Hello beautiful,
Do you want to feel inspired to eat healthier? Well, in this post I share with you 7 tips towards healthy eating to help you prepare for a healthy week ahead.
- Shop Healthy, Eat Healthy: You are more likely to eat healthy if you buy healthy! Write a healthy meal list before you go shopping, so you can keep focused on what you need for each meal. Try and shop in the fresh produce section of the supermarket, keeping clear of the chocolate/chips isles. If the chocolates and chips don’t go in the trolley they won’t end up in your cupboards at home. Which means less temptation to consume these foods. Another suggestion is to eat before you go shopping, never shop on a empty stomach, otherwise you may end up buying snack foods on impulse. If possible try and shop at a fresh produce growers market, it is a fun way to buy your produce as you can often chat to local growers and also you are able to often find more of a variety with organic produce available as well.
- Food Prep: Prepare your meals. This is a great way to save time each day with preparing meals such as lunches. Start by preparing your lunches each week. You can do this at the beginning of the week by writing a list of what you may like to eat for lunch each day. It is a good idea to start the week with the first few days lunches prepared. In doing this, it sets you up for a healthy start to the week.
Some lunch ideas may include the following below:
- Baked sweet potato and pumpkin chickpea salad with kale and greens.
- Grilled lemon and herb chicken with boiled broccoli salad.
- Quinoa and Kale salad with boiled eggs.
- Tuna and salad sandwich on rye bread.
Some ideas for meal prep could be to cook the night prior and prepare it or have the majority of the meal prepared such as the salad mix then just cook the protein component at the time such as chicken or boil the eggs.
By preparing meals it has four benefits:
- Saves time: Meal prep is a great way to save time, as you can prepare the meals the night before instead of rushing in the morning before work and then finding you don’t have time to prepare lunch so you end up grabbing something out or on the go.
- Save money: When you prepare your lunch, it can help you with saving money as you would be less tempted to go to the local take away store to buy lunch or grab something on the go if you have your lunch and snacks already prepared. Often when you make lunch yourself it is not only nourishing but generally works out a lot cheaper then eating out.
- Healthier option: Always look for a healthier option if you are eating out. However if you have already made your lunch then it makes it easy to choose the healthy option for lunch because you already have it made. At times it may be difficult to access a healthy food store or a café with healthy options therefore with your food prep, it is perfect for choosing the healthy eating option.
- Feels Good: When you prepare your food yourself, you feel good knowing that you are nourishing your body with healthy food options you have prepared. Be proud that you are making a difference to your own healthy lifestyle choices by preparing and cooking your meals yourself.
- Fresh is best: When you eat well, you feel good! When you nourish your body with fresh fruits and vegetables you feel so much better compared to when you consume high fat sugary foods or packaged foods. Fresh is best, choose the freshest food available.
Another component of feeling good with food is the way it is cooked. Choose healthier cooking options such as grilled chicken instead of fried chicken. Boiling or steaming vegetables is also another great option.
- Portion sizes: This component is so important when it comes to the secret of eating healthy, check the portion sizes of the food you consume. Have a look at the palm of your hand, that is a good example of the size of protein such as meat or chicken that is good to be on your plate and then fill the other parts of your plate with fresh greens such as salads, steamed or boiled vegetables. Even take a look at the size of a piece of bread, they have increased in size over the years. It is important to take note about the portion size you are consuming and remember each person is different, the food portion size on a plate for a child is different to that of a adult, a person’s body size is different, the amount of energy a person burns during the day is different. All these components can determine the portion size a person may need.
- Drink plenty of water: Stay hydrated daily by drinking plenty of water. 2L of water (8 cups a day) or maybe a little more if you are exercising and losing fluids through perspiration. Make it easier to consume water by getting in the habit of carrying a drink bottle with you and refilling it throughout the day. If you work at your desk all day, have a jug of water or water bottle on your desk where you can see it and again refill it frequently. Avoid drinking sodas and pre-made juice.
- Focus on your food: When you are eating focus on your food, chew slowly and enjoy the meal, each mouthful should be nourishing and tasty. Try not to eat in front of the TV, this again will distract you. Here’s an example… have you ever eaten popcorn at the movies and then all of a sudden your hand touches the bottom of the popcorn box and you think, gee where did it all go so quickly? Because you were focusing on the movie rather than the food you may not have really enjoyed the popcorn.
7. Make the choice: Know the reasons of why it is beneficial for you to eat healthy. Make the choice yourself to live a healthy lifestyle by eating and nourishing your body well. Often if we acknowledge and know the benefits of healthy eating we are more motivated to live a healthy lifestyle. When we eat well, we feel more energized, our skin is glowing and we feel great!
I really hope these 7 tips towards healthy eating inspire you to have a healthy week.
Yours in health and wellness,
Joey
