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Healthy Eating Habits:
13 Trustworthy Tips on How to Change Your Eating Habits
for the Better

Your eating habits are vital for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Here are some practical tips by Habio on how to build healthier eating behaviors.
Changed behavior starts with a changed habit. A lot of people say that they will start their diet "tomorrow," but then the days keep passing and they haven't done anything to improve their eating behaviors. It could be because taking a big step can be overwhelming and seem impossible at first.

Here are some easy and straightforward steps that can help you make a significant change by creating small changes. Keep reading to learn how to change eating habits and make healthy eating a habit so you can get healthier and stronger!
A girl with healthy eating habits holding lemons near her face

Why are good eating habits worth it?

Good eating habits help you maintain a healthy weight, reduce the risk of diseases such as cancer and heart disease, and promote overall health. Everyone deserves to have a long and healthy life. This starts with healthy eating habits.

Improves your physical and mental health

When someone has good eating habits, it's easier for them to be physically well. Eating healthily can help you feel recharged and confident knowing that what you're eating is delicious and nutritious. The food you eat affects your body's immune system, bone health, and performance. It also supports cognition, problem-solving, alertness, memory, sleep, and information processing. Good eating habits benefit your physical health as well as your mental health. And when your cognitive functions are working great, it'll also affect your productivity and performance! Who wouldn't want that?

Helps maintain a healthy weight

The more calories you consume, the more physically active you need to be to maintain a healthy weight. Good eating habits will help because you'll be more aware of the calories you consume and the food choices that you make. Eating the right food can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Eating good food helps you look good and feel good.

Boosts your energy levels

Having healthy eating habits means consuming foods that are rich in carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, protein, antioxidants, and minerals. Following a balanced diet can provide the body with energy all day long. Eating the right food can help you feel good and inspire you to move. Some people work all day and then feel exhausted. Others work the same hours but feel energetic and pumped up. One difference between them may be the food that they eat.
vegetables in a supermarket as an example of healthy eating habits

How to improve your eating habits

There are many ways to build better eating habits. We've provided a list so you can choose what works for you and what to include in your diet or routine. The important thing is to start now! Read more about healthy eating habits in our blog.

1. Add more fruits and veggies

Start including more greens like kale, cabbage, beet greens, and lettuce to your diet. Having different-colored vegetables on your plate also provides a lot of benefits. These are healthy foods to eat every day. You can also start including tomatoes, peppers, corn, and sweet potatoes. Start small if you're still getting used to more vegetables in your diet. You can also make smoothies with fruit depending on your taste! Other healthy snacks you can snack on are avocado chips, banana ice cream, or fruit spring rolls. If you don't want snacks, you can cook your dinner or lunch with these yummy fruits and vegetables.

2. Cook at home for yourself

Cooking at home will help you avoid the added preservatives and sodium that are often in processed foods. Cooking at home also gives you more discipline and choice about what you want to eat. When you're out of the house, it's easier to rely on fast food, which is usually unhealthy. Being at home can also help reduce your consumption of sugar and other processed food. If you want to find easy healthy recipes or clean eating recipes, there are lots of resources available online.

3. Track your caloric intake

When you track your calorie intake, you can also take note of the amount of good food you consume. You become accountable to yourself and your progress. This will also help you be mindful of the food you choose. The best calorie intake for each body depends on factors such as weight, body type, age, and activity level. Avoiding unhealthy food can help you stick to the appropriate amount of calories for you.

4. Eat slowly and thoughtfully

Eating slowly has lots of benefits such as better digestion and hydration, easier weight loss and maintenance, and also greater satisfaction with meals. One of the advantages of eating slowly is that it gives your body the chance to determine if you are already full. In addition, eating slowly helps you stay present. It helps you to relax and stay in the moment instead of thinking about the next thing you have to do.

5. Drink more water

Drinking water helps to eliminate waste from your body, regulate your body temperature, and promote healthy brain function. If you stay consistently hydrated, it also helps your body absorb minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients from your food and distribute them to the rest of your body.
A woman eating vegetables illustrating her healthy eating habits

6. Eat more protein

If you're looking for protein foods for weight loss, you may want to consider lean beef, chicken, fish, tuna, and milk. Eating protein decreases your hunger and can increase your strength and muscle mass.

7. Reduce salt and sugar intake

Eating a lot of sugar can result in an increased risk of the following diseases: obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, and cavities. Dr. David Ludwig recommends replacing sugary foods and refined carbs with healthy fats to help stabilize your insulin levels.

8. Avoid store-bought dressings

Avoid store-bought dressings and sauces. Making your own dressing and sauces means you'll know what ingredients are in the product. You get to choose what's right for you and your family. Here are some examples of at-home dressings to try: Greek yogurt dressing, chile-lime salad dressing, and honey mustard salad dressing. Check out the recipes for these and other great options here.

9. Bake instead of fry

When you deep-fry food in oil, the high temperature involved can cause the starch to be converted into carcinogens. Carcinogens are cancer-causing substances that are not suitable for the body. High exposure to carcinogens can lead to increased risks for heart disease and cancer. However, when food is baked, there's less oil, making it a healthier cooking process. If you are looking for suggestions for healthy lunch recipes, you can try baked salmon or chicken!

10. Replace soft drinks with sparkling water

Sparkling water doesn't contain calories or sugar like soft drinks. That makes it a great option for staying hydrated, and it's healthier than sugary drinks. If you're bored with plain water or want some "fizz" in your glass, choose sparkling water that doesn't have any added calories.

11. Sleep well

Sleep is a crucial component in every person's health and wellness. Sleeping helps the body reset. Getting enough sleep helps your body stay fit and recover to get you ready for the next day. Not getting enough sleep can lead to excess weight gain and cardiovascular disease. Learn more about creating a consistent sleep schedule here.

12. Stay away from "diet" and "low-fat" foods

It can be easy to be tempted by products with "diet" or "low-fat" on the label. However, these foods don't always taste good and sometimes contain unnecessary ingredients like thickeners, salt, flour, and sugar. This can add extra calories. Furthermore, if the foods aren't satisfying, you may end up eating more than you usually would and add even more to the calorie count.

13. Read food labels

Reading food labels helps you choose foods that are higher in vitamins, protein, and fiber. It will also help you limit the amount of cholesterol, fat, and sugar in your diet.

Summary

As you begin to build healthier eating habits, you'll begin to see the impact it can have on achieving or maintaining a healthy weight. If you feel like you've been eating unhealthily for quite a long time, don't worry. It's never too late to make a change. Follow these 13 tips and start changing your habits. If you have questions about your health, then don't hesitate to see a doctor.

Sources

1. https://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-slow-eating
2. https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/why-is-water-important#weight-loss
3. https://www.health.com/nutrition/health-benefits-quitting-sugar
4. https://www.lovemysalad.com/blog/6-reasons-make-your-own-salad-dressing
5. https://www.thehealthsite.com/fitness/why-is-baking-healthier-than-frying-ta1214-254972
6. https://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/low-fat-diet#1

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