Eat with yourself in mind
Breaking old habits and making some new ones can go a long wayto improving your diet.
Eating healthily doesn’t have to be hard. Often people make a commitment to their health and do well for a few days or a couple of weeks, but then revert back to old and generally not-so-great habits.
When you make a commitment like this, it’s important to be prepared with lots of options so you can be flexible with your choices without compromising your health.
Here are a few health and wellbeing habits you can introduce now – and remember, good things, consistently done, can produce extraordinary results.
Plan and prioritise
If you have food options at home that support your health, you are far less likely to eat the contents of the pantry in search of nourishment.
Dedicate time at the beginning of each week to plan some healthy food choices for your coming week and make sure you have the right ingredients ready and available.
Often people compromise their choices when they are hungry. There will always be obstacles, another job you need to do or a reason why you need to pick up a snack/lunch on the run, but if you are seriously committed to maintaining your health, you have to prioritise your nourishment needs.
Eat more vegetables
You can always eat more vegetables. In the rush of life, a few days can slip by where we might not have consumed enough vegetables. Establish some regular habits such as drinking a vegetable juice or green smoothie, adding a salad to your lunch, or ordering a side of vegetables when dining out.
With habits like this, you’re able to amp up your vegetable intake while still juggling the many aspects of life.
Snack on nuts
Nuts are a wonderfully nourishing snack. Raw nuts are the best nutritionally, as roasting tends to reduce some of the vitamins.
Walnuts, in particular, contain a high content of longchain plant fats that are extremely good for the heart and brain. Take some to work for morning or afternoon tea.
Eat at the table
Sitting down to eat, without distractions such as computers, mobile phones or the television, helps to create healthy eating habits.
It also means you’re less likely to overeat, as you’re able to focus on what you’re eating rather than getting distracted.
If we’re distracted while eating, we can miss the signs our body gives us to indicate it’s satisfied and doesn’t need more food.
Get some sunlight
Getting enough vitamin D is critical for optimal health. It’s especially important for our bone health and even our mood.
Aim to get outside at least once a day to take a walk and get some vitamin D. As little as 10 minutes a day can make a big difference to your vitamin D status.
I start eating and I can’t stop…
If you notice you overeat regularly, it is important to identify why. People don’t tend to do this, thinking they are going to feel great afterwards.
It usually ends up in people berating and judging themselves for eating too much, which just feeds the vicious cycle.
We are governed by how we feel and often we are looking for food to help us feel a particular emotion that we don’t otherwise feel in our lives any more. Are you looking for comfort, sweetness, to relieve boredom or another emotion?
The answers are always in the why and if you need support to get to the heart of this challenge, then I cannot encourage you enough to reach out to a professional experienced in this area.
Walnuts, in particular, contain a high content of longchain plant fats that are extremely good for the heart and brain.