This is a guest post by Wellness Of Eve.
“You are what you eat.” What a true quote.
If you eat healthy food, in a healthy way, you should stay healthy. However, not everyone knows what and how to eat.
I recently wrote an answer for a question on Quora about why people tend to eat what they know could kill them. The fact is that many people aren’t aware of the dangers of the unhealthy food they’re consuming, and if they are, they lack motivation to go for it.
Today I’ll give a simple version of healthy eating tips for a beginner who wants to make the shift as smoothly as possible.
1. Kitchen must haves
If you have staffed your kitchen with processed food, chances are you’ll find it easier to consume them rather than go to shop for some healthy food. So start by your groceries list before shopping, make sure you buy what you’ll need to make healthy meals.
These are my favorite healthy meals components that I can never skip:
- Olive oil
- Honey
- Garlic
- Veggies and fruits of the season
- Spices: ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, ground at home.
- Herbs: tea, anise, sage, chamomile, thyme
- Nuts: almond, peanut, sesame, fenugreek seeds, lentils
- Cereals: oatmeal, whole wheat, ground barley
- Dates, raisins
2. Meal planning
If you don’t plan your meals, chances are you’ll find yourself cooking and eating whatever is possible in the kitchen or, worse, take some fast food. So give your stomach’s health some time and plan which meal you’ll make for breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day during the week.
If you’re also looking for meal planning printables for cheap meals, then check out this list, and especially the clean eating printable.
Make sure to have a variation of nutrients in each meal, containing proteins, vitamins and some natural fat and carb. For snacks, you can take your favorite fruit or nuts.
If you’re a woman, chances are you feel more responsible for your family’s health because you’re the one spending more time in the kitchen trying to feed them. The fact is that meals should be made together as it strengthens the family bonds and give them more time for connection.
I suggest you take their opinions when making the meal planning and give them the chance to be the kitchen chief when it’s time to make their favorite meal while others help them. It’s such a fun and helpful way to take responsibility for our food and enjoy the family life even more at the same time.
3. Fasting
When it comes to healthy eating, you should consider also giving some vacation for your digestive system. It works a lot when we eat three meals per day, and fasting for one day per month at least can help it work even more effectively. If that’s not an option for you for any reason, consider juicing or smoothies, they give your needed nutrients with much less digestion work.
Healthy eating is simple and easy if you can listen to your body. It’s such an intelligent machine that gives you messages to tell you what’s needed, and sometimes they’re expressed by gut feelings. Try to ask yourself which food do I need right now? How much? I believe that connecting with the body can be the shortcut to a healthier life.
If you need to know more about healthy eating or you have some special health issues, consider asking a nutritionist if affordable, or leave me a message via the contact form on my blog. You can also follow my Facebook page and tell me how I can help you to start eating healthy.
Wellness of Eve is a space to share healthy living knowledge and support, founded by a Moroccan woman who is committed to share her healthy living perspective with everyone over the world, to help everyone make the shift toward a healthy lifestyle. You can find her on her blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Linkedin.
I’m really curious about this idea of fasting one day a month. Do you just drink water? What about the next day, do you just go back to eating normally?
xoxo
Naomi
http://www.myfairolinda.com
You can choose to not drink water if you can, otherwise drinking spring or ionezed water would help you detox quickly. The next day you try to eat as healthy as possible, and always make small changes to your diet to give the body its time to adapt. Have a good detox!
Ohh, that pantry list is so helpful!! I need to add a lot of those items to my grocery list!!
Please do, you gonna love them!
Great post! I agree that if I’ve planned a meal, or start preparing it before I’m really hungry, that I can usually stick to eating healthy. It’s when I wait to long and start getting so hungry that I reach for something quick and filling!
True.
This is so helpful since I’m trying to work towards a healthier diet!
Happy to be able to serve you, please reach out on my blog or social media for any help
Love your must haves list! May I suggest adding Apple Cider Vinegar to that list?
Thanks Hanna for your suggestion! I love Apple Cider vinegar but I usually use it for home made beauty recipes. The not refined apple cider vinegar doesn’t taste good when used in salads as I know. If you know about any tips to use it please tell us, I would be very grateful <3
Great tips! Your list of pantry items is super helpful. I find that I do much better when I meal plan. It takes away the excuse that we have to go out to eat because we don’t have anything in the house or time to cook.
The must have list is so helpful! I always struggle to know where to begin and that helps so much! Plus, it takes the “I dont have it” excuse away!
That’s right Courtney, I used to give myself that excuse too before I decided to commit to healthy eating. Good luck <3
I love your idea of kitchen staples 🙂 I haven’t ever tried fasting, have heard conflicting things about it, unless you’re drinking some kind of drink all that that has nutrients in it, I would be scared of passing out lol. I know if I don’t eat all day my blood sugar gets too low and I get grumpy 😛
You can start by juicing. Simply you consume just juices, try some veggies juices as fruits juices are full of sugar, even natural sugar can be harmful if big intake. You’ll still feel energized while your digestion system takes a break.
I’ve really wanted to get into meal planning. This post gives me so many ideas!
Go for it! let me know if I can help you in any way
I totally agree with the first one. If you have a healthy pantry, you eat healthy food. It’s simple! 🙂
True Veronika! there are still some rules like making healthy food combinations, about which I’ll be writing on my blog soon, but that’s still a good start for a beginner.
I’ve been playing around with the idea of fasting… But i’m SO nervous!
Usually what make us nervous is the idea of feeling empty, then weak.. we made food something ESSENTIAL for our life..while it’s something to be simply enjoyed.
I’m reading a book written by a breatharian, he says that in fact we don’t really need food. When we rely on food to survive that means we gave it our power, hence the feeling of powerlessness. Many people may disagree about it but it’s still a worth reading thought-food! you can download it for free here http://raymaor.com/read/my-ebook-as-a-gift/
These tips are wonderful!! I am terrible at meal planning but I have all of the kitchen must haves!
..and that’s a good start Jen!
You don’t have to plan all the weeks’ meals at once from the beginning, try to plan for each day the day before, or plan just for lunch meals. Good luck <3
I want to eat better but it’s so hard! I definitely need to start doing more meal planning.