How many of you made a New Year’s resolution to start eating healthier?
While New Year’s is a great time to make positive changes in your life, why did you wait until New Year’s?
Or are you starting next week?
Or are you starting tomorrow?
Why not today? Because the best time to change your life is right now. Nothing’s stopping you but you. To help you get started, here’s some healthy eating advise you can start following today.
First, here’s the biggest key to successfully eat healthier. Don’t eat as much. Seriously. That’s it. Unless you’re a world-class athlete, you don’t need to eat like Michael Phelps. Consider what you normally eat at any given meal, cut out about 25% of it and you’ll be on your way to a healthier lifestyle.
Paleo. Keto. Adkins. The main thing all of these highly popular diets have in common is that they focus on foods that are high in protein like meats, fish and whole grains. Protein helps build and maintain lean muscle. Plus, it helps reduce your appetite and keeps your hunger in check.
There’s a reason your mom always told you to eat your fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are loaded with the nutrients and vitamins that your body needs to maintain health and they’re naturally low in calories. Eat them first and you’ll cut down on your caloric intake while providing the fiber needed to keep your digestive system in peak shape.
While carbohydrates are a great source of energy, if you’re not maintaining an active lifestyle, they can eventually lead to obesity. You see, the body breaks carbs down to burn as energy. But if you’re not burning them, they get stored as fat which can build up over time. Cut back on the carbs to give your body less opportunity to store them for later.
How you cook is just as important as what you cook. We can’t argue with the fact that fried foods are delicious. But cooking your food in hydrogenated oils add unnecessary calories and fat to your diet. For healthier prep options, cook your food by roasting, broiling, boiling or baking.
Remember when you were a kid and your parents told you to clean your plate? The problem is that most times, that plate was too big and so were the portions. The same holds true today. Switch to a smaller plate and you can reduce your portion amounts while still enjoying all of your favorite foods.
Let’s be honest. Most of us love food. And why shouldn’t we? It’s delicious. But what’s the point of eating it if you’re not going to take the time to enjoy it. Slow down. Eat your food deliberately and leisurely and you’ll get more out of the experience. Plus, you allow your body time to tell you that you’re getting full or satisfied. And it’s okay to indulge from time to time. Just look at Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his legendary cheat days. Just don’t cheat like him unless you’re prepared to work out like him, too.
The best foods for a healthier lifestyle are the most natural foods. Check out the ingredient label of your favorite food. If you can’t pronounce the majority of the ingredients, then you know it’s been heavily processed. Go with choices that have more natural ingredients and fewer chemicals.
Did you know that your body is composed of approximately 50-60% water? Water is used by every cell, tissue and organ in your body. It’s one of the keys to life. Without it, we couldn’t exist. Plus, water flushes waste from your body, aids in digesting and nutrient absorption and helps you lose weight by satisfying hunger. For best results, we believe for every pound you weigh, you should drink around a half ounce of water each day.
Making these kinds of changes to your daily eating habits isn’t always easy. Habits are habits for a reason. But you can do it. All it takes is a little self-control and a little will-power and soon enough, these changes can change your life for the better.
To find out more about creating healthy eating habits, call us for an appointment.
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