The desire to eat healthy is important but not always easy to implement. Whether it's a New Year's resolution or just realizing you need to eat better during the year, these tips will help you crush your healthy eating goals.
1. Eat at home as often as possible. You don't have to cook gourmet meals. Many healthy meals are easy to make and can take less time than driving to the drive-thru and getting back home.
Studies have shown that the trend towards cooking at home less is in direct proportion to the rise in the obesity epidemic. When you're home you can make much better food choices.
2. Plan meals the easy way. If you have a list of 15 meals on your refrigerator and all the food in the refrigerator to cook those meals, how likely will you be to go out to eat?
This system of writing down favorite meals along with a list of ingredients needed has helped our family eat healthy for years. You just look at your list in the morning and decide which meal you will make that evening. Then you take out the food you need and make sure it's ready for you when it's time to make dinner.
3. Make your healthy eating decisions at the grocery store rather than at home. Let's face it, if you buy chips and brownies and bring them home, you will eat them instead of carrots and salad. This list of 18 healthy food items should help you know what to buy.
The key to eating healthy is to make wise decisions at the grocery store. Don't bring any junk home that doesn't fit in with your healthy eating plan. If it's not in your house, you can't eat it. You will be forced to eat only the good stuff you brought home.
If you have family members that complain about the lack of junk food in the house, then tell them that you care too much for them to help them fill their bodies with junk. They can go buy the food themselves and eat it in their rooms or away from home. The truth is that junk food is not good for them either and they will be much better off not eating it in the first place. You are the gatekeeper in your home and almost everything in your home gets there because you either buy it or allow it.
Take charge of your health and use these simple tips to help you meet your health and weight loss goals this year!
