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We’ve been in lockdown and many of us have piled on the pounds due to the restrictions in going out and stores of carb laden foods in the cupboards. Finally, we can go out and exercise more, but the key to a healthy lifestyle isn’t just exercise. There is so much more to it than that. Diet plays a large role in weight gain and weight loss. It’s simple enough, consume more calories than you use, you’ll put on weight. Consume fewer calories than you use and you’ll lose weight.
The key is not to diet as such, it’s to reduce or replace foods that are high in calories and low in nutritional value. That doesn’t mean cutting out everything, it means being clever about the foods you choose to consume.
Here are some great tips to help you eat a healthier diet:
Write a Shopping List
When you go shopping, having a list with you can reduce the risk of impulse purchases. This way you can buy exactly what you need, keeping it healthy and help you save money.
Avoid Shopping When You Are Hungry?
It makes sense not to go shopping for food when hungry. When you do it is so much harder to resist the urge to buy higher calorie foods and snacks. It will also mean you spend more.
Check Labels
It can often be misleading whether some foods are healthy. When purchasing ready-made foods from shops check the labels. Salads for example can have far more calories than one might initially realise especially when smothered in dressing. The labels are easy to understand as they use a traffic light system.
Recipe Boxes
Many of us enjoy cooking although sometimes we can be limited by our ability and recipe knowledge. It’s easy enough to find a recipe online but then you’ll need to find all the ingredients and often you’ll have to buy more of some items than you need. Recipes boxes can be a good way around this. You get to choose the recipe(s) you want to make and have the ingredients and clear step by step instructions sent for each.
This is a great alternative to having to decide what to make, buy-in ingredients, and worry about making the dish(es) healthy. Healthy homemade foods can sometimes be boring and bland when you don’t have the know-how and this makes options limited. The recipe box option makes healthy eating easier at your choice of effort level.
Hello Fresh
Take Hello Fresh for example, one of the leading recipe box companies. Their recipes are varied from Veggie Tostadas, Hoisin Sticky Baked Chicken Thighs, Roasted Veg and Lentil Jumble, and many more. Recipes are labeled as to how easy they are to make, the style of cuisine, if they are balanced, quick to make etc. Choose from a classic box, family box, rapid box, kids meal box or premium meals, the number of people each recipe is to feed and also how many meals you’d like a week. Prices start from £3.44 for a meal. Menus will change for a varied range of recipe options.
This can be a great way for adults to learn how to cook tasty and healthy dishes. You can even get the children involved. It’s great to help teach them from a young age how to cook and promote healthy eating. This is a habit they will take with them into later life. The boxes are a great time saver as they negate the need to go shopping. They can also be good value for money as ingredients are fresh, good quality, and cut food waste as you’ll be sent exactly what you need for each recipe. They give you the opportunity to eat healthily easily and in a way that is inexpensive.
Increase Vegetable and Fruit Consumption
We all know the minimum amount we should be eating is 5 portions of fruit or veg a day but in reality, it’s actually closer to 10 to maintain a healthy diet. The number 5 was decided upon as it was believed to be more achievable. Scrap the 5 and aim for 10. These can be fresh, frozen and canned. Avoid juiced fruit where possible as you end up taking in a large amount of sugar without the vital fiber. It’s important to note that nuts, seeds, beans, and pulses will count as one of these portions.
Fruit and Vegetable Boxes
Numerous companies and supermarkets have jumped on the bandwagon and now offer vegetable and fruit boxes. Opt for the companies own selection or wonky selection if you want to save a few pounds. After that, it’s up to you what tasty healthy delicacies you create. They say you should eat a rainbow, this sort of selection box can make it easier to do.
Sound like too much pressure to think up enough recipes to use up the items? Recipe Boxes may work better for you. Everything is portioned and clear instructions provided.
Make Use of Your Recipe Books
If like me you have a small collection of recipe books hiding in your cupboards you’ll want to dig those out and have a look. There are so many tasty recipes waiting to be discovered and that’ll help you on your weight loss journey. The Works offers a great range of discounted healthy eating, vegan and keto cookery books from the likes of Jo Wicks and Tom Kerridge.
Increase Your Protein Intake
Protein makes you feel fuller for longer, reducing the urge to snack. Eating protein daily especially high-quality protein not only provides energy, but it also improves mood and brain function. You can get plenty of protein on a plant-based diet if you don’t eat meat or fish.
Eat More Fiber
Foods that are rich in dietary fiber can help lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and reduce cholesterol. Fiber is found in vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains. It’s easy to increase your intake, simply snack on nuts and seeds during the day, in moderation, add beans and roasted vegetables to salads. Not only can it help reduce weight it can also improve the condition of your skin.
Eat the Right Fats
Not all fats are created equal. Saturated fats increase the risk of heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and other conditions. By switching foods rich in saturated fats for those high in unsaturated fats you’ll be eating a far healthier diet. A diet rich in fish, nuts, and seeds, and vegetable oils is what we should all be aiming for. Fats make you feel fuller for longer, therefore, reducing cravings. You should eat saturated fats in moderation. Fats are also important for the absorption of various vitamins including vitamins A, D, E and K. We need fats to stay healthy, just watch what you eat.
Cut Down on Sugar
Excessive and regular sugar consumption can result in weight gain. Although sugar can be found naturally in milk and fruit it’s the sugar found in sweets, sugary drinks, baked goods that should be reduced. Reducing foods and even fruits with large amounts of sugar will help with weight loss, reduce the risk of cavities, diabetes and heart disease.
Increase Water Intake
Drink more water. Many times we think we feel hungry when we actually feel thirsty. This is because the hypothalamus (part of the brain) gets the signals confused. To avoid eating more than you need to each time you feel hungry, try drinking a glass of water. If you are still hungry after 20 minutes then it’s time to eat. Drinking a glass of water half an hour before you eat can really help with portion control. water is vital for digestion. By not drinking with your food you dehydrate your body and food isn’t digested as efficiently.
Food Portioning
Having a set amount of food can be helpful but you need to make sure you approach this correctly. Having a certain quantity on your plate of different items can help ensure you have a well balanced meal and one that will fill you up. Incorrectly portioned meals can leave you hungry and more prone to snacking. Try using this as a guide:
Half a plate salad or veg
A quarter of the plate protein. Think pulses, beans, lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, tofu.
The last quarter is for complex carbs: so that would include starchy veg such as corn, potatoes, peas, sweet potatoes, butternut squash. Wholegrains also fit into this including brown rice, quinoa, cracked wheat (bulgar).
Smaller Dinnerware
It’s interesting how psychology can come into play a great deal when it comes to food and healthy eating. Using smaller plates and spoons can help reduce overeating. Studies have shown when larger bowls or spoons are used when eating a meal, people automatically put more food without realising it.
Eat Slowly
The Mediterranean diet is said to be one of the healthiest but what is often overlooked is that meals tend to be eaten in a relaxed environment and over a period of time. The speed you eat your food as well as the food you eat influences weight. The faster you eat the more calories you’ll consume. It takes 20 minutes for the brain to tell you that you are full. Eating slowly can help you eat less, so slow it down a little. You’ll chew the food more, slow down the speed you eat and take in fewer calories by the time your brain tells you that you are full. This way you get to enjoy the food too. You won’t taste much if you shovel it in.
Don’t Skip Meals
It’s important not to skip any meals. Ideally, your breakfast will be high in fiber, low is salt, fat, and sugar. Eating breakfast helps kickstart your metabolism to provide you with energy to last until your next meal. Eating regularly during the day helps keep your metabolism running and prevents dips in energy that would otherwise make you feel sluggish.
Avoid Eating Late
Easier said than done. But, avoiding eating late will help you better regulate your weight. It is best to eat during the most active stages of the day. Don’t forget, calories that are not converted into energy end up as fat.
Snack More on Healthy Foods
Snacking is encouraged provided it’s done healthily. Think nuts, seeds, vegetable sticks, fruit. Sometimes preparing your snacks in portions in advance can really help. It can also be useful to have a set snack time to avoid you ransacking cupboards for biscuits and other unhealthy snacks when you’re feeling peckish. Stick to snacks high in fiber, protein, and complex carbohydrates.
Cut Down on Unhealthy Snacks
It goes without saying that we can eat most things in moderation. Banning certain foods completely can make you crave them more and makes you feel even worse if you give in to temptation. Simply reducing the amount you have and the regularity you will find yourself being drawn to the foods less.
Cutting down on calorific snacks can help with weight loss. You don’t need to cut them out entirely. Simply portion out snacks so the quantity is not excessive. Opt for varieties with reduced fat, salt, and sugar where possible. Use smaller bowls so you avoid overindulging. Avoid eating directly from the pack it comes in as it makes it far easier to overeat. Try not to buy too many bad snacks, if they’re not there you can’t eat them.
Don’t Do it Alone
It’s so much easier to adjust your diet to a healthier one when you do this with a partner or friend. The support you can give each other is invaluable and it can really make a big difference. In fact, by doing this you are far more likely to succeed in adapting to a healthier diet. Share your highs and lows, compete. It won’t take long until you see the benefits.
Summary
So there you have a comprehensive list of areas to work on that will help you eat more healthily. Each is all simple enough. Try a few at a time and gradually increase and you’ll find it becomes easier to eat healthily in time. You’ll feel better, look better and lose weight along the way.
Good luck x
What healthy eating tips would you suggest?
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Some brilliant tips here, Mel! I am really struggling with healthy eating during lockdown. After looking after the kids non stop without any school or groups to break it up, the last thing I want to be doing is spending ages in the kitchen haha! Might just have to take some of your tips on board.
It isn’t easy when you want something quickly especially when you have snacks and treats at home for the kids.
This looks so so good!!! I love healthy food, one because it is healthy and two because I personally find it so delicious.
Healthy food can be yummy. I’m not keen on anything that has too much fat or grease.
I usually try to go shopping or do my shopping when I am not hungry and stick to a budget as best I can, there are some great tips here fo rhelping
Thanks Samantha. It can save you quite a bit if you shop when you aren’t hungry.
I do try to eat healthier, but I won’t deny myself the cookie. But I try to watch it most of the time.
That’s good. It isn’t about denying yourself, it’s about not overindulging.
We always make sure that we eat as healthy as can be, but do indulge too with a take away from time to time
It’s fine to have takeaway. Once in a while is the best way.
Some absolutely fabulous tips here. I’ve been LCHF intermittently for 2 years and have lost around 35kg. Combined with regular running too. I feel so much more alive.
Eating healthily can literally change your life. It’s amazing what you can achieve with a little effort.
These are all great tips! I am terrible for going shopping when I am hungry and then buying all sorts of things I don’t need, are not on my list and are not the healthiest of foods.
That’s the problem I have when I take the kids lol
So many great tips about eating healthy, I think just getting into good habits is the most important thing as I’m in a lot of bad habits at the moment. I’m trying to incorporate more veg into our dinners to bulk things up there x
Adding more veg is a good idea. It can also help with various conditions thanks to the fiber, vitamin and mineral content.
The chickpea sounds yummy to me. I need to make this salad. Great tips.
Thanks Tara. I hope you get to try it sometime
It can be easy to slip into unhealthy eating habit because it is just much easier to order a takeaway or buy cheap food that is not necessarily the healthiest. I find that by avoiding buying lots of unhealthy things in the first place I can keep up with a balanced diet.
It is easy to fall into unhealthy habits. Finding ways around this can help.
For me it is all about proper food portions as I always make too big of plates. It is a bad habit and with being involved with an Italian family who always loves to have more than anyone can eat….. it is habit that can be hard to break. I also try using white plates as that is supposed to help with portion size. Thank you for sharing!
It’s hard to get out of the habit of large portions. It needs to be a gradual process.
Some fabulous tips on this post. Love Hello Fresh and I often use their recipes to cook my meals. Eating healthy is so important and agree about not making a list or shopping when you are hungry.
They have some great dishes on the site. I’d love to try quite a few.
I keep a running list all week. If I don’t shop from a list I wind up forgetting things and buying extra things. I do prefer to shop in the morning, when it’s less crowded and I’m less likely to be hungry.
Lists are fantastic. I have the same problem. It all used to go wrong when I forgot my list. I now add it to my phone.
Such a comprehensive post! I agree with all of these tips. Some are hard to follow, personally, but my husband and I try our best!
It is hard especially if you’ve just started. Once you get into the swing of it it becomes easier.
Great and practical tips. For someone who is conscious about his health due to a heart problem, this post is helpful.
I’m glad you found this useful. Healthy eating will be beneficial. Your doctor should be able to give you an idea of a diet designed for those with heart issues.
As a Health Coach myself I think you are giving great recommendations!
Thanks Nadine. Glad you agree. I’ve a medical background in natural medicine (Medical Herbalist/Phytotherapist) so this is what I’d be looking to advise patients.
I need to increase my water intake. Sometimes I feel so dehydrated and I do not get it. It happens sometimes even when I drink like a gallon of water.
It’s about spacing out water during the day rather than having it all at once. It’s best to try to actually get to the stage where you feel thirsty.
That chickpea and dill salad looks amazing. I love chickpea salads. And you are right about not going shopping when you are hungry. We spend much more money on groceries when we go when we’re hungry. LOL
It’s so true. I know as I’ve done it myself.
Thanks for the tips! It’s important to eat healthy food!
xoxo
Lovely
It sure is. You feel so much better for it.
Thank you for sharing these tips! Especially with lockdown, I have really been struggling sometimes. Now with somethings re-opening, only the fast-food industry has been unlocked which makes it even easier to eat bad foods!
It is easier to get hold of fast food unfortunately. Homemade is far better and can be tastier too.
These are some great tips! I have been reading the back more often than not when shopping now. That food looks delicious too!
Thanks Shelby. It’s good to hear you are checking foods before buying.
Healthy food can be always tasty. I like the tips.
It can be depending on how it is made and what ingredients are used.
Am glad i do these all things..Especially the more you intake water the more you will stay healthy…well these tips and ideas are really very effective and are quite helpful for every reader…Thanks for sharing…
No problem, thank you for reading. I hope you learnt something from the post.
Wow! Those foods are making my mouth water! They look so good.
Thanks Kristyn. Goes to show how good healthy food can look!
Great tips! it is actually suprising how small changes can make the whole eating habits much much better!
It is a case of starting off small and building up. Some just jump in and change everything but it can be harder to keep it going that way.
Thanks for the tips. Eating clean can be fun and simple if we try.
That’s very true. It doesn’t take too much effort luckily.
When you are in home quarantine it is so hard to monitor food intake. The key is not to take fast food at any cost.
It is important to avoid fast food. The good thing is many were closed at the start.
Excellent tips but I try to stay away from reading labels. Personally, it can become obsessive for me.
I think you get the idea with some foods though after reading a few similar ones. It’s about eating healthy foods more than unhealthy ones.
Thanks so much for sharing this. I have put over a stone on during lockdown simply as I’m eating because I’m bored. I have totally changed my mindset and I’m now looking at labels etc and clean eating, great post x
Thanks Lynne. You’re not the only one. By adjusting and using these tips it will come off again. Good luck!
These are some excellent tips here, ive seen many people talking about how they have struggled to eat right over lockdown, and a surprising amount of takeaways even though we are on lockdown, I’ve been mixed, i wish i had ten better but at the same time I’ve not been that bad, great post.
Thanks Liam. I think many wish they’d done better now but the good thing is you can correct it by adjusting now.
These are some really amazing tips, although I try to be reasonable with my diet, I don’t follow all the things. But your post has surely inspired me to eat healthier and be more cautious.
I’m glad my post has inspired you to eat a little more healthily. You’ll be amazed how much better you feel the more of these tips you take on and use in daily life.
This is such a meaningful post. Since COVID-19, I started to change my eating habits as well. I have used hello fresh. I like the variety of foods and portion. I agree with shopping when hungry. Not a good idea. Eating more fiber does help to keep yourself full.
They do have a great selection of foods to choose from on their site.
I really need to take all these tips on board. As since lockdown I have put on a bit of weight. I think it is mainly for not doing the school walk every morning and also the fact that I keep eating Ben & Jerry’s.
I know what you mean. I do miss doing the school run as I used to walk there and back too.
I love all of these tips! I particularly like the planning tip – one I always use.
That’s very important and helps avoid slip ups.
Writing a shopping list helps me so much. If I don’t, I end up buying so many unhealthy items. Great tips!
I know, it’s awful isn’t it! I do the same.
Those look quite delicious. Great tips to keep in mind and a great guide as well.
Thanks Angela. I’m glad you liked the post.
So many of these tips resonate with me, like not making a list or skipping meals. I need to be better about planning!