Eating healthier doesn’t have to be such a chore and neither does it mean sacrificing your favourite foods. Instead of measuring, tracking and limiting yourself, tweaking your eating habits can have a huge impact on your overall health and well-being!
So ditch the diet obsessions and discover these 13 simple tips on how to eat healthy without dieting to maintain a healthier lifestyle in the long run.
Image credit: Simplyrealhealth
So you want to eat healthier but aren’t too keen on the never ending fad diets that are just, well, frustrating and completely unsustainable!
I feel you, I am you and I fully support your decision.
Here’s the good news – eating healthy doesn’t have to involve strict diets or complicated rules. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition either.
Matter of fact, the best ways to eat healthy without dieting involves balance, moderation and tweaking your current eating habits. That’s it!
Remember, healthy eating is about nourishing your body while still enjoying the foods you love! By making small, sustainable changes to your diet, you can achieve your health goals and feel your best self in the long term.
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How to eat healthy without dieting this year
1. Start with small changes
We all know making drastic changes to your diet is so yesterday, and to be honest, it’s a hassle. Instead, start with small changes you can easily incorporate into your daily routine.
For example, reduce how many spoons of sugar you have with your tea or adding an extra vegetable to your meals. These small changes eventually add up over time and lead to healthier eating habits without being overly restrictive.
2. Begin your mornings with a glass of water
When you sleep, you lose a lot of water, especially through breathing, which can leave you feeling dehydrated in the morning. This can easily be mistaken for hunger and leads to unhealthy food choices. Start the day with a glass of water to rehydrate your body and set yourself up for a healthier day. Also, try adding some lemon to your water to help flush out toxins!
3. Eat more fruits and vegetables
It’s no secret that adding more fruits and veggies to your meals is one of the simplest ways to eat healthily. Whole fruits and veggies are packed with vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and fibre to that can help you feel satiated for longer. Try adding a serving of fruit to your breakfast, snacking on veggies and hummus in the afternoon and filling half your plate with veggies for dinner. You’ll get your 5 a day in no time!
4. Choose lean protein sources
Lean protein is important for building and repairing tissues in the body as well helping you feel full and satisfied. Try swapping fatty proteins such as beef for leaner protein sources like chicken and fish. You can also experiment with a range of vegetarian protein sources like tofu and legumes. These are great healthy options without resorting to a restrictive diet!
5. Swap processed foods for whole grains
A simple way to eat healthy without dieting is to swap processed foods for whole grains. Processed foods often contain added sugar, unhealthy fats and preservatives, while whole grains are packed with fibre and essential vitamins and minerals. Every so often, try swapping white bread, pasta and rice for whole grain options like whole wheat bread, brown rice or quinoa.
6. Add fibre to your diet
Fibre is easily one of the most crucial nutrients to maintain healthy eating habits and a lot of people don’t get enough of it. Fibre is the part of carbohydrate that cannot be broken down that travels through your digestive system. Simply put, Fibre fills you up, improves digestive health and promotes gut health. You can easily incorporate fibre into your diet through fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, nuts, legumes, whole grains and seeds.
7. Include more healthy fats
Don’t be scared of fats! Not all fats are created equally and adding healthy good fats to your diet can keep you satisfied and reach your weight goals. Foods such as salmon, extra virgin oil, avocados, nuts and seeds are a great source of healthy fats to help maintain a healthy lifestyle. To ensure you’re getting enough healthy fats in your diet, try include a small portion in every meal and snack.
8. Eat more nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds are often avoided due to their high fat content, but it’s important to note that they contain healthy fats that are beneficial for the body. In fact, these tiny powerhouses are a great source of protein, fibre, antioxidants and essential vitamins and minerals.
Consider adding nuts like almonds and walnuts as well as seeds like chia, flaxseed, and pumpkin seeds to your diet. Don’t miss out on the benefits of these nutritious food groups if you really want to eat healthy!
9. Plan your meals and snacks ahead of time
One of the best ways to eat healthy is to plan and meal prep your meals and snacks. This can help you avoid making impulsive food choices when you’re hungry or pressed for time.
Make a grocery shopping list with all the ingredients you need for the week. Than take some time to meal prep a few days worth of meals and store them in the fridge. This will make healthy eating more convenient throughout the week.
10. Add more herbs to your meals
Adding herbs to your meals is an easy way to sneak in extra doses of goodness into your diet. Try adding basil to pasta, rosemary to your Sunday roasts or parsley to salads. Not only will they make your meals taste delicious, herbs are super nutritious and contain all the anti-everything under the sun!
If you want to get extra with your healthy lifestyle, get yourself these beautiful herb pots and start growing your own today.
11. Try drinks full of goodness
Staying hydrated is important and though water should be your go to drink, why stop there? There are plenty of creative ways to sip your way to optimal health. For example, tea (such as green tea) is packed with health boosting polyphenols and green juices are extremely anti-oxidant rich. Also swapping sugary sodas for sparkling water with a splash of mint and lemon is a great substitute.
12. Have leafy greens every day
How to eat healthy without dieting 101 – consider adding more leafy greens to your meals! These nutrient-packed veggies, such as spinach, watercress, arugula and lettuce, are rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre.
And the best part? They’re incredibly versatile and easy to sneak and incorporate into your favourite dishes. Try blending kale into your morning smoothie or tossing spinach into a pasta dish. With so many delicious ways to enjoy leafy greens, there’s no excuse not to add them to your life!
13. Eat more water-based foods
Yep, that’s right! Drinking water is so yesterday (but it’s still crucial so please don’t stop) but did you know you can also eat your water too.
Instead of relying solely on drinking water, try consuming water-rich foods like tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, berries and watermelon (that has a whopping 92% water content!).
These foods not only hydrate your body (and are absolutely delicious), they also provide essential nutrients and are less energy-dense meaning they’ll fill you right up!
Final thoughts on how to eat healthy without dieting
Say goodbye to the days of calorie counting and extreme diets, and say hello to a more sustainable future.
With an abundance of knowledge on healthier eating, it’s become easier to implement them into our lives. Just as equally, the easy accessibility of junk foods and unhealthy food options is just as tempting.
However, with a little balance and self-discipline you can use these simple healthy eating tips to eat better without depriving yourself too much of the foods you enjoy. So go on, ditch the diets this year and create healthy eating habits instead!
