A lot of us have been living a somewhat more sedentary life recently and maybe we’ve had a few too many quarantine snacks along the way. I know I am starting to notice that I really need to start eating more healthily as a result. However, for many of us, our sense of taste is something we have a lot of trouble sacrificing.
The great thing about food is there are plenty of ways to make healthy dishes that will take your tastebuds on a ride! Don’t sacrifice taste for health and don’t sacrifice health for taste! Life is about balance. Say goodbye to your quarantine 15 with these simple food tricks.
Eat healthier fats
Avoiding extra fat is one of the most frequent tips you will hear when it comes to making your diet a little healthier. However, modern wisdom says that you shouldn’t treat every fat as the enemy. In fact, you should opt for healthy fats such as omega-3 fatty acids commonly found in oily fish and nuts. For instance, you can make an energy toast breakfast meal that makes use of pecans that have some of these healthy fats to help give you an energy boost at the start of the day.
Switch out canola is for avocado oil, olive oil, or extra virgin olive oil. It is 2020, we are not putting hydrogenated oils in our bodies anymore!
Don’t eat grains with every meal
We all need the fiber and healthy carbs that come with whole-grain foods in our lives. However, when it comes to making dinner, starchy, and grain foods, such as pasta, potatoes, rice, and noodles, are where most of the calories are going to come from. Look for meals that don’t use any of those grains at all. Breakfast can be made without toast, lunch can be a soup and salad or trying out fun recipes at home like this chili manner. You can also look for healthier replacements, such as swapping rice for cauliflower rice if you want to use your old favorite recipes but make them healthier. I like to slather my cauliflower rice in butter… there is that balance thing again, haha.
Portion your meals better
Sometimes, the individual ingredients that make up your meal might be okay, but it might be that you’re simply not serving them at healthy proportions. I’ll be the first to say eating a loaf of bread before dinner isnt exactly portion control. I’ve seen suggestions that grains should be half of your meal, while vegetables were the smallest portion of it. Nowadays, we know that it should be the exact opposite. About 50% of your meal should be vegetables and fruits. It might take some time to get used to, but it can definitely make a big difference in the nutritional value of what you eat.
*Pro tip: Sesonings and oil on vegetables can go a LONG way.
Don’t try to skip treats entirely
While you should try to eliminate unplanned snacking, you should make sure that you still have time during the day where you can enjoy treats. You can still have dessert. There are tons of healthy treats you can try and many of them might not be so different from desserts you had beforehand. For instance, if you make a chocolate dessert, try swapping it out for dark chocolate instead, as it’s much better for you. If you try to cut treats out entirely, it makes it more likely that the temptation will soon be too much for you and you will break the diet.
You will consume a wide range of nutrients
Exploring new foods can be scary, but you have to start from somewhere. With a great variety of food on your plate, you will be able to get most of the essential nutrients. You will get the natural benefits of food items like fruits, grains, and vegetables without necessarily relying on supplements. One good example is consuming the best shish kabob. You will get to know the variety of grilled kabob and get more proteins and veggies in just one bite.
The easier you can make it on yourself to eat healthier meals, the more likely you are to stick with them. Find your favorites, and keep varying them little by little until you have enough options at your disposal to never go for the easy and unhealthy option again.
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