Over the years, nutritional advice has changed from “eat little and often” to “eat less”. It’s no wonder we end up feeling dazed and confused about what really makes a healthy, nutritious diet.
One thing to note about the nutritional minefield is that each of us is different, and while there are general rules of healthy eating that apply to all of us – things like eating lots of vegetables, healthy fats, and getting enough protein are your diet and the Reducing sugar, sometimes what works for one person, is a diet disaster for another.
Whether you are a herbivore or prefer to stick to three meals a day, the important thing is to find a diet and daily routine that will help you feel good.
Often times, we can stick to eating the same things at the same time simply because we’ve always done that. But is it right for us or is it worth shaking up something?
How do you know if another routine will work for you if you’ve never tried it before?
Well, I’m not suggesting going on a crazy diet, but why not make a few changes and see how you feel – a bit of a fall reset to keep you fed and healthy for months to come.
You never know it might be the change you need to jump out of bed in your health from feeling good to feeling refreshed, invigorated, and ready for anything.
Here are a few ideas to try the size out:
1. Breakfast time
Recent research advocates extending our fast overnight to at least 12 hours. If you are a creature of habit when it comes to breakfast time, try moving it back an hour and see how you feel. Change your morning routine and do something different for the first hour of your day. Walk around the block before breakfast, maybe have breakfast when you get back from school, or get to work 15 minutes early and have breakfast there.
2. Swap carbohydrates for proteins
While you’re at it, think about what you eat at breakfast and when you eat it. We traditionally start our day with a higher carb meal like toast or cereal, but you will likely feel a little more energetic if you rebalance your breakfast bowl to reduce your carbohydrate serving size and increase the protein percentage. For example, take a little less porridge, but add a tablespoon of seeds and nuts, or have a slice of whole grain toast or rye bread with two scrambled eggs instead of a boiled egg and two slices of toast. You get the picture. A slight realignment, not a total overhaul.
3. Skip the snacks
Are you hungry or is it a habit? Do you eat biscuits at 10 a.m. because it’s time for a tea break, are you browsing in the afternoon out of boredom, or surfing on the sofa after dinner with a snack on your lap?
When I work with people to really think about why they are eating what they are eating, sometimes snacking is because they are hungry, but often it is because they are bored, fed up, or made comfortable.
What if you change your habits slightly so that instead of mindless chewing, you stop thinking about whether it’s hunger or the habit that makes you chew.
If it’s hungry, a small, nutritious snack is great, but if it’s a habit, think about what to do instead. Change your habits slightly – maybe switch to herbal tea so you don’t need a cookie with it, change your afternoon routine, or go for a walk after tea time and see if you are still hungry when you return. Instead of eating out of habit, listen to your hunger.
Changing habits for a lifetime may take a little adjustment, but it’s worth trying. You can just feel great.
