My Best Tips To Eat Well (+ Simple & Healthy Meal Ideas!)
Eating healthy can be a challenge sometimes. Here's how you make it easy!
Although
my diet is far from being perfect, since I have embarked on my health journey I have changed my eating habits a lot. I could actually scream
in horror at how bad my diet was a few years ago - lots of processed
food, no consistency, and a lot of alcohol. Needless to say I am now
an actual grown up, so it has kind of helped. But I still find that
no matter how old you are, eating healthy can be very difficult. However, it is achievable by anyone - no, you don't need to be a fitness guru to eat healthy! This
post is here to give you advice on how to start eating healthier, so
keep reading for my best tips and meal ideas!
DON'T BRING UNHEALTHY FOODS AT HOME
When
you go food shopping, don't buy the unhealthy things that you could
live without, but that you would usually still buy because why not. Say no to the fizzy
drinks, the crisps, the industrial brownies full of sugar, and the
ready meals. If you don't have all those things in your house, you simply won't eat them! If it's there, you may eat it just
for the sake of it. Get rid of those foods that make you unhappy, and you won't eat them anymore.
If you're anxious about feeling deprived, you can always buy some healthy snacks to have around when you crave something. Dark chocolate, nuts, granola bars (sure they've got lots of sugar, but still much better than industrial muffins!) or sorbet. Just leave out the stuff that's bad for you. After all, if you know it's bad, why have it when there are so many delicious and healthier alternatives?
If you're anxious about feeling deprived, you can always buy some healthy snacks to have around when you crave something. Dark chocolate, nuts, granola bars (sure they've got lots of sugar, but still much better than industrial muffins!) or sorbet. Just leave out the stuff that's bad for you. After all, if you know it's bad, why have it when there are so many delicious and healthier alternatives?
COOK EASY MEALS WITH SIMPLE INGREDIENTS - IDEAS BELOW!
I'm
not a cooking person, but I do enjoy preparing healthy meals for
myself. My rule is this: I buy staple ingredients in three big
categories: protein (meat or meatless), carbs (potatoes, rice, bread)
and vegetables (frozen veg is great, but I also buy tomatoes,
peppers, cucumber every week). With a few simple ingredients, you can
create a variation of recipes that take very little time, and that
are stripped off the nasty processed stuff. The simpler, the better -
see all the photos in these posts for recipe inspo.
Sticking to simple, whole food ingredients will make meal prep easier, faster, and you will monitor more easily what you are having each day, whether you are having enough protein and fats, whether you are having too much salt or not... It's all down to you, because you know what's in your plate.
THINK ABOUT HOW DIFFERENT FOODS MAKE YOU FEEL
Eating
healthy is also about knowing how food makes you feel. You are
nourishing your body, and your body will tell you what it needs and
wants - and what it doesn't agree with too much. If you sometimes
feel bloated or uncomfortable after certain meals, think about the
possible reasons for that. It may be a food you ate, or maybe you
have lunch too fast when you are in front of the computer at work, or
maybe you don't digest milk as well and haven't realised it yet. I
would suggest keeping a note of the days when food doesn't make you
feel as good: write down what you ate, at what time, and after a few
days a pattern may stand out.
Because
we are all so busy all the time, eating becomes such a small part of
our routines that we don't pay attention to it anymore, and thus you
may miss out on why your body doesn't feel well sometimes. The more you listen to your body, the better you will know what to eat to feel your best.
HAVE A ROUTINE
Although
this may be controversial (I may be a control freak...) I do think
that having a routine really helps if you're getting started on a
healthy diet journey. More and more people meal prep these days, and
there are very little downsides to meal prepping! Although I don't
have the time and space at home to prep meals for days and days
ahead, whenever I go shopping I think about the meals I want to
prepare that week, and write down a list of exactly what I need to
buy. That is part of my routine, and it helps me buy the right foods.
Another routine you could have is to think about a typical day to plan what and when to cook. Do you eat more for lunch or dinner? Which days do you need to eat more generous meals because you work out or have a longer day at work? When do you need to prepare snacks because you're having your meal later than usual? Plan your meals in your timetable like you would plan tasks on your to-do list, and it will help you feel more in control of your stomach - and what goes into it!
FORGET THE IDEA OF CHEAT MEALS
I
hate cheat meals. The whole concept of it makes me so angry! Not only
is the phrasing of it conductor of guilt, but it also suggests the
idea that you have to restrain yourself all the time, and go all out
on that one meal - which is a pretty unhealthy thing to do in itself.
Eating healthy doesn't mean restricting yourself or eating foods you
hate. Eating healthy means finding the diet that's good for your
health and body, but also for your mind. The diet that makes you
happy and gives you the fuel you need. If you implement the idea of cheat meals, you will find yourself mindlessly craving foods just because it is cheat day, and your mind will tell you "now is the time to go crazy and have all the bad stuff, because that's what cheat meals are for." But to be healthy *and* happy, you have to find the routine that allows you to eat well, but eat what you like.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY: YOU GOTTA WORK FOR IT
The
truth is, eating healthy is difficult because like most things, it
needs to be work for. You don't wake up one morning craving
vegetables and hating sugar for the rest of your life. In the end, it
all comes back to how willing you are to put your health first - put
it before the tempting McDonald's burger, before the ice-cream-for-dinner, before the daily can of coke. Invest in your body
and save yourself some expenses too!
The
sooner you realise that you are in control of your
body and it is your lifelong job to take care of it, the better. A
healthy body, along with a healthy mind, are just what you need to
move forward, be confident with yourself, and take on all the
challenges that will come your way. So work on healthy eating like
you'd work on a job!
What are your tips to eat healthy?
Do you have any healthy meal ideas to share?
Lots of love,
Julia x
Lots of love,
Julia x
14 commentaires
Wow looks so yummy!!
ReplyDeleteJadieegosh Instagram
Thanks Jadie! xx
DeleteI love simple and quick meals. People think that cooking takes so much time but it really depends on what you're cooking. I prepare a lot of Italian dishes and they only take half an hour to prepare on average.
ReplyDeleteExactly, cooking can be very quick if you keep to simple recipes. I love Italian! xx
DeleteI struggle with eating healthy, mainly because I don't like cooking, but having kids motivates me. I want them to eat healthy and balanced, so I get in the kitchen. Or hope that Mr. Loca will be home in time to do that.
ReplyDeleteLinda, Libra, Loca: Beauty, Baby and Backpacking
Cooking can be a chore, right? We've got to build good habits though, for us and for others! xx
DeleteLove your post!
ReplyDeleteI think people are scared of cooking, without realizing how easy it is to cook. Eating healthy is very easy as well, as long as you don't have those "cheat meals" you talked about. Pasta can be healthy for example. This is what I cooked yesterday. I thought it would be nice to make Mac&Cheese on 4th July because I love it. But, instead of adding lots of cheese, I made the sauce with boiled cauliflower and lots of nutritional yeast. I've added a bit of cheese, less than 70g for 4 servings! But it had over 200g of cauliflower (raw, before boiling) in each serving. My husband loved it so much, he said he had no idea I've put cauliflower in it. With the spices and the yeast, he couldn't taste the veggie. How amazing is that. A dish that in theory is unhealthy, can be made into something really healthy and delicious at the same time. I didn't take pictures, but I'll make the dish again, so I can share it on my food blog.
That was just an example, but so many things can be made healthier. I agree with you on snacks too. I don't like granola bars, but I love those Nakd bars that are made with dried fruits and nuts. For those it doesn't even matter the sugar content, as it is from fruits.
There are great vegetarian/vegan alternatives for everything! It's easy to educated ourselves and it's a whole journey to improve our eating habits. Thanks for your comment Anca! xx
DeleteNot bringing unhealthy foods into the home is great advice; if they're not there, we're far less likely to crave them! Your healthy meals look delicious in this post Julia :)
ReplyDeleteaglassofice.com x
Exactly! Thanks Gabrielle! xx
DeleteYour peppers, egg, mushroom meal looks so vibrant & delicious! Don't bring unhealthy foods home was a game-changer for me. Also, not eating the food that people used to bring to the company break room to share (cakes, cookies, etc.) :]
ReplyDelete// Carmen
Thanks Carmen! It's so true what you say about food and snacks at work, I can never resist them but it's often so bad for our health, you're right to avoid them! xx
DeleteThese meals look awesome. I've been struggling to adjust me eating now that I'm working full time. I wake up so early that I have no time for breakfast, I definitely need to try these meals out. x
ReplyDeletewww.themakeupaficionado.com
With full time work, the key is meal prep! Online you can find a lot of easy recipes of breakfast foods you can make ahead of time and take with you to work! Good luck! xx
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