For anything to be sustainable it has to be enjoyable! We know that proper nutrition is important every day, but it’s not always easy! Here are 8 helpful ways to adopt healthful habits that will last.

1. It all begins with the choices you make at the grocery store.

You can start by browsing your pantry. Assess what foods need to go and what can stay. Make room for new healthy additions and be open to swapping old items with healthier options. When you’re grocery shopping, stick to the perimeter of the grocery store as a rule of thumb. The center of the store holds much of the processed foods available.  Try to buy plenty of whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats. Remember to store your healthiest foods at the front of the fridge where you can grab easily.

2. Never skip breakfast.

Breakfast is your system’s jumpstart to the day! Whether it’s a simple cup of yogurt with your favorite fruit or scrambled eggs and toast, make sure you break that fast! Also, try eating smaller meals more frequently for sustained energy throughout the day.  This avoids energy crashing from big heavy meals and provides a boost in metabolism.

3. Make every meal as colorful as possible.

It’s easy to fall into to the same old meal patterns and forget to incorporate a variety of different foods into our routine. This is easy to fix if you remember to make each meal as colorfully diverse as possible. A variety of colors also mean a variety of vitamins! Bright orange foods such as winter squash and carrots are rich in beta-carotene and vitamin C. Dark green vegetables have iron, vitamin K, and calcium. So mix it up and be sure to eat the rainbow!

4. Ditch the salt.

We all love salt, but you’d be surprised to learn how much sodium is already in many of the foods we eat. Try replacing salt with different herbs and spices. The more herbs you try the more you’ll like and the fuller your spice cabinet will get with new and interesting flavors. The next time you make a meal, start seasoning your meal with herbs or spices first, then taste. You may find that you didn’t need the extra salt after all.

5. Curb the sugar intake.

We all fall victim to sugar cravings now and then. However, we don’t often consider how much sugar we’re ingesting when that craving hits.  For example, on average, there are roughly 9 grams of sugar in one chocolate chip cookie. Who eats just one? Nobody. That’s a lot of processed sugar. Don’t worry it’s not the end of the world yet!  If you find yourself with a serious sugar craving, no problem, you have options. Try choosing natural sugar instead of having a piece of your favorite fruit. Before you know it, it will be like second nature.

6. Plan and prepare.

If you haven’t heard of “food prep,” it’s as good to be in the know. This is a tried and true method for ensuring that you make healthy choices no matter how busy your life gets.  Pick a day during the week, Sunday usually works well, and prepare some healthy food options for the week. For example, boil some eggs and store them in the fridge for an easy 7 grams of protein. Another idea would be to wash, chop and prepare veggies for easy snacking. You can also dice up bell peppers and freeze them for an easy way to add vitamin C and antioxidants to any meal.  You can also pre-cook a large amount of any rice or grain of your choice for easy rice bowl lunches or dinners. You can add steamed veggies or your favorite protein (chicken, salmon, beef) for an effective meal that’s quick to make.

7. Drink plenty of water.

Staying hydrated is easy to forget, especially when it starts cooling down outside.  Did you know your body is composed of roughly 60% water?  This means that getting plenty of water throughout the day is vital for processes such as digestion, absorption, circulation, transportation of nutrients and body temperature balance. It’s also easy to mistake dehydration for hunger.  Sometimes when you think you’re hungry, your body is actually trying to tell you it’s becoming dehydrated and needs water. Try starting your day with a glass of water right when you wake up. You will probably feel quite thirsty anyway. This will help wake up your organs and get them functioning properly after being asleep all night. Get a reusable water bottle you can continuously fill throughout the day. This will help you avoid waiting until you’re thirsty to drink water. If you feel thirsty, dehydration has already set in.  

8. Use gentle cooking methods.

The more you do to your food, the less it will do for you. This is referring to overcooking foods. This will drain the foods of their nutrients. Avoid deep-frying or over boiling and practice other methods of food preparation in order to preserve the nutrient value.  Instead, you can lightly sauté or steam vegetables and bake meat and fish. Use olive oil instead of butter when possible, to reduce your saturated fat intake.

Incorporating a few, or all of these tips will send you well on your way to improving your healthful habit repertoire. Don’t be too hard on yourself! It takes roughly 1 month to make a new action into a habit. You can do it! Good luck and good health!