5 Ways to Start Eating Healthier
Cleaning up your diet can be a daunting task. Where do you start? What do you eat? What foods do you avoid? All of these are pretty loaded questions, but here are 5 things you can start doing today that will put you on the road to healthy eating.
1. Eat Whole Foods
The first and best thing you can do to eat healthy, is eat whole foods. I'm talking about fruits, vegetables, meats, and grains. Everything you see pictured above is a perfect example of what a whole food is. Whole foods contain a ton of healthy micronutrients that are essential for your body to function properly. Eating whole foods will give you energy and aid in your weight loss goals.
2. Shop the Perimeter of the Grocery Store
Have you ever noticed that all grocery stores essentially look the same? That is, all the produce, deli, meats, fish, and dairy products are on the perimeter of the store. Aisles in the middle contain processed foods that are generally not healthy for you. Making sure to stock up on fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, dairy, and healthy grains will surely put you on the path to success with your nutrition goals.
3. Control Portion Sizes
It is very easy to think that just because a certain food is "healthy" that eating more of it is OK. The bottom line is, weight gain is achieved by consuming more calories than you are burning. It doesn't matter where the calories come from. Controlling your portion sizes is an easy way to keep your caloric intake in check. A great guide to doing this is Precision Nutrition's Calorie Control Guide. This guide shows you how to use your hand to estimate portion sizes for your meals.
4. Limit Refined Sugars
Yes, I called you out on it. Get rid of all those sugary drinks you have in your hand! Opt for no calorie drinks instead. You will be surprised at how many calories you drink on a daily basis. That grande Starbucks drink is probably costing you about 300 calories a day. I have always lived by "I'd rather eat my calories than drink them." It can be hard to give up something you enjoy, but after sticking it out a week, you will be surprised at how much you don't miss it. A key hormone in weight loss is insulin, and if you keep spiking those insulin levels with all that sugar you are drinking, you will not meet your weight loss goals.
5. Meal Prep
Yes, the ever-so-popular meal prepping theory. I'm here to tell you, it absolutely works. I don't know how many times having a ready prepped meal has saved me from eating junk food. Eating food you have made yourself is the best type of nutrition you can have. Read this guide on how to meal prep efficiently before you start. Meal prepping can take just a few hours in one day, but can save you even more time and a whole lot of calories later in the week.
What things do you do to eat healthy? What healthy recipes are your "go-to"?
