Yet, despite all the benefits of a healthy diet, sticking to it can sometimes be challenging. Here are some tips to help you stay on track:
1. Make every calorie count
Begin each day with the thought: I want to eat safely, wisely and well. Strive to eat only foods that are rich in nutrients and contribute to improving your health, and remember my health equation – H (Health)= N (Nutrition)/ (Calories). Think G-BOMBS: Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, and Seeds. Try to make those foods a large part of your everyday diet.
2. Make exercise part of your daily routine
You don’t need a gym membership. Find ways to get moving: walk, jog, and take the stairs instead of the elevator. Take frequent exercise breaks at work. Remember, you can get your blood pumping without leaving your home or office!
3. Think positive; be positive
A healthy mindset is a prerequisite for a healthy lifestyle. The best way to develop one is to be optimistic and surround yourself with people who support your eating style.
4. Repeat positive actions
Always keep in mind repetition breeds positive action. The more days you eat healthfully, and the more days you link nutrition, exercise and a positive mind set, the more your brain will respond to them, and the more you will prefer healthy meals.
5. Plan your weekly meals
Develop a healthy menu-planning habit so it is ingrained in you forever. Having access to nutritious food at all times is crucial. If you become hungry and there is no nutritious food is at hand, you’re more likely to succumb to eat something unhealthy. A few hours of planning, shopping and preparing each week can secure long-term health and a more pleasurable and full life.
6. Eat a high-nutrient diet to drown out cravings
Yes, mild cravings for unhealthy foods may still crop up occasionally – even when you’re not hungry. The standard American diet is filled with processed foods that are highly salted, heavily sweetened or made with white flour and oils. These foods are designed to entice your taste buds as they slowly kill you. But remember, you always have a choice. When you eat a high-nutrient diet that emphasizes micronutrient-rich plant foods, your cravings will lessen.
7. Don’t stress about protein
Most people think they need to eat meat, dairy or fish to get enough protein, but the opposite is true—consuming more animal protein shortens lifespan. And you don’t need to rely on animal products for protein. Almost any assortment of protein diet such as vegetables, beans, whole grains, seeds, and nuts will supply about 40 grams of protein per 1,000 calories. This means a typical 2,000 -calorie diet provide about 80 grams of protein, which is more than we need.
8. Be wary of Toxic Hunger
There is a difference between real hunger and toxic hunger. If between meals you feel any of these symptoms – weakness, fatigue, shakiness, headache, stomach-fluttering or cramping, you’re likely experiencing toxic hunger – symptoms of withdrawal from a low-nutrient diet. Toxic hunger keeps us in a spiral of bad food choices and food addiction.
9. Challenge yourself
Don’t think about the foods you can’t eat. Instead, think of all the delicious foods you can eat – luscious berries, crisp vegetables, nuts and seeds, healthful stir-fries, soups, stews, casseroles, dips, dressings, desserts and more. Be determined.
10. Stay focused
Don’t let one slip-up derail you on your quest for good health. Get right back to healthy eating with the very next meal – not the next day.
Conclusion
Keep in mind it’s never too late to develop good habits. The more you eat healthfully, the more your taste buds will become acclimated to the subtle flavors of natural foods. Healthy eating will become easier and easier until that is all you prefer. Don’t give up. The only way to fail is to stop trying. And always remember: following the Nutritarian diet empowers exceptional health. Want to know more about the Nutritarian diet? Check out the 4 Step Quick Start to the Nutritarian Diet.
