In our daily lives, food is just one piece of the puzzle among commuting, work, family or social commitments, errands, and other responsibilities. It can be easy to put healthy eating at the bottom of our list of priorities. However, making food a priority is the first step towards following a healthier diet.
Healthy eating doesn’t have to involve hours of meal prepping or elaborate cooking, but it does require some thought and effort, especially if you have a busy lifestyle. For instance, going to the grocery store once or twice a week can help ensure that you have healthy choices in your pantry and fridge. A well-stocked kitchen makes it easier to choose healthy meals and snacks.
When you go grocery shopping, stock up on nutritious foods such as:
- Fresh and frozen fruits and veggies
- Protein sources like chicken, fish, eggs, and tofu
- Bulk carb sources like canned beans and whole grains
- Starchy veggies such as sweet potatoes, white potatoes, and butternut squash
- Fat sources like avocados, olive oil, and full-fat yogurt
- Simple, nutritious snacks like nuts, seeds, nut butter, hummus, olives, and dried fruit
If you struggle with meal ideas, keep it simple and think in threes:
- Protein: chicken, fish, eggs, or plant-based options like tofu
- Fat: nuts, seeds, nut butter, olive oil, avocado, cheese, or full-fat yogurt
- Fiber-rich carbs: starchy options like sweet potatoes, oats, certain fruits, and beans — or low-carb fiber sources like asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, and berries
For example, breakfast could be a spinach and egg scramble with avocado and berries, lunch a sweet potato stuffed with veggies, beans, and shredded chicken, and dinner a salmon filet or baked tofu with sautéed broccoli and brown rice.
If you’re not used to cooking or grocery shopping, start with a single meal. Go to the grocery store and shop for the ingredients for a couple of breakfast or dinner dishes for the week. Once that becomes a habit, add more meals until most of your meals are prepared at home.
Developing a healthy relationship with food may take time. If you have disordered eating tendencies or eating disorders, working with a healthcare team, such as a registered dietitian and psychologist who specializes in eating disorders, is essential to start mending your relationship with food.
Here are some realistic tips to get started with healthy eating:
- Prioritize plant-based foods like veggies, fruits, beans, and nuts. Try incorporating these foods, especially veggies and fruits, into every meal and snack.
- Cook at home. Cooking meals at home helps diversify your diet. If you’re used to takeout or restaurant meals, try cooking just one or two meals per week to start.
- Shop for groceries regularly. If your kitchen is stocked with healthy foods, you’re more likely to make healthy meals and snacks. Go on one or two grocery runs per week to keep nutritious ingredients on hand.
- Understand that your diet isn’t going to be perfect. Progress, not perfection, is key. Meet yourself where you are. If you’re currently eating out every night, cooking one homemade, veggie-packed meal per week is significant progress.
- Avoid “cheat days.” If your current diet includes “cheat days” or “cheat meals,” this is a sign that your diet is unbalanced. Once you learn that all foods can be a part of a healthy diet, there’s no need for cheating.
- Cut out sugar-sweetened drinks. Limit sugary beverages like soda, energy drinks, and sweetened coffees as much as possible.
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