15 Ways To Improve Your Eating Habits
Small changes offer the GREATEST rewards and lasting change!
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Diet truly plays a far bigger role in our lives than we honestly realize.
For instance, when we attempt to lose weight via exercise and calorie reduction, it should be 50-80% diet efforts which affects results.
However, I am a firm believer that some relatively minor changes can have similar effects even when scattered out over time as opposed to a major overhaul ie. fad dieting or drastically reducing calories.
I’m going to give you 15 legitimate ways you can realistically improve your eating habits!
It is best to adjust your diet by making slow, thoughtful and intentional changes. In this way your diet will mimic your lifestyle, is specifically you, and helps you avoid yo-yo dieting, or binge eating. As your diet evolves with these changes you can anticipate some awesome benefits!
Here’s a short list of the amazing benefits from creating better eating habits:
LESS BLOATING
MORE ENERGY
NATURALLY LOSE WEIGHT
BETTER SLEEP
IMPROVED SKIN, HAIR AND NAILS
LESS HUNGER
LESS CRAVINGS (SALT/SUGAR)
NO MORE BRAIN FOG
BALANCED HORMONES
If you’re here, you truly want to make progress towards and create better eating for life! There is a lot of good information here so let’s get started!
Here is your guide to 15 life changing eating habits and ideas that will completely transform how you look at food AND you can start right now!
#1 Do it one step at a time, one day at a time.
Give yourself permission to learn and develope your better habits. It is nearly impossible to accomplish overnight. Remember these are eating habits for life, not a means to an end. As you progress and learn what you like and don’t like, your tastes will change and you’ll better notice when a certain food doesn’t sit right with your tummy like vegetables that make you bloat or something tastes bad. With the following, just focus on one new habit at a time, one a week is perfectly fine and realistic.
#2 Drink more water
Water is essential for proper digestion and is what our body depends on to function. Make sure to drink water as frequently as you possible. The pang of hunger is most often our need to hydrate! So start by drinking water before you reach for food. When you begin making a conscious effort, it’ll seem like beating a dead horse but once the habit is secure, you won’t need to think about it anymore, you’ll just do. Also at first, you will be visiting the restroom A LOT but as some time passes, you’re body will adjust and bathroom breaks will become less frequent.
#3 Include fruits and vegetables
¾ of your weekly diet should include ruffage. It is a natural way to get our vitamins and minerals and aids our digestive tract. There are so many textures and flavors to explore. Take some time to visit a local farmers market, or if you live in a state where produce is abundant visit the market daily to choose bright colored foods that are at peak ripeness and are fresh.
#4 Spend time learning what you like
It is unrealistic to assume everyone can eat every kind of fruit, veggie, potato, bean, meat, noodles etc. under the sun. Our tastes are never the same and that is sooo okay! This is a journey about figuring out ourselves and who knows? You may stumble upon a new cuisine that suits your tastes and opens your eyes to the many delightful dishes in the world like Indian, Vietnamese, Greek, etc. If you’re too afraid to venture far, again, start small. The internet is a great place to explore dishes. I am a fan of fast made dishes, anything made under 30 minutes is grand and like me, busy woman don’t have a ton of time to make food. Here is the link to my personal Pinterest “Recipe” board 😉!
#5 Hone in on cooking skills
This one was for me too. I am not a fan of spending hours in the kitchen BUT I have found for certain dishes I will spend a decent amount of time for the end product. It all depends. At the very least give yourself some time to establish, even the smallest amount of cooking abilities. Just the act of making a great steak, killer baked chicken, a seasonal salad, or your own dressing, will absolutely delight you and you’ll look forward to a great tasting meal.
#6 Utilize a crockpot
Save yourself time and the panic of making meals when you’re ready to eat at the end of the day. When I worked away from home and didn’t walk through the door til 6 or after, I fell in love with my crockpot. Recipes have evolved so far as well. Throw all the ingredients in the unit in the morning, turn on low and leave for 8 hrs. Meats, soups, pasta dishes, you name it, the crock pot can cook it for you while you’re away!
Some great crockpot options:
3 quart for 1 - 2 people w/3 colors to choose from!
6 quart for 2 - 4 people w/12 colors to choose from!
8 quart for 4 - 8 people
#7 Be mindful of what you reach for
It is so easy to grab a snack, meal, or drink that is convenient. We all know empty calories are not the healthiest but at the very least we can try to avoid the habit of getting them. Start by just reducing your consumption of such food and drink items. Limit your pop to one a day then one every other day, then maybe just one a month. The BEST THING you’ll find is as you reduce how often you reach for these items you will want them less and less. Here is a great article that lists healthier and more filling options for snacks and small meals.
#8 Learn to love salads
Now if you don’t like them, I understand but I will say there are SOOOO many ways to make a salad and the mix variations and topping choices are endless. You can pretty much do whatever you want here. If you’re not a lettuce fan no problem! You can do fruit salads, a Mexi-like salad with corn, beans, cilantro, cheese and tomatos. Personally I love my salad to have garlic stuffed green olives, artichoke hearts, cucumber, red onion and tomatoe. My family’s dinner staple is a green salad with romaine and iceburg lettuce, diced carrots and ham. Again, explore the options and adjust the ratios just the way you like!
#9 Don’t be afraid of fat
There is good fat and bad fat yes but trying to do a “fat free” or “Low-fat” diet will leave you feeling very empty and not satisfied. If you are truly being mindful of not consuming empty calories like chips and donuts, having bacon in your diet is an absolute yes you can! Use olive oil instead of lard or butter for pan frying and/or use for marinades and dressings for meats and salads!
#10 Give yourself a break or have a “cheat” day
A “cheat” day in the fitness world is described as the day you get to eat WHATEVER you want. Have day you get to enjoy what you want without limitations and regret, a dessert, soda, candy bar, that new cheeseburger you’ve been eyeing at the restaurant, give yourself a day to eat it. After taking a break from certain food folks say when they do indulge in these certain foods they feel ill and worse then they ever have so be warned. Not saying it’s a bad thing at all. Also, if you’re a binge eater, it may be wise to avoid a cheat day for some time until your will power has evolved. BUT, and this is a very big BUT, if you have a day you fall off the wagon, DON’T PANIC! Give yourself a break! Eat what you want, then start the next day. It really is NO BIG DEAL and all we can do is start again.
#11 Don’t have crap food in the house
A frequent habit I see many people doing that has changed how they eat at home is they just don’t buy the stuff and bring it home. If it isn’t in the house for you to reach for, you won’t eat it. That simple. If you have kids and buy things like crackers, fruit snacks, juice put them someplace that is out of your way and dedicate a special spot for kid snacks.
#12 Limit or at least monitor alcohol
Soooo many women have attested to benefits like weight loss and better sleep, just by eliminating or reducing how much they drink. Large amounts of calories and sugar are in alcohol not to mention it is hard on organs. While I don’t complain about a glass of wine here and there, having an entire bottle often is completely unnecessary. If you enjoy something with dinner or the occassionl drinks with friends okay. But if your will power is low and you just can’t avoid having more when you start, choose a time to drink as far apart from each other as possible. If you go out with friends regularly to just “drink”, maybe its time to reconsider doing something else with that time. Go for walk with friends, or a hike! Go window shopping instead. Big cities have beautiful museums and parks to see! Maybe give that evening slot when you want a drink to go to the gym instead, pop in a yoga video at home, or take your dog for a walk. Just choose to do something else with the time you’d normally want a drink.
#13 Consider starting a diet/food journal
Being mindful of and actually knowing what we eat is extremely important to understand how our body is affected and keeps us accountable. Many don’t realize or are oblivious to what they consume on a weekly or even daily basis. Maintaining a diet and food journal, even just for a short time, will keep you accountable and on top of what you reach for so that way you can adjust accordingly. If you are considering counting calories, not necessarily to lose weight but to better understand how many calories you actually consume in a day, a food journal is your ticket to logging it all down and taking the guess work out. Easy peasy!
#14 Eat smaller portions
This one seems simple enough but if you were to do one thing different, just eat a little less and portion control is so helpful in this aspect. In one sitting pasta and rice I encourage to keep to 1 cup at the most. Meat should be around the size of an orange. Greens can be up to 1 1/2 to 2 cups. Cereal and crackers should be around 1/2 cup. Cheese in one sitting should be no bigger then a 9 volt battery. Use the smaller salad/bread plate for your main meal. To help you take smaller bites and enjoy your food better use the dessert fork instead of the dinner fork.
#15 Make-ahead meals
If you are short on time or not the plan ahead type, making meals ahead of the time you eat, as in large amounts to last you the week, is a great way to have the right food ready for when you need to eat. Also, you can divide it up into smaller and appropriate servings. I like to make a simple meal of 2/3 cup rice, 1/2 cup ground beef or turkey and 1 cup frozen veggies. Put all three in a container or baggie and place in the freezer. When I need a quick meal, just grab, pop in the microwave and voila! A filling meal that has the carbs/protein/veggies already measured out. I usually do it with a medium pot of rice, 1 -2 pounds of ground meat and 2 bags of frozen veggies. For inspiring ideas the internet is a great hub for make ahead meals.
Here’s a link to meal-prep containers:
Affirm every day that these changes are possible. Write them down or visit this site every day to remind yourself of what specific changes you can make to your daily life. Eating is part of life and should be enjoyed. The journey to eating better is an opportunity to explore many new and delicious ways to experience food. Start small. Take some time to look at recipes or try new dishes at restaurants. Experiment. So much can change using different spices, marinades and various food items you may have never thought of! I have learned so many new meal ideas, soups and many others. Have a cook night with friends where everyone can make their favorite dish or something new. The possibilities are endless and all you need to do is start today. Drink your water and have faith that this will be a wonderful journey.