When fresh fruits and vegetables are in season and plentiful this time of year, I am always encouraged to change by eating habits and make them a bit healthier. As a bonus to eating healthier, I feel a little more confident in my swimsuit! If you are looking for ways to be healthier for the summer holiday season, there are many different things you can do to help. You might be going for runs, doing weights, and even drinking 3 liters of water every day. However, the most important habit you can uphold ahealthierlifestyle is eating. You can exercise frequently and make other lifestyle changes, but without changing your eating habits you won’t see the results you could! Here are some great eating habits you need to add into your days right now.
Drink water before eating
Before you eat any meal, take the time to drink a glass of water and wait for 10 minutes. A lot of the time when we think that we are hungry, we are actually in need of some water. Therefore in order to stop yourself from overeating during your meal times, you can drink some water to make sure that your thirst isn’t mistaken for hunger. If you still feel really hungry after 10 minutes, then go ahead and dig in.
Take the 50:30:20 approach
Macros are a part of healthy eating which often has a lot of confusion amongst people, but it really shouldn’t. I admit I was so confused when I started reading about them. But don’t worry! You don’t have to be anutritionistto understand what macros are and how to balance them in your diet. The macros you eat each meal are protein, carbs and fat. The idea behind ratios is that 50% of your meal should be carbs, 30% should be protein, and 20% should be fat. I try to mentally divide my plate into sections and that helps me envision how much I should be eating of each.
Don’t count calories
Counting calories might seem like a great idea to start with, but after a few days or weeks, it is not a sustainable way to live your life. It can be exhausting! When you try to count calories andreduce your caloriesby a huge portion, you will struggle to maintain the habit and are more likely to give up. If you do give up, you will be much more likely to gain weight again. Avoid counting calories and just focus on your macros.
Chew slowly
The worst thing you can possibly do when trying to lose weight is to eat too quickly. Not only will it mean that you don’t process your food enough and will have digestion issues, but it will also mean that you will struggle with eating too much. Eating slowly allows the food to start reaching your stomach quicker. If you eat slowly, your stomach will become full quicker, and therefore you will eat less. So try to take smaller bites, savor the taste, and make sure tochew your food slowly.Enjoy each bite!
Eat the rainbow
Rainbow colored food bowls are the most amazing thing to look at on Pinterest and Instagram, but people don’t do this just to get a great photo. Eating different coloured foods allow you to take in different nutrients. Red foods contain a lot of antioxidants, yellow and orange foods contain lots of vitamin C, green foods have a lot of protein, and brown foods contain essential carbs. Make a fun colored plate for the sake of your health!
