If you have pledged to get fitter and develop healthy habits this year, you are not alone. Adopting healthy eating habits is perhaps one of the most common new year resolutions but two months into the new year you might be realizing that it’s not as easy as you thought it would be. The thing is that most of us get too ambitious and take on too much too soon. Don’t lose heart though. Here are five things you can do to ensure you inculcate some good food habits in your life this year.
Drink green tea
All of us have read and heard about the benefits of green tea. From antioxidant properties that delay aging to aiding weight loss, there are a lot of plus points in having green tea on a daily basis. Regularly drinking can also reduce your risk of several diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Drinking three to five cups of green tea per day seems to be optimal to reap the most health benefits. But for those who are used to black tea or coffee, switching to green tea might be slightly difficult. Start with a cup of green tea a day, flavored with some cinnamon or lemon. You can even let it cool and then gulp it down. You will slowly get used to it and even start liking it and then, as you do, you can increase your daily quota.
Eating junk food is bad for health!
Have a fruit everyday
Fruits are rich in vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, potassium and folate that many people usually don’t get enough of. Fruit is also high in fiber, which has many health benefits. Eating fiber may help lower cholesterol, increase feelings of fullness and contribute to weight loss over time. What’s more, fruits are loaded with antioxidants, which help fight free radicals that can damage cells. Eating a diet high in antioxidants may help slow aging and reduce the risk of diseases as well. So it’s imperative to include fruits in your diet. Eating at least one fruit a day, be it an apple, banana, or an orange, can help you get into the habit of including fruits in your diet. Don’t make it too hard and say you have to eat a plateful of fruits everyday. Pick one and have it for a snack every day and take it from there.
Pay attention to when you feel hungry and full
Every social setting involves food and it becomes difficult to control how much you eat. But how much should one eat every day? The answer to this question can vary greatly and depends on your weight, gender, age, and physical activity level. A good way to ensure you are eating enough is to pay attention to your hunger signals. When your stomach growls, eat. When you feel full, stop, even if your plate isn’t empty or someone offers you second helpings.
Practicing mindful eating is also one of the very best ways of ensuring you become fit and healthy in the long run. Mindful eating is about paying more attention to how you eat, being more present to make better food choices. For this, stop eating in front of the TV or computer, put down all distractions, and actually pay attention to what you’re putting on your plate and in your mouth. You will feel more satisfied, stop eating when you are truly full, and ultimately make healthier choices.
Change to healthy cooking methods
The more you do to your food, the less it does for you. So avoid things like deep-frying, which drenches your food in unnecessary calories, and boiling vegetables until they are drained of color as this will sap them of nutrients. Instead, grill or barbecue meat, fish and vegetables and stir-fry them using just a little olive oil or a light spray of cooking oil. You can also steam vegetables until they are slightly crunchy. Use herbs, spices and ground pepper instead of salt and balsamic vinegar or lemon juice instead of salad dressing. You could also make your own sauces rather than using bottled or sachet versions, for example, you could use fresh tomatoes as your base combined with herbs and spices.
Keep a food diary
Keeping a diary of everything you eat and drink throughout the day will give you a clear picture of how much you are consuming and how healthy it is. So get yourself a small notebook and start a food diary. There are also different apps available online that you can download on your phone to log in what you eat. Write down the type of food/drink. Be as specific as you can. Don’t forget to write down extras, such as toppings, sauces, or condiments, for example, butter, ketchup, or sugar. Everything you put in your body should go into the food diary. You can monitor your food habits this way and know where and what you need to change. Also, when you have to write down everything, you tend to become conscious of what you are eating.
