Hello, and welcome to my blog! I’m excited you’re here to learn about living a healthier, happier lifestyle. So most of you who follow me and read my posts know that I try to write about things that are positive and upbeat and encouraging so you can live a happier, healthier life. I try to back up what I write about with science and research……….adding in my own opinion of course. I try to give you the latest up to date info so you can make informed decisions about your fitness and nutrition journey. Please let me know if you want to see more of something or less of something and I will do my best to arrange that. So today’s blog topic is on healthy eating habits that you can start now. Let’s dive right in and see what they are.
So when we think of eating healthy, most of us only focus on the foods we eat or what to leave out, or what to add. We often forget that a major part of healthy eating starts with healthy habits. To eat more nutritious foods, you may need to change some of your daily habits. Or you might only need to tweak them a little and it’s not really as bad as you think!
Forming healthy eating habits will actually make it easier for you to eat healthy. Whether you’re trying to lose weight or just want to try and eat a healthier, balanced diet, forming these habits will help you achieve your goals. Here are my top 4 healthy eating habits that you can start now to begin your new fitness and nutrition journey. I do have others but this will get you started on the right track.
- Don’t beat yourself up! This is so important and the reason I have it first. Remember that there is no such thing as eating perfect. It’s okay to reward yourself with a pizza night with your family every once and a while. By always keeping a positive attitude about eating well and developing healthy eating habits will stop you from punishing yourself for having a slip-up or overindulging. Truth be told, crash diets have never been shown to produce long-term results anyway. They’re not sustainable, hard to follow, and restrict you from having certain foods. Instead focus on forming healthy habits that will change the way you think about eating. These small changes can make a big difference in your health and happiness long term, which is the goal.
- Eat in moderation. Moderation really is the key to success and why it’s number 2. Giving yourself the freedom to eat what you want in healthy quantities is important for your nutrition and overall wellness.
Buy less of the food you want to limit, Out of sight out of mind right? Stock up on healthy snacks in your pantry and fridge instead of the unhealthy bad stuff.
Plan. Eating in moderation involves making sure a healthy snack or meal is within reach.
- Listen to your body. You may not feel full right away after you eat, just give yourself a minute or two to digest.
“After you eat, it takes about six to eight hours for food to pass through your stomach and small intestine. Food then enters your large intestine (colon) for further digestion, absorption of water and, finally, elimination of undigested food. It takes about 36 hours for food to move through the entire colon”. https://www.mayoclinic.org/digestive-system/expert-answers/faq-20058340#:~:text=After%20you%20eat%2C%20it%20takes,move%20through%20the%20entire%20colon.
Wait a minute, back the food truck up! How long? Read it again, 36 hours! This is where fasting can really be a beneficial tool for some people which I can tell you about in another blog! Eat when you feel hungry, not when you’re bored, this is a huge one for some people. I think after Covid hit when a lot of people were working from home this became a big issue. Mindless eating when you’re not really hungry leads to high calorie intake of less nutritious foods. Eat slowly. Focus on the tastes and textures of your food. Enjoy your food rather than inhaling it! Be sure to slow down so that you can feel the hunger go away and feel a comfortable, full feeling take over.
4) Know your facts. Eating well means knowing how many nutrients you are getting from your meals. Learn to decode nutrition labels. Yes you might have to ask Robert Langdon to help you decode it but it’s worth it.
Check the ingredient label. Learn other sneaky terms for hidden sugar.
“There are at least 61 different names for sugar listed on food labels. These include common names, such as sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup, as well as barley malt, dextrose, maltose and rice syrup, among others”. https://sugarscience.ucsf.edu/hidden-in-plain-sight/#.ZDEPgXbMKUk
I hope this helps you get started on your fitness and nutrition journey. These are my top 4 however, I do have many more that I can share with you if you would like. I like to keep it short and sweet and to get people started. A lot of people don’t have time to sit there and read a whole article just on digestion, eating habits, etc. I understand that people are busy with work, family, and school and I try to respect that by just giving quick tips and ideas.
Remember…You Only Get One Body…..Make the Change!
Take Care,
Darren
Harmony Shift 