start a healthy eating habit, all to no avail?
Starting a healthy eating habit or any habit seems challenging for most people, especially the consistency it requires.
Not many people can consistently do one thing for a long time.
Nevertheless, there are certain strategies to start and maintain a healthy eating habit effectively.
That’s what we aim to achieve with this blog post.
At the end of this, you’ll discover some effective steps to build healthy eating habits.
First, let’s start with the basics before we go ahead with tips on how to start healthy eating habits.
What Do We Mean by Healthy Eating Habit? – How to Start Healthy Eating Habit
Healthy eating means eating the necessary food that contains the body’s right nutrients to sustain your health.
Any activity becomes a habit when you do it consistently/daily.
Hence, a healthy eating habit entails proper meals with adequate nutrients daily.
Carbohydrates, protein, fat, water, minerals, vitamins, and water are the body’s nutrients.
We should endeavor not to deprive our bodies of these nutrients.
Everyone needs nutrients, and it is essential for the human body.
It keeps our bodies healthy and fit.
For instance, vegetables and fruits have many health benefits to the skin and body positively.
It also strengthens your immune system and helps the body fight against diseases.
More so, your mind is only as effective as the body.
It would be difficult to stay productive and efficient in whatever you do if you’re unhealthy, either in your job or business.
Hence the need to build a healthy eating habit.
Now the big question is; how do we start eating healthy?
How to Start Healthy Eating Habit
It might not be very easy to start eating healthy, but it is worth the stress to start it.
Let’s take a look at these steps on how to start healthy eating habits.
Begin Gradually – How To Start Healthy Eating Habit
Start gradually; building a healthy eating habit this way is easier than wanting to go all out.
It is not easy to make changes, but taking little steps will help you meet what you have in mind to do.
You could start with little changes and then progress to changing your entire diet.
For instance, you could start by stocking your refrigerator with healthy food, not food that will be harmful to your health.
Another way is to make sure that you eat homemade meals.
This way, you know exactly what is in your food when you prepare it by yourself.
Another good part of cooking your food is having leftovers you can eat later or the next day, and you will be sure that the food is healthy.
This will help you watch what to and what not to eat
Have A Healthy Eating Plan – How To Start Healthy Eating Habit
Planning what to eat will help you know what to eat, how to eat, and when to eat it.
Start a healthy eating habit with the foods that have the necessary nutrients; it can also include what you love to eat.
Processed food should not be part of your list; you can take whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, seafood, and nuts.
Try to stay away from processed food and stay healthy.
The above-mentioned foods are not high in calories; they can help you maintain your diet and stay healthy.
Food with calories will do nothing other than make you gain weight, which does not help keep your body fit.
Set Real Goals – How To Start Healthy Eating Habit
Set goals that will help you eat healthily.
When setting goals, try as much as possible to make them realistic.
Realistic goals are achievable goals.
On the other hand, unrealistic goals are unachievable goals.
For instance, your plate should be filled with healthy food that you can eat and not food that you can’t finish.
Do not overfeed but eat little by little. Overfeeding causes sluggishness and makes the brain dull.
If you are a plus size, try as much as possible to watch your weight with what you eat and the quantity you should eat.
Set goals that will help you lose weight but ensure that these goals are achievable.
Monitor Your Meals – How To Start Healthy Eating Habit
This is another effective approach for starting and developing a healthy eating habit.
You should constantly monitor what you eat.
Also, know the best time to eat it, and possibly the quantity necessary to eat.
Above all, it is mandatory to be mindful of what we eat and how we eat it.
Therefore, stay healthy by adequately watching what you eat.
Take it Slow – How To Start Healthy Eating Habit
This is very important; how fast or how slow we eat can influence our bodies.
It is said that those who eat at a fast pace eat more, which can go as far as making them gain more weight than those who eat at a slower pace.
Hormones control our appetite and the quantity of food we eat as well.
These hormones send a signal to the brain to know if the person is hungry or filled.
However, it takes a while before this signal gets to the brain.
Because of this, eating slowly can give the brain the needed time to ascertain what the body wants.
Eating at a slower pace helps you chew your food properly and also helps reduce the intake of calories.
In all, chewing your food properly aids digestion and gives the brain time to react.
Have a Shopping List at All Times
Since you are ready to eat healthily, have a list of what to stock up with.
It is advisable to go shopping with an already planned list.
You should try to shop for more fruits, vegetables, whole-grain food, etc.
Buy food that gives your body nutrients; avoid food with fat and calories.
Furthermore, endeavor to stick to what you listed and don’t buy out of your list.
To conclude, endeavor to stock up your kitchen with healthy foods to start and maintain a healthy eating habit.
Your Diet Should Contain Greek Yogurt
You might be wondering why Greek yogurt?
Greek yogurt has more nutritional value than regular yogurt; it is creamier, thicker, and tastier.
This is better because it has more protein than regular yogurt, and it is advisable to have a good amount of protein in the body.
Protein helps in controlling appetites and reduces how much you want to eat.
In other words, instead of eating four or more times, taking Greek yogurt helps to reduce the number of times you are likely to eat.
Avoid snacks and replace them by taking Greek yogurt for better nutrients and protein.
However, note that Flavored Greek yogurt contains some ingredients such as sugar that can be unhealthy for your body.
Hence, it is healthier to take the unflavored ones.
Eat more of Whole Grain Food – How To Start Healthy Eating Habit
This is another way of eating healthy; eat a lot of whole-grain food.
Make your food healthier by avoiding refined food and eat more food containing whole grains.
Whole-grain foods have many health benefits, such as reducing your risk of diabetes, heart and cancer cases.
Whole-grain foods are also rich in vitamin B, Fiber, and minerals such as iron, zinc, and other essential nutrients beneficial to the body.
Before eating any food, try as much as possible to be sure that it is whole grain food and not refined food.
The health benefit you can get from this is second to none.
Take More of Protein – How to Start Healthy Eating Habit
Protein does a whole lot of work in our system.
Protein helps to retain muscle mass.
It also increases the number of calories you burn daily.
If you are overweight and want to lose some weight, add protein to your meal.
More protein keeps your stomach filled for a long time and reduces the number of times you might feel the need to eat something.
There are other foods containing protein that will keep you healthy and fit, such as:
- Nuts
- Lean Meat
- Peanut butter
- Beans
- Dairy Products
- Eggs
Drink More Water – How To Start Healthy Eating Habit
Studies show that taking enough water helps the body in so many ways.
One of them is weight loss, and another one is the reduction in calories, sugar, and beverages.
Drinking lots of water also reduces your appetite for eating anyhow and increases your diet’s quality.
Instead of drinking beverages, go for water.
Overall, drinking enough water helps to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
Eat More Vegetables – How To Start Healthy Eating Habit
Vegetables are essential and go a long way in helping you stay healthy.
Having vegetables in your meals also reduces the intake of more food and promotes weight loss.
Furthermore, eating vegetables before any meal can reduce the level of blood sugar in the body.
Hence, take more vegetables daily.
Stay Away From Fried or Grilled Food – How To Start Healthy Eating Habit
How we prepare food most times destroys the nutrients in the food.
For instance, frying or grilling our food reduces its nutrient.
Hence, try to minimize grilling or frying your food and opt for other cooking methods.
This will help to retain the nutrients in the food.
There are other healthier ways to cook your food, such as:
- Slow cooking
- Baking
- Simmering
- Pressure cooking
- Stewing
- Poaching
- Boiling etc.
If you want to grill or fry your food, it should be done once in a while.
One reason to avoid grilled or fried food is that it prevents health issues like heart disease and cancer.
In other words, protect your health by staying away from grilled or fried foods.
Take Supplements – How To Start Healthy Eating Habit
Another way to stay healthy and in shape is by using supplements.
We take supplements to boost our immune system and also enhance the body to be more active.
Taking vitamin D and omega-3 supplements helps your body to be healthy and fit.
Therefore, ensure to take supplements, especially Vitamin D, C, and Omega-3.
Try New Healthy Recipes
Sometimes, we have to try a new recipe.
It is tiring to keep repeating one type of meal every time.
Therefore, lookout for something new that can spice up your meal.
Having a new recipe can be fun, but making the new recipe a healthy one is essential.
Do this once a week, and you can also experiment with new ingredients, spices, and herbs.
Eat Baked Potatoes
Potatoes are filling.
However, how you prepare them determines how healthy they will be in our bodies.
Having said this, you should bake instead of frying them to get their health benefits.
The reason for this is that fried potatoes could contain some harmful substances like trans-fat and aldehydes.
Above all, eating baked potatoes instead of fried ones reduces your calories intake and helps you eat healthily.
Eat Fruits, Don’t Drink Them
Do not overlook fruits; try not to lack them in your refrigerator.
Fruits contain vitamins, fiber, antioxidants, and water.
Fruits reduce the risk of heart diseases, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
The reason for this is that fruits have different plant compounds and fiber.
Also, the natural sugar in them makes food digest slowly and does not cause spikes in blood sugar levels.
It is not the same with fruit juice; it is better to eat your fruits instead of taking them as fruit.
Some fruits juices are not made from real fruits, and the preservatives are sometimes not good for human consumption.
Because of this, try as much as possible to eat your fruits fresh instead of going for them as fruit juices.
Eat Fresh Berries – How To Start Healthy Eating Habit
Berries are rich in protein and very healthy.
Also, berries are very nutritional as they contain antioxidants and fiber.
There are fresh and dried berries, but it is preferable to take fresh berries.
The reason is that dried berries contain more sugar and calories, which might not turn out okay for your body.
Whereas the fresh berries are juicier and have lower sugar/calories level.
Use Healthy Oil – How To Start Healthy Eating Habit
One way of eating healthy is to use the right kind of oil.
We can’t cook our food without oil.
Therefore, we have to be careful about the type of oil we use for our food.
Processed oil negatively affects the human body, which many don’t know about.
Cottonseed, canola, sunflower, and soya beans oil are examples of processed oil.
These processed oils have omega-6 fatty acids but are not healthy like omega-3 acids.
Therefore, instead of using the above-mentioned processed oil, use extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil.
Do not Overeat – How To Start Healthy Eating Habit
Don’t eat your food in large quantities.
Eat little quantity each time you need to eat.
Sometimes it is better to use a smaller plate for your food.
When your plate is big, it affects how you eat because it looks small when you dish your food on a big plate.
When this happens, you will want to add more food to your plate, which will lead to overeating.
Therefore, eat in small quantities.
Take Black Coffee – How To Start Healthy Eating Habit
We should not overlook the usefulness of coffee in our bodies.
It is a major form of antioxidant and has a lot of health benefits.
Some coffee has ingredients like syrup, heavy cream, sweeteners, and sugar.
When your coffee has all these ingredients, it will reduce the health benefit the coffee should give to your body.
It is better to take your coffee black without these ingredients for it to be effective.
Sometimes you can add a little cream without sugar, and you are good to go.
Consume Less Sugar
Having too much sugar in your body is extremely harmful.
Check your daily eating pattern to find out where you are used to consuming too much sugar.
When you have found out, look for ways to stop it.
Somehow, our food has some level of sugar, e.g., carbohydrates.
This might take the place of sweet and other sugary substances in our bodies.
Hence, you can avoid taking sweets and chocolates altogether.
Instead, you can take desserts after meals.
Conclusion on How to Start Healthy Eating Habit
The tips we have shared can go a long way in helping you to start a healthy eating habit.
Incorporating these tips will help you eat healthier, live healthier, and be a more productive individual.
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