Maybe you’ve had a healthy lifestyle in the past and somehow got off track, or maybe you’re starting from scratch; either way, transitioning your diet to be healthier can be difficult. After all, you’re changing daily habits, and those aren’t so easy to alter. Here are a few tips to help you transition your eating habits successfully.
Slow and steady wins the race
If you look back over your lifetime, you’ve slowly formed the eating habits that have gotten you where you are today. These habits aren’t going to magically change overnight. Ease into these new habits slowly to keep from yo-yo dieting. Slowly cut out the foods that you know aren’t a part of the healthy lifestyle you desire, and one by one add in more healthy alternatives. You’ll get better results long term.
Change your focus
So many people try and fail at healthy eating because they’re focused on all the foods they can’t have instead of all the new foods they’re introducing. Knowing that a favorite food is on the “no” list can leave many feeling deprived, making the habit changes even more difficult to stick to. Look at all the new foods, recipes, and flavors you get to explore, expanding your diet to find healthier things you really enjoy. You’ll probably find several things you love that you had never tried before, and new, healthier ways to fix some of your staples that really do taste amazing. For example, a simple substitution of whole wheat or protein-based pasta for white can make your spaghetti night a little healthier without changing the overall flavors significantly.
Try new recipes
With thousands of recipes at your fingertips online, there is most definitely a way to make healthy eating tasty. Websites and apps like Pinterest and All Recipes are overflowing with healthier versions of some of your favorites as well as completely new things to try. They also allow you to save and organize all of your favorite recipes for easy access, so when you find something that you really enjoy, you’ll have the recipe handy anytime.
Remove temptation
When you’re transitioning into healthy eating, the last thing you need is temptation staring you in the face at every turn. While it may be difficult, if you’re the only one in the family attempting to eat healthier, don’t purchase foods that can cause you to go off track. Have a discussion with your family as to why there will no longer be chocolate or pastries around, and set rules and boundaries around what’s to be bought. Leave a big bowl of fruit out on the counter and yogurt and veggie snacks at the front of the refrigerator. Keeping those healthier snack options at the ready can keep you from going off track.
Listen to your body
You may be used to mindless snacking, more so out of boredom than true hunger. So before you grab a snack, even if it’s healthy, ask yourself “am I really hungry?” Drink a glass of water and check in with yourself again to see if you’re truly hungry. If the answer is yes, grab that healthy snack. It’s just important that you start to recognize whether your hunger is true or if it’s just a feeling you get out of boredom or a daily habit.
It’s all about balance
The key to any long-term diet change is balance. While you want to make sure you’ve successfully changed your eating habits to prevent relapse, so to speak, it’s important you allow yourself balance. If you’ve watched your food all day and eaten healthy veggies, and fruits, and kept within your calorie range a few squares of dark chocolate at the end of the day are well earned. The same goes for a meal or dessert once a week of some guilty pleasure. That doesn’t necessarily mean every day but within reason. If you’ve maintained your healthy food choices throughout the week and would like to go on a date night with your partner and splurge a little, allow yourself that. Keep in mind, that you don’t want to go to one extreme or the other. Ask yourself first, will this ruin all the work I’ve put into this, or will it trigger poor patterns again? If the answer is no, go ahead and allow yourself that treat. The point of this is to prevent your body, and more importantly, your mind from feeling deprived.
Changing your eating habits can be difficult, but also one of the most beneficial changes you can make for your health. Use these tips to transition into a healthier lifestyle you can stick to.