11 tips to cultivating healthy eating habits

Author: Jenny Richards
Published: Mar 21 2015

These days, with the improvements in science and research towards food, nutrition and our bodies, studies show that food is not just fuel for our bodies. The quality of food that you ingest is also important for:

- Repairing skin, muscles, organs and other body tissues
- Protecting the body against disease and
- Preventing or protecting the body against faster degeneration

Beyond just eating a balanced diet, science has helped us to understand when to eat, and what the different foods that we ingest, do to our bodies.

It is therefore important to develop healthy eating habits so that you can keep your body well fueled, healthy and functioning at its optimum for a very long time to come.

Below are important tips that you should consider if you want to adopt healthy eating habits:

1. Depending on the type of activity that you do every day, schedule at least 3 meals in a day. If you do a lot of manual work and have some flexibility with time, it may be better to schedule 5 small meals a day. This will provide your body with enough energy and be easier on your digestive system, than fewer larger meals.

2. Starting your day off with a healthy breakfast is important. A good breakfast should include fruit and grains or nuts.

3. In between the 3 main meals, that is, breakfast, lunch and dinner, you should eat small healthy snacks to provide you with some extra energy and curb your appetite. You could try a piece of grass fed beef jerky, some fruit or a few nuts.

4. Avoid overeating during the main meals by drinking water or soup a few minutes before your main meal.

5. For your last meal of the day, eat a small quantity of food or eat the meal early enough to give your body enough time to digest. You want to avoid your body digesting food as you sleep.

6. Make things easier for your digestive system by chewing your food thoroughly and at a good pace. It is also good to savor food because it helps your body release digestive juices appropriately.

7. The more you consume vegetable or plant proteins like nuts, grains, legumes and sprouts as opposed to red meat each meal, the better it will be for your digestive system.

8. If you prefer animal proteins, mix it up a little and give preference to fish and other lean white meat. Eggs and milk are also a good option.

9. Whole grains should always be your preference when you have the choice. Whole wheat, barley and millet are very healthy for your body.

10. Avoid processed foods or foods made with highly processed flours. For example, always prefer brown bread or brown rice to white bread and white rice respectively.

11. An important last tip is to drink enough water throughout the day and eat a good mix of fruit from time to time. Usually, the deeper the color of the fruit or the vegetable, the healthier it is.

These habits are not difficult to cultivate. If you pace yourself and focus on adopting one new habit every week, within a short time you will have acquired a healthy eating regimen.

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