Trying To Eat Healthier? 5 Tips For A Smoother Transition
Most of us know that you are what you eat, and the healthier the foods are that you put in your body, the healthier you will be overall.
There are tons of benefits of eating a healthier diet including weight loss, more energy, better focus, better sleep, improved digestion, better skin, hair, and nails, and a reduced risk of serious diseases. Yet most of us struggle to resist the temptation of tasty yet unhealthy foods and transition to a healthier way of eating.
If you want to eat healthier but aren’t sure where to get started, keep these tips in mind.
Find Healthier Versions of Your Favorite Meals
A common misconception with eating healthy food is that you have to live off salads. That simply isn’t true. In fact, there are several ways to make your favorite meals a lot healthier, without having to give up the food that you really enjoy. For example, a burger can be made a lot healthier by making your own patty with reduced-fat ground mince and using wholegrain instead of white bread.
Remember that eating healthier doesn’t need to mean that you’re restricting your diet, but rather being smarter about the food choices that you make.
Upgrade Your Kitchen Equipment
Treating yourself to some new kitchen equipment could be the push that you need to get started cooking healthier meals for yourself. The allure of stainless steel skillets and frying pans will motivate you to get in the kitchen and try out some new healthy recipes. After all, cooking is always much more fun when it’s easy to do, so invest in some high-quality equipment rather than struggling with cheap pots and pans.
Get a Slow Cooker
If you struggle to find the time to cook yourself healthier foods, a slow cooker will be your best friend. These handy pieces of kit are perfect for making healthy curries, stews, soups, and more and you will be spoiled for choice with all the amazing recipes available. They are the ideal choice for people who work long hours since all you need to do is take 10-15 minutes to prepare your food, put it all in the slow cooker, and leave it to cook on low heat all day. Some slow cookers can be set to automatically switch off at a certain time to make things even easier for you.
Get Healthy Snacks
Some people prefer to eat three solid meals a day while others are more snackers and tend to eat smaller portions more frequently. While there’s nothing wrong with eating little and often or a little bit of snacking between meals, it’s more about the quality of the foods that you snack on. Filling up with crisps or candy is not ideal if you’re eating healthy, nutritious main meals.
Prepare healthy snacks like nuts, dried fruit, fresh fruit, yogurt, granola bars, protein cookies, or carrot sticks for when you need that energy boost.
Watch Your Drinks
Eating is just one part of the equation when it comes to transitioning to a healthier diet – what you drink can also have a huge effect on the number of calories that you consume. Sodas and even fruit juices have a higher sugar content than you might realize, so it’s important to be mindful of what you are drinking, too. The best thing to drink is plain water, but if you struggle to transition you may want to flavor it with cold infusion teabags or fresh fruit.
If you drink a lot of soda, transitioning to sugar-free soda and gradually reducing the amount you drink will make it easier for you to switch.
Finally, remember that eating healthier is all about moderation rather than restricting yourself. So, don’t feel bad about allowing yourself a treat now and again.
