8 Eating Habits That Make Healthy People… Well, Healthy!
Feeling dead on the inside?
Don’t blame those cocktails you had on Saturday night (5 days ago) or your deadpan personality. We all know what’s really going on. You are what you eat – and you, my friend, are a walking deep fryer.
So what can you do to fix it? Asking for your fish “lightly battered” isn’t exactly going to cut it (nor is it going to taste very good), and hot chips don’t technically qualify as vegetables. It’s time to implement some serious changes to your eating habits that are not only super easy but will have your intestines singing.
- Don’t skip breakfast
If you’re skipping breakfast you’re not only going hungry – you’re damaging your long-term health.
Skipping the first meal of the day leaves you with less opportunity to eat and absorb essential nutrients and vitamins. Short term this leaves you hangry; which means having a crap day and chasing down miraculously disappearing friends and colleagues.
Long term, not eating breakfast has shown to increase people’s likelihood of developing heart disease and diabetes. But, In comparison, those who don’t miss this vital meal enjoy better cognitive function and find it easier to lose weight!
- Indulge in bulk hydration
Everyone knows drinking water is essential to improving their health and wellbeing, but how many people actually drink enough H20 daily?
Water is needed to energize your muscles, perform digestion, detoxify the body, regulate body temperature, enable brain functions, transport nutrients around the body, balance hormones, lubricate joints…
You get the picture. Drink your 8 glasses a day.
- Stop sneaking food
If you’re sneaking food, it’s because you know you’re doing something wrong. Whether it’s smashing a takeaway burger in the car on the way home, guzzling a soft drink in between meetings or eating a tub of ice cream from the privacy of your bedroom, you’re sneaking foods that are bad for you in places where you can’t be caught or judged.
If this sounds like you, try something new – only eat in front of other people. Turn the judgment of others into your very own superpower. We guarantee you’ll kick your bad habits before you can say “Big Mac”.
- Ignore fads and dieting trends
If you follow every food craze and trend that breaks Instagram you’ve not only got a social media addiction but you’re also a yo-yo-er. And that’s bad news.
Yo-yo dieting is incredibly bad for you as it generally results in malnutrition, a slowing of your metabolism, and cyclical weight problems.
Fact: the majority of yo-yo dieters will initially lose weight – only to pack it all on (plus more) as soon as they stop their ‘diet’. The solution? Eat regular (properly-portioned) meals that are healthy and contain a balanced range of nutrients. It’s that simple.
- Plan your meals
If nothing’s packed for lunch or your fridge is home to nothing but off milk and mold, you’re going to be eating takeaway. Why is this a bad thing? Because most takeaway food is high in sodium, processed, low in nutrients, and full of chemicals. Day in, day out, eating this sort of food will give you love handles nobody loves – and leave you broke at that!
If you’re time-poor, don’t worry. There are home-delivered, chef-prepared meal options available that are clean, lean, and often healthier than you can cook for yourself!
- Choose foods with a short ingredients list
There’s a general rule of thumb when it comes to eating healthy – the longer the ingredients list, the worse the food is for you. This is because processed and preserved foods often contain more ‘ingredients’ (and by that we mean chemicals) than their healthier, cleaner counterparts.
When buying packaged food always check the ingredients list first. If you can see numbers where there should be food, if sugar is one of the first 4 ingredients, or if you can’t pronounce what’s listed (quinoa of course being the exception), put the item down and keep looking.
Your body will thank you for it later.
- Never, ever skip meals
Find yourself often skipping meals? Well, then you’re nothing short of a fool!
What happens to your body when you decide to go hungry? Well, firstly your blood sugar levels take a fast dive leaving you tired, irritable and slow. Then, your body goes into starvation mode… which means a slowing of your metabolism and brain function.
Finally (and worst of all), when you do eventually get around to eating your metabolism continues to stay slow, as your body won’t automatically ‘switch-off starvation mode. It’ll take a few hours to boost back up.
Keep skipping meals for long enough and your bodies metabolism won’t return to its normal state and may begin to start turning to your muscles as a fuel source. We can’t say it enough – don’t skip meals!
- Treat yo’ self!
Believe it or not, cheat meals aren’t just an excuse to be ‘naughty’ (and maintain your sanity). They’re also an integral part of anyone’s healthy eating plan.
Cheat meals are actually a great way for you to boost your metabolism, as by hitting you with a ‘calorie bomb’ they force your body to up-the-ante and adapt to additional caloric intake, rather than just cruise along on a carefully measured and regular dietary lifestyle.
In other words – they stop your body’s digestive system from becoming lazy and ensure it’s constantly kept on its toes!