Are you trying to change your body and lose weight? If so, congratulations! You’ve made a great decision that will improve your health and quality of life. However, like many people, you may not be sure where to start.
That’s why I’m going to share with you five essential good eating habits that will help you reach your goals. Implementing these habits won’t be easy, but they’re worth it in the long run. So let’s get started!
What you will learn
How do people eat in modern culture?
How we eat has changed drastically in recent years, to the point where some experts are concerned about the implications for our health. In the past, eating was a survival activity that was structured around healthy eating habits.
On the contrary, in today’s fast-paced world, unhealthy eating habits have dominated our life. With busy schedules and convenient access to unhealthy foods, many people find themselves skipping meals or eating on the go.
As a result, they often end up consuming more unhealthy foods than they would if they took the time to sit down and eat a proper meal. Fast food restaurants are one of the biggest culprits when it comes to unhealthy eating habits. With their greasy burgers and fried chicken, they make it all too easy to indulge in unhealthy foods.
What are the causes of poor eating habits?
The way we think about food has changed dramatically in recent years. Where once we saw food as a necessary part of life, it is now increasingly seen as a source of pleasure and entertainment. This change in perspective has coincided with a huge increase in the promotion of food products. Everywhere we look, we are bombarded with advertising for unhealthy snacks and drinks.
Food choices have become a huge part of our social lives. We are constantly bombarded with messages about what tastes great and what is good for us.
These messages come from TV shows, online games, books, magazines, websites, and videos on YouTube. They promote the idea that we should all be striving for the perfect taste, maximum delight, and nutrition.
These messages have a big impact on our food choices. They have infected our brains making us believe that we need to pursue the perfect taste at all costs. This can lead us to make poor food choices that are based solely on taste. We may choose foods that are high in fat, sugar, and calories just because they taste good. Or we may avoid healthy foods because they don’t seem as appealing.
As a result, it is no surprise that our eating habits have become poorer. We are more likely to gain weight, and we are less likely to make healthy choices. Our children are especially at risk, as they are growing up in an environment where unhealthy habits are promoted and encouraged. Child obesity, for example, is not an accidental incident.
How can we improve our eating habits?
The way we think about food has a profound impact on our eating habits. If we view food only as a source of pleasure and entertainment, we are more likely to make unhealthy choices. However, if we view food as a source of nourishment and sustenance, we are more likely to make healthy choices.
We need help from the past
The philosophy of the ancient Greeks provides a helpful framework for thinking about food. For the Greeks, nutrition was an essential aspect of life. They believed that healthy eating habits were essential for a healthy body and mind. This philosophy was so rigid that it was a part of their life and more importantly part of upbringing young people.
Needless to say that this philosophy is much more necessary today than it was thousands of years ago. In our fast-paced, modern world, with bad standards and deliberately bad marketing guidance, it can be all too easy to decline from healthy eating habits.
You might indeed have read a lot of blog posts about the importance of eating healthy foods and staying hydrated before starting your weight loss journey. But let me tell ya, all this advice is useless if we don’t change care our mindset first!
The classic “eating habits” found in most dieting blogs (drink water; eat slowly) will only get us so far. Everybody knows the above simple rules, yet they don’t make big difference for the majority of people.
Establish a strong mindset
Eating habits improvement should start by re-establishing nutrition as a core value. Changing eating habits is not as easy as it seems to be. It is a fight against ourselves, against what we used to eat and how the food has been combined with our emotions.
It is written that many factors can influence our feelings about food and our eating behaviors. Many people use food to cope with emotional stressors such as boredom or anxiety.
So it is important to understand that changing habits and eating healthier begins with building a new philosophy, a new mentality for food consumption achieving in the end essential healthy habits.
Essential good habits to eat healthier
Changing the perspective about how can we improve our habits, let’s focus on conscious and unconscious actions or thoughts which should constitute our new essential and good habits.
Here are 5 good eating habits based on human nature and body functions giving actual results.
Eat a variety of foods
Variety is key when it comes to food. Not only do we need to eat a variety of different food groups to get all the essential nutrients our bodies need (proteins, carbs, fat), but we also need to eat a variety of different foods within each food group. This is because different foods offer different amounts of vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients that are essential for proper function of our body.
Set a conservative goal for 20 different foods a day. This counts for every single food. For example, every kind of fruit you ate a day (e.g. apple, banana, and peers – 3) sums to the total.
One way to make sure you’re getting a good mix of different foods is to keep a food diary and log everything you eat for a week. At the end of the week, take a look at your diary and see how many different foods you’ve eaten. The variety weekly is more convenient since it is not possible to achieve the desired variety for every group each day. For example, if you eat broccoli one day, it is not practical to prepare also another vegetable.
Try to make an effort to mix things up week by week, aiming to gradually increase the number to 30. Keep in mind that by eating a varied diet, we give our bodies the best chance of staying healthy and functional.
Choose foods as close to their raw form as possible
It is always best to choose foods as close to their raw form as possible. This is because processed foods have lost their initial nutritional value since. Ηigh level of processing reduces dramatically the content of micronutrients and alters the effectiveness of chemical compounds. In addition, processed foods contain harmful additives and chemicals that can be detrimental to your health.
By eating raw foods, you are getting the most nutrients possible and avoiding the unhealthy ingredients found in processed foods. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule – for example, baked potatoes are healthier than raw potatoes – but in general, raw is best.
So next time you reach for the potato chips or candy dish, think twice and choose a healthier option instead. Your body will thank you for it!
Eat more fats
For years, even today, low fat diets have been touted as the key to losing weight and good health. However, the reality is different. Fats are more than essential for the body to function properly. Fats help to create and maintain healthy cell membranes, and they are also a vital component of the hormonal system. In fact, hormones are responsible for regulating chemical reactions in the body, and low fat diets can disrupt this delicate balance.
For optimal health, it is important to eat a variety of healthy fats, including fatty acids from every fatty food. Essential fats can be found in fatty fish, nuts, seeds, olive oil, coconut, avocado, raw cacao, eggs, etc.
Set a goal to eat a small portion of every one of the above foods, ideally every day. Try to include a meal dedicated to fatty foods and improvise with different combinations. You will be impressed by the healthier snacks that stand out.
Avoid carbs in the morning
When it comes to breakfast, many of us reach for carb-heavy foods as a way to start our day. While this may give us a short-term energy boost, it can actually lead to weight gain and other health problems.
One of the reasons for this is that carbs cause a spike in insulin levels. Insulin is a hormone that helps to regulate blood sugar levels. When we eat carbs, our blood sugar rises and insulin is released in order to bring it back down. However, when we eat carbs first thing in the morning, our bodies haven’t yet had a chance to burn off all the sugar from the night before.
As a result, we end up with higher insulin levels than we would if we had eaten breakfast later in the day. This can lead to weight gain as well as other health problems such as type II diabetes. So, if you’re looking to start your day off on the right foot, ditch the carbs and instead focus on protein and healthy fats. And don’t forget to drink plenty of water!
Do not eat to full satiety
It is a common habit that one MUST eat to full satiety to reach full pleasure. While this is a trend, eating to full satiety in every meal has only negative consequences. When we eat more than our bodies need, it can lead to a hormonal imbalance which can make us feel sluggish and listless. Additionally, constantly eating to full satiety can lead to weight gain and other health problems over time.
Instead of eating until we are stuffed, our bodies should stop when we are slightly hungry. This helps to keep our hormones in balance and prevents us from overeating. So next time you sit down for a meal, challenge yourself to see if you can stop before you reach full satiety. Your body will thank you for it!
Conclusion
We’ve outlined some of the most essential eating habits that our body truly needs, but are often overlooked. By incorporating these unusual habits into your daily routine, you can change the game for your better health.
Now it’s up to you to get started! After reading this article, we hope you feel more motivated than ever to make positive changes in your diet and overall lifestyle. What habit will you commit to starting today?
