6 Ways to Make Eating Healthy Easy
Eating healthy isn't easy for a lot of Americans these days. Healthy food is more expensive, expires quickly, and sometimes requires a lot of research to ensure you're getting what's being marketed. Junk food is more accessible, costs less (debatable post-COVID though), lasts longer, and tastes familiar. Instead of thinking of your diet as good or bad, embrace the gray area journey to eating healthier. Your budget, free time, food preparation skills, culture, and knowledge about nutrition all impact your diet. That sounds overwhelming, but I'm not asking you to deal with any of that directly. Below are five options for how to make eating healthy easy in your life. Inhale peace, exhale stress, and read on.
Frozen Fruits and Vegetables
Fresh fruits and veggies usually last only a few days without extra effort to preserve them. Many will hear that as a reason to opt for canned fruits and vegetables. Although they have a much longer shelf life, they oftentimes have extra sugar or syrups which lower their nutritional value. Frozen fruits and veggies have the same advantage as canned foods but without the extra empty calories. That's just the most notable benefit to stocking up on frozen vegetables and fruits. They're also:
- Easier to stock up on compared to having fresh fruit stashed all across the kitchen.
- Less likely to attract bugs because they're stored in a freezer.
- Already cut, ready to blend or mix as desired.
- Cheaper than buying them fresh weekly.
Some argue that frozen foods lose some water-soluble vitamins like Vitamin C. Many studies conclude the vitamin loss is negligible.
Want to add healthier foods to your shopping cart with minimal effort? Go to grocery store and stock up on frozen mixed fruit bags with berries, cherries, pineapple, bananas, strawberries, etc., and frozen mixed vegetables including corn, beans, carrots, and more.
Deserts Post-Workout
Many Nutrition experts agree that the best time to eat sugary food deserts is after a meal. Many sports nutritionists recommend eating your fatty cakes post-workout. That's when your muscles are most likely to use the glucose for recovery. Want to be on the safe side? Eat desert after your post-workout meal.
Want to learn more about glucose and sugar spikes from someone entertaining? Check out Jessie Inchauspé.
High Protein Ice Cream
Yep. Ice cream with high protein is a thing. Many people's "wind down" or comfort food is ice cream. Instead of asking you to stop eating it, I ask that you experiment with high protein ice cream. They're not hard to find, but many of them don't stand out. I recommend researching your options before running to the market's frozen section. One notable exception: Protein Pints Frozen High Protein Ice Cream which boasts its protein amount on the label.
Boiled Eggs
Eggs are easy to prepare, versatile, and nutrient-dense. Eggs can be used for omelets or scrambled with other foods. If you're short on time and on the move a lot, boiled eggs are easy to pack. If you want to add flavor, pickle or ferment them. The easiest method:
- Boil some eggs
- Remove the shells
- Store them in a refrigerated jar of pickle juice for one or more days
The longer the storage, the stronger the taste. They'll come out with a bright green look with a slight taste of pickle.
Healthier Fast Food
I know, it sounds like an oxymoron, and in many cases it is. But we're talking about "healthier" decisions, meaning baby steps. If your lunch break only allows enough time to visit a nearby fast food joint or gas station, simply look for healthier options.
- Instead a burger, consider a wrap which normally has less bread, or get a salad with toppings you'd normally put in the burger.
- Skip the milk chocolate bar for dark chocolate - with sea salt if bitter tastes offend you.
- Get diet soda or tea instead of soda. Bonus points for green tea without a bunch of added sugar (again, bitter taste warning)
- Opt for trail mix instead of chips.
You get the drift.
Pause After Each Bite
This is an eating technique to help those with weight loss goals. Its one of the most interesting tips I learned during my Precision Nutrition Level 1 studies. After each bite, take a few moments to:
- Take a sip of your drink
- Talk with someone
- Take in your surroundings
- Cherish the taste
The intention here is to give your body time to signal your brain that you're full enough to stop eating. If you quickly inhale your meal like Kirby, your body doesn't have enough time to tell you when you've had enough.
I hope these are actionable ways for you to make eating healthy easier in your life. Eating healthier can be a rough journey, particularly if you weren't raised eating such foods. But I'll do my best to be a part of the solution. Hopefully, you'll vastly decrease your "health tax" - the negative impact to your health from consistently eating unhealthy food over time - and medical conditions along the way.
If you want more assistance with your diet or fitness goals, I can make a workout program specific to your quality of life goals.
