How to Get on Track to Eating a Nutritious Diet
Often times, people look to medications to heal their bodies. However, lifestyle changes can do wonders when an individual wants to experience healing. Lifestyle changes include the amount of rest a person gets each night as well as the daily hydration habits. If you want to get to the most essential component of healing, a nutritious diet is paramount. Depending on the diet you choose, you can either hurt your body or heal it. In order to get on track to eating a nutritious diet, implement the following tips.
1. Consider Your Own Food Sensitivities and Temptations
While many people may say it’s okay to eat dairy, it might not be okay for you to eat because you’re lactose intolerant. If you’re someone who breaks out within hours of eating cheddar cheese, it’s time to cut the dairy out of your diet and look for dairy-free alternatives. If you’re working with an online nutrition coach, tell them about your personal issues. When they’re clear on what you’re facing, they’ll help you craft a realistic diet that’s both effective and nutritious.
Consider your personal food sensitivities as you cultivate a great diet. You also need to look at your weaknesses and temptations. If you’re a lover of tacos, you don’t need to cut them out of your diet. Just look for healthier ways to prepare them at home. Consider using whole-wheat tortillas and more vegetables inside of each taco. As you make adjustments that consider your specific needs, don’t forget that you still need to enjoy the food you’re consuming. Make sure you season your food well and use whole ingredients. As you learn to combine seasonings, herbs and spices, you’ll make healthy and nutritious meals that taste absolutely amazing.
2. Prepare Meals in Advance
If you look at many people who’ve worked to build up strong, lean physiques, they stick to a meal plan. One of the main reasons why it’s easy for them to stick to a meal plan is because they prepare their meals in advance. Use Sunday as your day to prepare your meals. Place them in organized containers so you can just grab your prepared meal and go. Plus, by the time you get to the end of a day, you’ve made so many decisions. As a result, you’ll probably experience decision fatigue. When you’re experiencing decision fatigue, you’re bound to make bad choices. In order to avoid making bad choices at the dinner table (or in line at the drive-thru), prepare your healthy, nutritious and delicious meals in advance.
3. Include a Cheat Meal
If you try to take the ‘cold turkey’ route when it pertains to certain indulgences, it’s harder to remain faithful to the new diet. If you’re a pizza lover, make that jumbo slice of pizza your cheat meal that you’ll enjoy once each week. It gives you something to look forward to. Plus, when something is forbidden, people tend to want it more. Instead of putting yourself in that position, make plans to enjoy your indulgences once a week. This will help you stay on track with the new nutritious diet. The 80/20 rule is truly impactful when you’re trying to stay focused on your nutritional goals. You won’t get it right 100% of the time, but focus on getting it right 80% of the time.
4. Keep a Food Diary
It’s really easy to underestimate how much you actually have within the timeframe of a day. Whether you’re mindlessly munching on snacks at work or enjoying that second glass of wine at the dinner table, the sodium and sugar intake can skyrocket quickly. In order to get a better idea of how much you eat and what you actually eat, keep a daily food diary. Make a digital one that you can easily update on your phone. Write down all of your meals and snacks in order to get a better idea of where you need to improve.
Healing is an ongoing process. There will always be ways to improve and enhance your healing experience. When a person creates a caloric deficit in order to reach a certain number on the scale, the journey doesn’t end once they’ve hit that goal weight. The journey continues toward maintenance. As you work on improving your nutrition goals, know that it’s an ever-evolving process. You’ll learn about the nutritional benefits of certain superfoods and how to incorporate them in your diet. Just know that as you continue to evolve in your nutritional journey, you’re making one of the wisest investments because your health is wealth.
