Most people will admit that they want to eat healthier, but overhauling your diet can feel overwhelming. Learn how to take small steps that will lead to big changes in the way you eat. Preventing weight gain, and progressing weight loss.
Find out Where You Are
Before deciding to make significant changes to your diet, it can be helpful to become more aware of what and how you’re eating right now. Take a week to track everything that you eat and drink. Write down what you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat. Monitoring your eating habits can help you recognize poor behavior patterns that may need correcting.
Set Small Goals
Once you’ve identified which behaviors you want to target, start with one change. For example, perhaps you’ll realize that you’re not eating near as many vegetables. Start by finding new ways to add a vegetable to every meal, or to two meals a day. Try out new vegetables to see which ones you enjoy the most. You may find that you eat larger meals than you’d like. Start using smaller dinner plates every night to help you practice portion control.
Focus on Healthy Substitutions
Instead of thinking about all of the foods you shouldn’t or can’t eat, think about looking for healthier alternatives. Replace white bread with whole-wheat bread. Try eating turkey, chicken, or fish instead of fattier meats. Switch to low or non-fat varieties of your favorite dairy products. You can avoid feeling a constant sense of deprivation if you focus more on changing what you eat instead of simply not eating certain foods.
Remember that over time, small changes made consistently become healthy habits. Healthy habits produce results!