Children learn best by example, right?
But sometimes we might question how much they’re really soaking up. Sure, we can tell them things or explain things to them; but the lesson will stick better when we show them. This applies to so many areas of life, including our habits.
We all have our good and bad habits, I know I have my fair share of bad habits in addition to the good ones. Though I’d like to think that the good outweighs the bad. It is up to us to choose whether or not we want healthy eating habits incorporated to our daily lives. Here are 10 healthy eating habits to start today.
Maybe you’re already doing some of them or all of them and that’s great! Maybe you’re only doing one or two and that’s great too! All it takes is a step or two in the right direction.
When we view healthy eating habits as a choice and not something that has been forced upon us, we have the power to incorporate those healthy eating habits into the next year. With power and freedom to choose, healthy eating habits can simply be our everyday eating habits and not something we will ever have to think about again.
10 Healthy Eating Habits That You Can Start Today
1. Add something new to your diet. Sometimes we think that dieting is all about taking something out of your diet. However, if you try to add something new to your diet every day, you will not feel as though you are missing anything. Try a new fruit or vegetable that you have never tried before.
2. Eat a good breakfast. Partaking in a good breakfast high in fiber and incorporating whole grains will keep you full and fit for the entire day. If you are concerned about cholesterol, an egg white frittata can fill the bill.
3. Snack yourself to healthy. Often times, we look to decrease our intake of calories and forget that the point of staying healthy is not to starve ourselves but to nourish ourselves. Snacking in-between meals (healthy snacking of course) is the way to keep your metabolism up and running.
4. Increase your fluid intake. For some women, water does not go down very well. Try different variations of liquid beverages until you find the one that is right for you. Sometimes simply adding fruits such as orange, lemon, or lime to your water will give you the added flavor you desire. Even green tea with honey added to it can make the difference.
5. Mix it up a little bit. If you get bored with salad, feel free to be creative. Creating a different salad for every day of the week is easy when you mix it up a little bit. Adding things like hard-boiled eggs, broiled chicken, garbanzo beans and anything else you can think of can give the standard salad a pick-me-up.
Cranberries and oranges are wonderful additions to a tossed salad. I also like to add avocado to my salad for some healthy fat.
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6. Watch the clock. Be aware of time management when it comes to healthy eating habits. Once you have finished dinner, have whatever snack or cup of tea that you desire shortly thereafter. It’s even okay to have hot cocoa once in a while, but be sure not to have anything at all too close to bedtime. And if you’re a coffee drinker, try to have your last cup of regular/caffeinated coffee before noon.
7. A little preparation goes a long way. By preparing a few simple items on a Sunday afternoon, you can make your healthy eating habits a breeze. An egg white vegetable quiche can be sliced into smaller portions and eaten for breakfast on the go during the week.
Broiling a chicken breast and adding tomato, lettuce, and fat-free mayo can be lunch two to three times per week. This will help you resist the urge to buy something “quick” on the run. It is healthy and you prepared it. You save time, money, and eat healthy all at the same time.
8. Do not deprive yourself. Everyone craves a treat once in a while so do not deprive yourself. Just be picky about what you choose. Denying yourself will only make you eat the whole pie instead of just a piece. Dark chocolate is a healthy treat that offers mood boosters and important vitamins and minerals. It does not hurt that it tastes great too.
9. Incorporate exercise into your healthy eating habits. While exercise is not a healthy eating habit per say, one without the other just will not work. Exercise does not have to be something you dive into at full speed. Starting off slowly, perhaps power walking with a friend, is all the momentum you will need to get and keep this healthy habit in place.
10. Grab a partner. Sometimes when we set off to do something alone, we find it hard to keep motivated. Incorporating a healthy eating habit partner into your plan will allow you to have someone you have to be accountable to as well.
By incorporating these 10 healthy eating habits into your daily routine, you will see how fast these habits become second nature.
Kori
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This is all great information. I really need to get my act together!
“Often times, we look to decrease our intake of calories and forget that the point of staying healthy is not to starve ourselves but to nourish ourselves.” Oh, how I wish more people understood that! There are so many myths and trends out there when it comes to healthy living, thank you so much for laying it out there nice & simple. Awesome tips!
I think I”m going to start with having a salad of a different variety every day. I need to give up my pop, but I’m just not ready. I do think I will take your suggestion to add water. Maybe I can sit both the pop and water on my desk next to each another and be more likely to drink the water that way.
I think the key one for me there is to not deprive myself. I find that if I let myself have a spoon or forkful of whatever dessert I’m dying to have, it’s enough. That first bite is always the best anyhow, right? When I’ve denied myself over the years, I’ve gone off the rails eventually.
Starting small is always key – and always eating breakfast so you’re not prone to pigging out as soon as you get to work/the office, etc.
Prepping food ahead of time has always helped me tremendously. But most of the time I don’t do it, and of course – I fall behind lol :/
I definitely agree with your tips and they are actually very simple enough. One of the things that has worked for me is trying real hard to avoid to be tempted by sugar and sweets. I won’t even them if I don’t see them. LOL! Thanks for sharing !
All sounds really great and reasonable to me! I eat as healthy as I can but can do more to be a little better!
These are all such great ideas. For me, hydration and having my hubby on board with me is key. And meal planning for the entire week so I know exactly what to get at the store so I don’t get sidetracked and order pizza.
Great tips to start with! I love salads too but being a vegetarian sometimes it does get a little boring, so I love to get creative. One of my favorite things to add to salads to make them more filling is some brown rice that I had prepared earlier in the week! Yummy!
All such great tips! Do not deprive yourself is a biggie. I try to keep the most healthy sort of snacks on hand so when we want to cheat we have things at our disposal. It is great to have a partner that helps you too.
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