We all know we have to eat healthily if we want our overall health to be as good as possible, but knowing that fact and then knowing what to do about it are two different things, and although the first might be simple, the second can be a lot harder to get right – how can you know what a healthy diet really is? It can get very confusing and complicated, and the more you look into how to have a healthy diet and what a well-balanced nutrition guide might be, the worse it all gets. It’s little wonder some people give up on the idea altogether and their health tends to suffer as a result.
Luckily, if you take a deep breath and a step back and start to look at things more objectively, you’ll realize there are a number of ways to simplify your healthy diet, meaning that rather than being something you ignore because it’s hard to work out and keep up with, it becomes something you put into practice every day. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how to simplify eating well so you can start to reap the benefits sooner rather than later.
Focus On Whole Foods
One of the easiest ways to simplify your diet is to focus on whole foods when you have a choice of what to eat – these types of food are great because there’s hardly any processing involved, so they’re natural and that means they’ve not lost any nutrients, unlike processed food which should be avoided as much as possible.
Whole foods are easy to include in your diet (they include things like fruit and vegetables, lean proteins, and nuts and seeds, for example), and since they’re so full of nutrients and antioxidants, they can really make a positive difference to your health. If you can make sure you’ve got plenty of these foods in your meals, you’ll know you’re being healthy – it’s an easy thing to tick off the list.
Practice Portion Control
Sometimes the issue isn’t (necessarily) what you’re eating but instead it’s that you’re eating too much of it, which is where portion control comes in. When you work out what it is you should be eating, once again, you’ll be on the right track when it comes to your health, and once again, this idea doesn’t have to be in the least bit complicated – in fact, it’s pretty easy to do once you put your mind to it.
When you’re able to practice portion control, you’ll eat fewer calories, which means you’ll find it easier to lose weight (just make sure you’re getting the number of calories you actually need though; it’s possible to cut too many out, and you’ll get sick as a result). You’ll also get better at mindful eating because you’ll understand the signals your body gives you to tell you it’s full – that stops you from overeating, which is bad for your health. You’ll also be able to get a more balanced diet when you’re thinking about your portion control because rather than restricting anything, this kind of diet lets you eat all kinds of things, albeit in moderation.
Try using small plates to fool your brain into thinking you’re eating more than you really are (plus, the smaller the plate, the more you’ll be restricted when it comes to how much food you put on it, so you’ll have to practice portion control just from a practical point of view). Or how about starting meals with a glass of water? That’s going to help you feel more full, so you’ll eat less. And always stop eating when you’re full, no matter how tasty the food might be. Soon enough, you’ll get used to the right amount of food your body needs, and the results when it comes to your health and fitness will prove that you’re doing the right thing.
Get Food Delivered
Don’t worry; we’re not talking about getting lots of takeout (which would be a bad thing); we’re talking about getting pre-portioned, often pre-prepared, healthy, nutritious food delivered. Now that can make a hugely positive difference to your healthy eating, and since someone else deals with the bulk of the prep, it’s a simple thing to benefit from as well.
There are a variety of different meal delivery plans available, so you’ll need to work out what it is you’re looking for, and what your budget might be – don’t forget, when you’re looking at the cost, you need to remember that you won’t be spending what you normally do on groceries, so the two should balance one another out, and it might be that you even end up saving money in the end.
One great option that can definitely help when it comes to your healthy eating plans is the NHS soups and shakes diet. You can get everything you need delivered right to your door, and all you need to do is enjoy the food – it’s quick and simple and gives you a healthy diet, so it’s certainly something to explore a little more if it sounds interesting.
Meal Prep
If you want to be a little more hands-on with your food and make it yourself, that’s not a problem either – if you enjoy cooking, it makes to do it, after all. And that’s where meal planning is going to be a fantastic thing to put in place. When you plan your meals in advance, you’re not going to get stressed about what to eat and reach for the takeout menu in a panic – you’ll always have something healthy and nutritious ready for you, and you can be sure you’re eating well.
As well as reducing stress and temptation, meal planning can save you time and money too. When you plan your meals in advance, you’ll only buy what you need in the store, which means a lower final bill and less food waste. Plus, if you think about what you’re eating ahead of time, you’ll find you get a lot more variety in your diet because you’ve got time to explore a lot of different options. True, you might not like them all, but it could be you find your new favorite dish, and experimenting with food is always fun – if you can do it in a stress-free, healthy way, that’s got to be the right path to go down.
To get started, you’re going to need to set aside a specific time each week to plan your meals and make a shopping list so you know what you’re doing and what you need. If you can, prep at least some of your ingredients in bulk, and that will save you even more time and make cooking the dishes much quicker and less of an effort (you can chop vegetables in advance, for example, and then portion them out for each meal and freeze them so they stay nice and fresh). If you do end up with any leftovers, think about how you might be able to use them so they don’t go to waste – it could be they become the basis of one of next week’s best meals.
Final Thoughts
If you’re able to make healthy eating a simpler thing to include in your life, it means you’re much more likely to do it – it’s the same with any ‘chore’. There’s really no need to make healthy eating into anything more complicated than it needs to be, and as long as you know which foods are good and which should be avoided, you understand portion control, and you stop yourself getting tempted by takeout (apart from for the occasional treat, of course), then you’re definitely move in the right direction.