Eating a healthy, balanced diet is essential for maintaining good health and well-being. In this blog post, we’ll share our top healthy eating tips for incorporating nutritious meals into your daily routine. From healthy snacks to meal planning, we’ve got you covered.
It can be a challenge to get your nutrition in, especially with a decline in nutrient levels in our foods.
At Lauren’s Caterers, we believe that healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring or bland, and with that in mind, we came up with 10 healthy eating tips that tackle how to eat healthy food everyday.
Tips on How to Start Eating Healthy
All of our healthy eating tips revolve around one main habit – consistency. Try to make healthy eating a habit by incorporating nutritious foods into your meals and snacks every day. Start by setting small goals, such as adding a serving of vegetables to your lunch or swapping out sugary drinks for water. Over time, these healthy habits will become second nature.
Of course, at the start it is more about making sure it is a sustainable habit, you don’t want to go too hard too fast! Some people can just go cold turkey on their old ways, but the rest of us need to make sure we are still remaining satisfied. So keep these healthy eating tips in mind.
1. Treat Yourself in Moderation
Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to give up all your favourite treats. In fact, by removing all the fun stuff from your life you are much more likely to break the healthy eating habit and binge all at once!
Occasionally eating unhealthy foods might not be one of the healthy eating tips you were expecting, but making sure you can live your life and enjoy yourself is definitely a tip for a happier mind.
Of course, ‘falling off the wagon’ is completely human and we all do it, we shouldn’t feel shame for indulging (what’s the point of living otherwise right?!). It’s all about recognising your eating patterns, and making sure you get back on healthy eating.
The biggest mistake is exacerbating a bad eating situation, thinking ‘Well I’ve already had the one might as well have another’. In the grand scheme of things, that one takeaway, that one tub of ice cream, whatever it is, is just a drop in the ocean.
If you have the willpower and the foresight to recognise it’s just a one-off, you can return to healthy eating without the guilt, and without any big repercussions.
Just be sure to enjoy them in moderation. For example, if you’re craving something sweet, try a small piece of dark chocolate instead of a candy bar. If that doesn’t scratch the itch, don’t beat yourself up for overindulging once in a while.
2. Get Your Protein Fix
Although as healthy eating tips go you might expect this one on a bodybuilding page, but prioritising protein helps you in many ways. Due to protein’s complex structure, it takes longer to break down than fats and sugars, making you feel full for longer.
Protein is a building block for your body and repair, not a fuel. This means that when it is digested, the body puts it to use instead of storing it. What calorie counting doesn’t take into account is the energy your body uses through digesting, breaking down, and using protein. As a rough guideline, 30% of your protein-calorie intake is used in this process.
So not only does protein help your body, but it also counts as less towards your daily calorie count.
If your aiming to gain muscle mass, a good goal is 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body mass.
Protein is essential for building and repairing tissues in the body. Good sources of protein include lean meats, fish, beans, and tofu. Try to incorporate protein into every meal to help keep you feeling full and satisfied.
Don’t Skimp on Healthy Fats Healthy fats, such as those found in avocados, nuts, and olive oil, are important for brain function and can help lower cholesterol levels. Aim to incorporate healthy fats into your diet in moderation.
3. Choose Nutrient-Dense Foods
Nutrient-dense foods are those that pack a lot of nutrients into a small number of calories. Examples include leafy greens, berries, nuts, and seeds. Incorporating these foods into your diet can help ensure that you’re getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs.
Eating these nutrient-dense foods often is one of the best healthy eating tips you can come across – keeping your body rich in nutrients will make sure your body is functioning correctly.
4. Focus on Whole Grains
Whole grains are an excellent source of fibre, which can help keep you feeling full and satisfied. Examples of whole grains include brown rice, quinoa, and whole-wheat bread. Aim to make at least half of your grains whole grains.
The current advice is to aim for 30 grams of fibre a day.
Eating plenty of fibre is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer.
One of the most productive healthy eating tips we can give you is a tracker. There are a variety of free or paid-for apps that can help you track your daily fibre intake as well as all other macronutrients and calories. The most famous is probably MyFitnessPal, but with recent changes in the free model (removing barcode scanning), I’d recommend using LoseIt! which has plenty of functionality in the free version.
5. Incorporate Plenty of Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals, and fibre. Aim to incorporate a variety of colours and types into your diet. One of the more visually appealing healthy eating tips is to try and eat the rainbow every day. Add some sweetcorn for some yellow, peppers for some red, onion for some purple, you get the idea.
Pad up your meals with an extra fruit or vegetable here and there, your body will thank you. Try adding sliced bananas to your oatmeal or spinach to your smoothies.
6. Swap Out Processed Foods for Whole Foods
Processed foods are simply foods that have been altered in some way during the preparation, such as freezing, canning, baking or drying.
Processed foods are often high in calories, sugar, and unhealthy fats. Try swapping out processed foods for whole foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains.
Whole foods will not have any chemical alterations to prolong the food, which can have side effects and generally be a negative factor contributing to your overall health.
7. Plan Ahead for Success
Planning your meals ahead of time can help you stay on track with your healthy eating goals. When you plan your meals, you can ensure that you’re getting all the nutrients you need and avoid impulse eating. Consider preparing your meals in advance, so you have healthy options on hand when you’re short on time.
Make a time each week that makes sense for you to plan your meals. If you live with others, this can be a good group activity so you’re all on the same page and can look forward to meals together. Can’t go wrong with Mexican night every Thursday for instance!
8. Snack Smartly
Healthy snacks can help keep you fueled and energized throughout the day. One of the easier healthy eating tips is to try snacking on things like fresh fruit, veggie sticks with hummus, or a handful of nuts, in place of processed foods.
If you’re looking to stay full in between meals without taking up too much of your daily TDEE, try high-volume low-calorie snacks.
Too often, snack foods are built around being extremely tasty and easy to eat. How fast does a chocolate bar disappear? And it does anything but fill you up!
By prioritising food that has a large serving size, takes a while to eat, but also has a low-calorie value, you can control your hunger and eat in a more healthy way.
Make sure your snacks are ready to be eaten wherever you may be!
Conclusion – Healthy Eating Tips You Can Act on Now!
Incorporating these healthy eating tips into your daily routine can have a big impact. More energy, less bloating, and generally just a better day-to-day life!
We know how important it is to enjoy eating and not feel like these healthy eating tips are a chore, so find foods that work best for you and your body type. This might take some trial and error, but over time you will find a form of healthy eating that suits you.
And no, we don’t think you should never touch a chocolate bar again. You can have a healthy body but if your head is miserable, then there’s a middle ground to be struck somewhere.
If you need any more advice or want to hire our services to deliver tasty and fresh food your way, don’t hesitate to contact us!
