Nobody ever said that switching from unhealthy eating to healthy eating would be easy. Picking up fast food from a drive-thru will be quicker than whipping up a nutritious salad from scratch.
A healthy eating lifestyle will take some effort, but that doesn’t mean it will be boring or difficult to lead. If managed correctly, it could provide countless health benefits as well as eating enjoyment. Here are a few secrets that healthy lifestyle enthusiasts abide by.
SECRET #1 – THEY MEAL PREP
A lack of preparation is what thwarts most healthy lifestyles. Balancing life and work leaves little time over for preparing foods. The secret to ensuring there’s always something healthy on hand is to set a weekly menu and prepare your meals in advance, cooking, freezing and refrigerating pre-prepared portions as necessary. Research shows that those who meal prep are more likely to meet their daily dietary recommendations, especially in terms of fruit and vegetable consumption.
SECRET #2 – THEY MIX IT UP
For many, ‘healthy’ food conjures images of boiled chicken breasts and soggy spinach. There are many ways to prepare food that don’t involve oily frying and flavour can easily be added to meals without adding sugar, salt and cholesterol. This includes preparing vegetables and meat ‘en papillote’ (oven steamed in a broth, in a foil pouch) or adding unusual flavours such a citrus or balsamic vinegar.
SECRET #3 – THEY FALL DOWN – BUT GET UP AGAIN
A common healthy eating roadblock are parties, the festive season, birthdays and anniversaries. This is because many people are so strict that they tend to go overboard at these times, before abandoning healthy eating altogether. Research by the Journal of Consumer Psychology shows that people are more likely to stick to a healthy eating diet when they integrate regular ‘cheat’ meals. They also exercise better self-control and experience more motivation, losing a similar amount of weight to those who didn’t deviate from their diets whatsoever.
Healthy eating has its benefits, but you need to be prepared to put in a bit of work to reap them. You’ll find that spending an hour or two in the kitchen on weekends, researching healthy recipes and allowing yourself the occasional chocolate will have you looking and feeling better than any burger ever could.
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