The first step to eating healthy is cleansing your pantry of its unhealthy contents and replacing it with nutritious staples like:
- White rice with brown rice or quinoa
- Refined flour pasta with whole wheat pasta
- White bread with whole grain bread
- Opting for canned beans and lentils for a protein boost
- An array of nuts and seeds for healthy fats
- Pre-packaged puddings for dessert or yoghurt
- High-sugar chocolate bars for dark chocolate
- Packaged chips and fried snacks for dried fruits or peanuts
- Fresh fruit instead of canned fruits
These little changes to your pantry can make it more convenient for you to enjoy healthier meals daily.
You need at least two types of green leafy vegetables with your meals every day. They contain dietary fibers, antioxidants, a-linoleic acid, minerals and vitamins that are beneficial against preventing diabetes, and hypertension, it is anti-carcinogenic and anemic and help improve your gut health
An easy way to include green leafy vegetables is by sautéing spinach with garlic and olive oil and having it as a side dish.
People often excuse swapping healthy foods for highly processed food because they seem more convenient and easier, however fresh produce can easily be acquired at local farmers markets and take less than 10-15 minutes to whip up a nutritious salad or smoothie bowl.
“Healthy food” is a label for food sources that can provide all the necessary nutrients, minerals, and vitamins and are sustainable for overall well-being and energy.
These components can easily be acquired through your regular fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and meats. A steady diet consisting of all these elements will form a stable healthy diet that benefits in the long run.
Once you are deeply connected to your body and mind you can distinguish between physical hunger and other types of hunger like stress eating or eating out of boredom.
When you are really hungry your body signals with signs such as low energy, a growling stomach or feeling lightheaded. This is when you need to indulge yourself and distinguish them from hunger that arises from emotional or external triggers.