Several people change their eating habits to lose weight or to feel healthier. If you are used to eating more red meat or junk food than eating vegetables and fruits, then it may take some time for you to get used to eating leafy and green food. It is not easy to give up old habits but there are many factors that you can try to make the new one stick forever.
People change their habits for several reasons but mostly to make their lifestyle healthy. Those who make healthy lifestyle changes influence not only the way they feel today but also their ability to function on one’s own in later life.
Studies say that a successful change comes only in phases. How long it takes depends on you! Here are some tips that you can do to make the changes you made to your eating habits permanent:
Tip #1: Take it easy and steady.
Make small changes in your diet that can improve your health and lose those extra pounds. You can start eating nutritious breakfast such as oats instead of cereals, berries, eggs, Greek yogurt, or low-fat milk.
Train yourself to eat only when you are hungry and stop when you are already full. Also, try to lower your consumption of fat dairy products, if you are used to drinking coffee with cream then replace the cream with hot skim milk instead.
Try to decrease your consumption of calorie-dense food such as pizza and hamburgers, increase your water-rich food consumption instead such as salads, leafy food, broth-based soups. You can also flavor your food by using lemon, herbs, or mustard.
Tip #2: Create a specific plan.
You must know how are you going to start consuming more veggies and fruits and when to take it and how many? This is very important because you can keep track of what you eat. You can plan to bring a piece of fruit to your work or school for that on-the-go snack.
Tip #3: Be more aware.
You have to be more mindful of what you are eating every day, make sure that you read the food label and be familiar with the ingredients. You can keep a food diary and make sure you follow the plan that you create to see what to improve more in your diet.
Tip #4: Have a small goal that you can achieve every week.
Take mini-steps because this will add up to a great change in time. You can set a small goal that you have to do every week. If you want to eat more leafy food, then try to eat a new vegetable per week until you find some that you love!
Tip #5: Manage Your Stress
Changing your diet and eating habits may cause stress as you are not used to what you are eating. However, you can do daily exercises or meditation to ease your stress and prevent you from coming back to your old eating habits.
Tip #6: Be practical.
Changing your eating habits to have a healthier lifestyle is not a quick-phase. It takes weeks or a month for this change to become a habit. Remember Tip #1, take it easy and steady.
Tip #7: Set an alarm to go off before your normal meal times.
If you want to develop a habit then make sure you focus on it. Make it obvious by setting an alarm so that you can be reminded of it. For example, you can set a specific time when you should drink healthy juice from freshly pressed fruits. You can set it 30 minutes before breakfast so your body can take all the vitamins of the fruits in the juice.
Tip #8: Reward yourself!
If you want to look forward to your new habit, then don’t forget to utilize a reward. For example, if you have finished a bowl of salad for breakfast then reward yourself with “Netflix and chill” time! Just remember, don’t use rewards that will bring you to your old habits.
Tip #9: Begin your day with a glass of water.
Water is very beneficial to our health. You must start your day with a full glass of water after you wake-up. This will surely jump-start your metabolism and will help your bowels moving steadily.
Tip #10: Having enough sleep is always the key!
Lack of sleep can mess your hormone levels that control your metabolism and hunger. So, make sure that you get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night.
Final Words
Your new eating habit will not last if you have a reason not to do it. Ensure that when you create a habit you must remove all the reasons why you need to stop it. If you change your mindset around the habit that you are trying to develop, then surely it will become permanent. Don’t focus on your diet, but work on changing your mindset.