You've made the commitment to start eating healthier. Check out these 4 easy changes that will get you eating healthier today.
Before you dive into a complete overhaul of your diet, STOP.
My number one recommendation…
Pick one thing you want to change and build that into your lifestyle before moving on. If you’re anything like me you may start thinking of all the “things” you’re going to change. Start eating 4 servings of veggies every day, drinking more water, exercise several times a week, ditching the soda, fast food etc etc. You may be able to stick with this for a day or two. Most of us will not be able to sustain this much change all at once.
Trust me. Try to avoid this temptation. I know you’re excited to get started. We’ll get there. Let’s just take it one step at a time.
Before you begin making changes to start eating healthier, take a look at where you are today.
Here are a few questions you can ask yourself.
- How much water do I drink daily?
- How many servings of fruits and vegetables do I eat daily?
- Am I eating a mix of protein, carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables and healthy fats?
- How often do I eat at restaurants?
- Does stress trigger me to eat when I'm not hungry?
- Am I an evening snacker or does the kitchen "close" after dinner?
TIP: If you can track your meals and water intake for a couple of days that will give you an excellent picture of your starting point.
Here we go. 4 easy changes to get you started eating healthier.
Drink More Water
Most of us do not drink enough water. At a minimum, we should drink 1/2 our body weight in ounces of water.
For example, if you weigh 150 lbs, your minimum water intake should be 75 ounces of water. If you live in a warm climate or exercise, you’ll want to drink even more. I like to drink about double the minimum.
Let’s say this is the change you want to implement first and you are currently drinking about 40 ounces of water a day and the minimum for you is 75 ounces.
Increase your water intake by 4- 8 ounces per day until you reach 75 ounces consistently.
Here are some of my tricks for drinking more water.
- Add fruit like strawberries, orange slices to add flavor
- Combine drinking water with other actions. For example, drink a bottle of water on commute to the office.
- Set an alarm on your phone to drink water.
- Take larger gulps of water vs sips. You can easily drink 4 - 6 ounces at one time.
- Drink 8 - 16 ounces when you first get up in the morning or while you're getting ready for work.
Add another serving of vegetables
Not a veggie lover? Me neither.
Here’s what I did to go from never eating a vegetable to eating 4 servings most days.
I started by adding in one serving at a time.
Add veggies to a smoothie
One of the easiest ways to get more veggies is to “bury” them in a smoothie. My favorite veggie to use is spinach. You can also try kale, cauliflower, cucumbers etc.
Although green veggies, like spinach, will turn your smoothie green (something I had to get used to), you cannot taste it especially if you also add 1/2 banana.
Try eating your veggies raw
I personally prefer raw veggies over cooked. You can put them in salads or eat them by themselves as a snack. I get an extra serving of vegetables by eating 10 baby carrots along with an apple and almonds as a mid morning snack.
Start with a veggie you know you like
If you aren’t eating any vegetables (which was me at one time), start by just adding in one serving a day. Do you have a favorite veggie, like carrots? If so, start with what you know you like. Then, you can start to venture out and try new ones.
Swap out a processed carbohydrate for one with more fiber.
Carbs have gotten a bad wrap in recent years. AND, although most of us eat far more carbs than we need, carbs are not bad in and of themselves.
I get asked on a regular basis if I eat any carbs. The reaction is always the same – one of complete surprise. I get approximately 40% of my calories from carbs.
Carbs give me energy. Our bodies do not all react the same so listen to your body.
Before you throw out all carbs though, the key is to eat the right carbs and avoid the highly processed carbs.
Tip: Fruits and vegetables have carbs so eating a carb free diet is impossible if you want to eat healthy and provide your body with the nutrients it needs.
Here are some of my favorite healthy carbohydrates.
- Oatmeal
- Sweet potato or yam
- Brown rice
- Whole grain breads and pasta
Limit processed sugar
Do you know how much sugar you are eating?
Start checking nutrient labels. If you’re like me, you’ll be surprised at how much sugar is in foods you would not consider as “sweet” ie. pasta sauce.
You can usually find a brand that is lower in sugar and you most likely won’t even notice in the taste.
A good rule of thumb is to keep sugar at 7g or less per serving. Remember, that is a general guideline for your every day meals. If you’re having a”treat”, it may have more sugar. That’s ok. I just don’t recommend eating that “treat” every day.
Start with one of these 4 easy changes and you’ll be on the road to eating healthier.
TIP: Always remember the goal is moderation and finding what works for your lifestyle. None of us want to be on a DIET and left feeling deprived.