Strategies for Healthy Eating
Let’s break it down and keep things simple:
Don’t rely on willpower. Avoid creating temptations. Instead of buying chips/cookies at the store and trying to stay away when you get home, don’t buy them. Rather than leaving baked goods out on the counter where you encounter a visual reminder each time you walk past the kitchen, put them away in a covered cabinet. There is no need to create greater need for strong willpower!
Stop forbidding foods. As humans, it is totally natural for us to want the very things we know we can’t/shouldn’t have. Don’t label foods as “bad” or “off-limits”. Rather, realize that almost any food can be worked into a balanced pattern of healthy eating via moderation and pairing with adequate physical activity. Refusing to label foods as “bad” will also help you to feel less guilty after eating such treats.
Place obstacles between you and temptation. This point kind of reverts pack to tip #1, but it’s so important that I just had to reiterate it. Examples include: having to drive to the store for junk food when you opt to not keep it in the house, having to open the cabinet and reach for sweet treats that you put on the top shelf (rather than keeping them easily accessible on the counter), having to get all the food back out of the fridge to get seconds of dinner since you put the extra food away after making your plate of appropriate portion sizes, having to get the bag of chips back down from the cabinet since you only took out 1 portion-size worth, having to brush your teeth twice if you choose to eat after dinner (since you were diligent in brushing your teeth directly after the meal)…I could go on and on here!
Remove obstacles between you and healthy foods. If you don’t like chopping veggies, either buy them pre-chopped (they are not more expensive if you ended up eating them, rather than tossing the non-chopped veggies that you didn’t get around to preparing for consumption) or chop them right when you get home from the store. Keep no-/low-sodium frozen veggies on-hand for times when your fresh supply runs out. Prep food in advance so that you don’t have to stop to prepare a meal in a moment when you are starving and READY TO EAT! Plenty more examples to be shared here as well.
Eat with healthy friends. Eating is very much a social activity. If you eat with friends who make healthy food choices, you are much more likely to do the same. Social support is hugeee when undertaking any behavior change, and pursuing healthy eating habits is no different! 😊
Simple enough, right? Keep these tips in mind as you go through your next week. I would love to hear which tip(s) work best for you!