Five healthy eating habits to develop this week

Let’s face it, it’s not easy to consistently improve your daily eating habits. This is especially true if you have been eating unhealthily for quite some time and are desperately trying to change this. Of course, it will be difficult to change your habits and kick the fast food habit if you are used to eating it every day. However, if you are aiming to lose weight, one of the first things to monitor is your daily nutrition. Weight loss success is 70% dependent on your nutrition, so it’s vital that you get it under control first.

So, here are five ways you can build healthy eating habits this week and move right to the forefront of a healthy lifestyle.

Healthy Eating Habits #1: Make a list of two healthy meals that you want to prepare this week.

If you want to eat in a healthier way, that means you have to be willing to ditch fast food and pizza delivery (at least for a while) and start using your own kitchen to prepare meals. It may sound a bit strange to you, especially if you are not used to cooking in your kitchen, however, this could be the number one healthy habit that will help you achieve your weight loss goal. Let’s keep things simple when we start and write a list of one or two meals (ingredients) that you’d like to make next week.

Take a moment to search the internet for healthy foods that appeal to you. As you make your grocery list, double check that you’ve written down everything you’ll need to prepare the meal(s) and you’ll soon have wonderful healthier meals at home and not have to rely on that fattening fast food.

Healthy Eating Habits #2: Immediately divide the food into containers.

One of the best reasons to prepare food at home, besides enjoying a well-portioned meal, is that you will be able to create 3-5 meals from that one cooking episode. Doubling, or even tripling the amount of ingredients will ensure that there will be plenty left over to pack/freeze for future meals or immediately divide the excess into plastic travel containers so you have great packed lunches. If you don’t have a decent supply of travel containers, add them to your shopping list, as they will become invaluable tools in your healthy eating efforts.

Healthy Eating Habits #3: Be careful with the drinks you consume.

Drinks can be sneaky daggers in the weight loss process, since most people don’t consider liquids as potential dangers. However, when you look closely at the nutritional content of sodas, juices, energy drinks, and specialty coffees, you might be surprised at how high the calorie count is not to mention the sugar content you’ll find in each serving. Since you’re focusing on healthy eating habits, cut out these types of beverages and try to drink only water, black coffee, or another near-0 calorie option like tea. You’ll be pleasantly delighted with the number of calories you’ll cut, especially if you were a heavy drinker of soda or juice.

Healthy Eating Habits #4: Use smaller plates and drink water with each meal.

This may sound like unusual advice, but using smaller plates really helps control portion sizes consumed at meals. Eating too much at meals is often what gains excess weight. Our bodies simply don’t need as much food to function efficiently. The problem is that you have to get used to eating less at meals, but that’s where water really comes into play and helps. The serving on a small plate will look like a large amount of food and when paired with a large glass of water, you’ll fill up on much less than you used to in the past.

Healthy Eating Habits #5: Travel snacks and work lunches.

This last healthy eating tip ties directly to the first. When cooking food at home, plan to make more to ensure you have leftovers. This leftover food can now be turned into travel meals for work and when you add a couple of healthy snacks to complement your lunch, all the time you are away from home will be nutritious and conducive to weight loss. Just don’t forget your choice of drinks when you’re out and about. If possible, keep a pack of water bottles somewhere at work so you always have them on hand and no longer need to visit the vending machine.

When you think about it, you can get a 36-pack of bottles of water for around $4, whereas how much would 36 sodas from the vending machine cost over time? Not only will you be saving a lot of money, but you will also save your body from having to eat 5,400 calories.