The Trick to Healthy Eating
Life is all about habit. The number one reason so many diets fail is because no matter how good your will power, unhealthy habits have a tendency to come creeping back. You’re on a roll with green smoothies and no carbs until work gets stressful, or your relationship is in a funk or your hormones are fluctuating. It’s easier to just order Chinese takeout at the end of a stressful week, as opposed to planning out your next keto-friendly meal. This happens to even the best of us. And although you can’t prevent these types of moments from happening–the moments of weakness or laziness–you can do a few small things to help set yourself up for success.
Plan and Prep
It’s a lot easier to make sure you are reaching for healthy choices in the kitchen if you are well stocked with easy and nutritious options. This, of course, begins with your trip to the supermarket. Make sure to fill your cart with food items from the perimeter of the store: fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, cottage cheese, low-fat Greek yogurt, fresh fish and raw nuts. Steering clear of the interior aisles can prevent temptation of the pre-packaged snacks like chips, cookies and sodium-packed frozen meals.
Once you are home from the store, go ahead and start meal prepping for the week ahead. One trick fitness experts suggest is to start prepping the meal that is the hardest for you to pull off in a busy week. Do you have a tendency to sleep through your alarm? Go ahead and chop and freeze fresh produce for smoothies, assemble chia pudding or create your own to-go breakfast bento box. This could include yogurt, berries, nuts, mini quiches and turkey sausage. Or if you anticipate working late some evenings and know your temptation would lie in grabbing takeout those nights, go ahead and prep dinner. Sauté fresh vegetables, grill lean chicken breasts and cook a large pot of rice for easy protein and veggie bowls.
(Portion) Control Yourself!
Well there’s the obvious: don’t fill your plate with mac ‘n cheese or tater tots and don’t feast on a steak larger than the size of your head. But what about practical daily portions? Staying on track with healthy eating really comes down to controlling portions. Keep this in mind: your protein size should be around 4 oz., ½ cup of carbohydrates, only 1 TBSP of fat and then fill the rest of your plate with vegetables. It’s that simple!
Still need additional tips or recipes for healthy eating? Let Wilmington’s leading personal trainer Matt Johnson help you create a foolproof nutrition plan.
