Most peoples daily life is based around a habit. You do the main big weekly shop on the same day every week, you give the kids a bath same time every week and have a extra nice Sunday dinner every Sunday.
You as a person thrives on habits and by having a routine in your life, you feel comforted in the fact that you know exactly what going to happen when it happens, well, for most people anyway.
This is big part of the reason you might find it so hard to stick to a healthier lifestyle. Because you have grown up with your parents making food decisions for you and chances are you grew up loving all the wrong foods.
So it's going to take a conscious effort to break the habits of a lifetime now, in your adult life, where you have full control of your health and your children's health, if you have any!
Changing unhealthy eating habits to healthy ones
When it comes to making healthier food choices you need to change little things gradually. Eventually you will have effortlessly altered your eating habits for the better and changed your unhealthy eating habits forever. In return you get a healthier immune system, better conditioned skin and hair, as well as a trim waste line and fewer health problems.
A good pointer before you start to introduce the changes is to keep a food diary for about 1 to 2 weeks prior to changing. Everything that you eat, down to the smallest item should be put on in the diary. It is only when you write down what you ate will you realise how much you have actually put into your body.
What Little Changes You Could Make to See A Big Difference
The changes you make have to be realistic. For example if you don't like eating brussle sprouts then there is no point in putting them on the menu throughout the week just because there very nutritious, as this new change wont last to long eating something your not to keen on.
But the little changes you can make is to add more fruit and veg that you like, into your day. The more colour the better as you will be getting plenty of nutrition. Think fresh berries with that yoghurt or that added banana to your lunch.
If you stick to your healthier eating habits of introducing more nutritious foods, and keeping your consumption of high calorie, low fat and high sugar foods to a minimum, you will notice a reduction in your food cravings also. Basically your training your body to want healthy food.
You don't have to change drastically, here are some things that will make your transition to a healthier diet easier:
1- Swap mayo for mustard on your sandwich as there is a lot less calories in mustard than there is in mayo.
2- Ditch the white bread and choose the more nutrition and fibre packed wholegrain bread.
3- Choose white meat where possible such as chicken and turkey. Red meet has much more calories and so does pork. Also keep in mind that fat of animals is the highest source of unhealthy fats that cause high cholesterol.
4- Where possible choose fish over any meat because even white meat isn't as healthy as fish.
5- Avoid shallow or deep frying at all costs. If you much fry use a spray or a non stick pan instead of fatty oils.
6- To see a major change in your health and weight you should gradually cut out soda's from your diet. They are a huge source of calories and bloating. Instead you should drink diluted juice, water ideally up to 8 glasses a day for a healthy metabolism or even herbal tea.
7- When it come to drinking fuit juices, they aren't really a healthy option. Instead of drinking a glass of orange jusice it would benefit you more if in fact you just ate an orange. A whole orange is more filling and nutrition where as the juice is just high in calories and sugar.
8- Don't cover your food with sauces or dressing instead pour a little onto the side of your plate. You will eat less yet still get the taste.
9- If you must drink milk, skimmed milk is your best option. Milk may be packed with calcium but it is also very high in fat. You can get enough calcium from your green veg and other low fat dairy product you eat.
10- Use low fat cheese and not full fat.
11- Always snack on healthy foods such as fruit or low fat yoghurt's. This will prevent energy slumps that sugary snacks tend to give you.
12- Don't pack your plate out with food, you need to really concentrate on serving yourself up smaller meals, in time they will become enough as your stomach will shrink. If you find this part difficult you could always use an appetite suppressant to make you feel fuller much sooner than you normally would, they are an excellent weight loss aid.
Serve your dinner on a smaller plate so your mind thinks your getting a big dinner even though it's a smaller portion on a smaller plate.
This isn't a hard task, you can do this. It's not about cutting out all the bad foods you love but its about introducing more healthier foods on a regular basis. Remember, a little of what you like is a good thing, just think moderation! Eat that half size chocolate bar instead of a full size one and so on. It will get easier.
These are just a few simple tips to follow when trying to change your lifestyle. If you would like to see more of my work you can visit: Green Tea Extra Strength or if you'd like to take a look at a review a well known appetite suppressant you can visit: Meratol Appetite Suppressant