Knowing how to start eating healthy is about more than just putting down a schedule for your meals. It begins with your attitude and mental state and it develops into a full-fledged lifestyle change. The first steps are always the most difficult ones, which is why we’re going to offer a piece of advice that can make this transition so much easier.
How to Start Eating Healthy
#1 Set a Realistic Goal
When you make this kind of lifestyle switcheroo, you do it for a reason. Think over your motivation and establish whether it’s good enough to keep you going through this choice. If your only reason is eating healthier because it’s better for your life, try to strengthen it with a goal at the end of the road. Make it an opportunity to shed some pounds, for example.
#2 Observe First
For the first few days, start up a diet journal or download one of the many apps which can make this process faster. Pay attention to your eating habits: what you eat, when you eat, and how you eat. At the end of a week, read through the final observations and take note of the things you need to eliminate. Moreover, with a basic diet plan next to you, decide which foods aren’t present in your current regime and which you can implement as soon as possible.
#3 Find Alternatives
You may have trouble preparing meals with ingredients that you previously hated all of sudden. The important thing here is that you get the nutrients and vitamins beneficial to your body. Fortunately, this means that you don’t have to shove broccoli down your throat if you don’t like it. You just need to find an alternative to broccoli which provides the same kind nutritional value.
#4 Flip the Switch Slowly
As ambitious as saying “tomorrow I’ll start my 100% healthy diet” is, it’s not very realistic. It’s tough for us to suddenly ditch habits we’ve been used to for years. Instead, accept that you will transition slowly and that you won’t be eating a “whole, proper healthy diet” overnight. Start slowly, doing things such as:
- Reducing the amount of sugars/sweeteners in your coffee or tea.
- Slowly cutting down portions of bread or sweets.
- Walking past the “junk food” aisles at the supermarket.
The key is to take baby steps and to prepare for a full change in a few weeks’ due.
#5 Be Mindful of the When and How
What you eat isn’t the only thing that matters, but how and when you eat too. Try sticking to the basic eating pattern of three meals + two snacks every day. When you’re sitting down in front of your plate, eat in smaller portions. You aren’t supposed to feel filled up at the end of the meal, just sated.
Wrapping Up
Do you now know how to start eating healthy? If it seems like too big of a milestone to you, remember to take everything slowly. Once you do that, you will barely notice the change and you’ll find yourself leading a healthy lifestyle without even realizing.
