If you actually write down what you eat each day, you’ll likely drop your jaw in horror. We never think to add that little snack-sized candy bar here and the 2 biscuits together to actually see the huge impact it has on our diet. When it comes to our diet, the best way to lead a healthy lifestyle is to eat more fruits and vegetables. We all know it, so why do we go to the potato chip island at the grocery store instead of the produce section?
Basically it depends. Junk food whets our appetite and leaves us wanting more. Ever wonder why eating a little innocent Cheez-it makes you eat half a pack? A taste triggers your body to want to keep eating. Well, if you could condition yourself to do this with red grapes, we could achieve this healthy lifestyle. It can be difficult to do this, but not impossible. Here are 5 ways to condition yourself to choose healthier snacks.
Healthy Eating Habits #1: Out of sight, out of mind
If you don’t have junk food in your kitchen, you won’t eat it. It is really that easy. I’m the kind of person who needs something to eat while watching my late night movie and I tend to snap at the bad stuff. The only time I can’t is when I can’t. Do your grocery shopping right after a big meal so you don’t hunger for bad food, you hunger for good food. Leave the store with no junk food, but plenty of fruit and veg. Your wallet and stomach will thank you in the long run.
Healthy Eating Habits #2: Add fruits and veggies to your meals
Sometimes it’s not easy to sit down with some strawberries without the chocolate dip. You long for something bad. This is the trigger food calling to you, but you don’t have to answer. Cut the strawberries into small pieces and put them in a cereal bowl. Throw in some blueberries and raisins. Just remember to use skim milk and keep the sugar in the cupboard. Fruit has enough natural sweetness on its own. Think of it as a natural candy.
When was the last time you got excited about dipping carrot and celery sticks with no sauce? Probably never, but that doesn’t mean you never will. Add them to a small salad if you want a snack. No, you can’t drown everything in greasy blue cheese dressing. That’s the same as dip, isn’t it? A bit of vinagrette dressing is what your mind should be thinking about.
Healthy Eating Habits #3: Make a compromise
When you follow the American diet, your taste buds are now craving foods high in salt and sugar. Quitting is almost never successful when done cold. People think they need to stop all the bad stuff at once, and 3 days later they burn out and go back to bad habits. Being healthy doesn’t mean giving up the foods you love. If you want pizza, eat a slice with a bowl of fruit salad instead of french fries. If you want Cheeze-Its, eat a handful with a handful of grapes instead of half a Cheez-It box. Go for it and slowly change your eating habits for the better.
Healthy Eating Habits #4: Fill up on fluids
We often confuse hunger with thirst. You think you’re starving until you drink a nice, refreshing glass of water. Then your stomach will feel a little fuller and you haven’t added more calories to your waistline. If you think about drinking fluids fairly often, you’ll probably find that you don’t even think about being hungry anymore. So the next time you’re worried about ordering too much fettuccine alfredo at your favorite Italian, drink a large glass of water before ordering. You might want to pass that on for a nice crunchy salad with shrimp or chicken.
Healthy Eating Habits #5: Take a dietary supplement
Sometimes we’re busy in our lives and we may have the best of intentions to eat healthy but can’t always find healthy foods to eat. Unfortunately, most vending machines do not offer carrot and celery sticks. One way to get around this is to take a daily supplement that gives you all the nutrients you would get if you ate lots of fruits and vegetables. That doesn’t mean you should take them and eat Snickers bars all day, mind you. Junk is still junk.
Eating fruits and vegetables may not be something you are used to, but like anything else, it takes some getting used to. Use the tips above to ease the transition, but don’t think like a scammer. Scammers never succeed and if it were easy everyone would be walking around fit and fit. Living a healthy lifestyle means making healthy choices. The more often you do it, the healthier you will be.
Thanks to William Winch
