Our eating habits are the everyday building blocks that make up our diets. And because diet plays a significant role in the total health of your body and mind, your eating habits are actually fundamental elements of creating a healthy lifestyle for yourself.
Unfortunately, thanks to the wide availability of low quality processed foods, it’s easy to make bad choices that turn into bad dietary habits. All hope isn’t lost, though. There are also relatively simple ways to combat these bad habits and steer yourself toward healthier decisions. These nine good eating habits are simple, effective and will help you take control of your health and diet.
Source: NDAB Creativity/Shutterstock
- Notice how food makes you feel.
The foods you eat are one of the biggest factors in how you feel throughout the day. The simple act of monitoring what you eat and how you feel after you eat it can give you a lot of clues about how your body handles different foods. It might be something as basic as noticing that you have more energy after eating a salad for lunch, or it might tell you other things you didn’t know. If you notice that, for example, the list of foods that give you digestive trouble are the same as foods to avoid with IBS, you might want to think about whether you have other IBS symptoms.
- Keep a food diary.
Another way to develop more aware and intentional eating habits is to keep a food diary. Write down everything you eat and drink for a day, including when you ate it and (if you want) how you felt afterward. Don’t feel obligated to count calories — but after seeing every meal written down, you just might get curious about how many you’re eating! Meal tracking apps offer an easy way to get started, and as a bonus, many of them include features like calorie counters and macronutrient trackers.
- Eat more slowly.
Try to be conscious of how quickly you’re eating. People’s natural enthusiasm for food often leads them to wolf down their food, but this can have all kinds of negative effects, from overeating to potential choking hazards. How to slow down when you want to chow down? Experts have lots of tips, including putting your fork down between bites, chewing more thoroughly, drinking water with your meal and not doing screen-based activities like watching TV or scrolling social media while eating.
- If you suffer from IBS, look into FODMAP sensitivity.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common ailment that can make eating a lot less pleasant and severely harm your relationship with your food. If you have symptoms of IBS, talk to your doctor about them and ask whether you might benefit from a low-FODMAP diet. (What is FODMAP? A group of compounds found in many foods that can trigger IBS symptoms.) Plenty of options exist for IBS sufferers, like low-FODMAP food delivery plans, so get a medical professional’s advice and evaluate your options for a healthy diet without FODMAPs.
- Always make a grocery list.
Going to the grocery store without a list is a perfect way to end up with a cart full of junk food you bought on impulse. Before you head to the store, plan out some meals you want to make and write down every ingredient on your list. Many people even plan which healthy snacks they’ll buy to avoid giving in to the temptation of junk. Lastly, try to avoid going shopping when you’re hungry. Studies have shown that it makes people spend more on high-calorie foods.
Source: PHOTOCREO Michael Bednarek/Shutterstock
- Drink more water.
Water is a crucial part of a healthy diet. In addition to its numerous other health benefits for your mind and body, drinking water can actually help you feel more full and stimulate your metabolism — two things that can be very helpful for losing weight and eating healthy. It’s also a much healthier choice than sugary sodas or sports drinks when you need to quench your thirst. If you don’t love the taste of plain water, try doing some fruit and herb infusions into your water, or use old classics like a squirt of lemon juice.
- Prep your meals.
Our busy lives are a great reason to reach for convenient, unhealthy food. Meal prep makes it so you always have something tasty and healthy on hand that’s ready to go. The premise is simple: Take time one or two days a week to make big batches of a healthy meal and portion them out into food containers that you can grab next time you’re hungry. Find a couple of recipes you like and rotate them, and now you’ve got a repertoire of meals that will nourish your body without requiring you to cook dinner after a hard day’s work.
- Use smaller plates when eating.
The brain is surprisingly easy to trick sometimes, and plate sizes are a great example. Put the same serving size of food on a small plate and a large plate, and it’ll probably look a whole lot bigger when placed on the smaller one. This can help you feel like you’ve eaten more and avoid going back for seconds. Get a couple of small plates and try it for a few days. You just might find that you’ve got more leftovers and that you feel less full and bloated after a meal.
- Incorporate more veggie meals into your diet.
Getting the benefits of a plant-based diet doesn’t require as much commitment as you might expect. You don’t have to go vegetarian or vegan — in fact, the Meatless Monday campaign encourages people to skip meat just once a week to improve their health, save money and reduce their environmental impact. Diets like the flexitarian diet can help you gradually increase the percentage of your eating that’s plant-based while still giving you the savory and satisfying flavors that you want.
