Hi everyone! It’s Michael Gortenburg here.
For many, it’s hard enough finding time in the day to make yourself a meal to eat, let alone ensuring it’s got all your essential nutrients for the day. But healthy eating is critical to our lifelong health, so finding ways to incorporate it into our daily lives is crucial. Here are some ways I’ve found to help make eating healthier easier:
Find smaller substitutions
Going cold turkey on all your favorite foods isn’t healthy or realistic. I’ve found it’s easier to find more minor ingredients in my day-to-day cooking that can substitute for something more nutritious. Healthy fats like olive oil are an easy way to ditch fats like butter in your cooking. Another easy substitution is whole or multi-grain bread or pasta instead of white bread to add more healthy grains to your diet.
Prep your food
Sometimes, the thing stopping us from eating healthier is having to prepare it. Prepping your food for quicker consumption can help make a short lunch break all the easier, to include veggies in. If you need help eating the daily recommended fruits and vegetables, pre-packing smaller bowls for yourself throughout the week can make it more convenient.
Eat slowly
Several studies have shown the benefits of taking your time while you eat. When you’re hungry, you might not even realize you’re rushing yourself as you eat, but it’s important to remember to sit back and take your time as you chew. Your body will be grateful.
Focus on adding food to your diet
It’s much harder to stick with a healthier diet if you go cold turkey on all the other foods you love. Instead, you can focus on adding new, healthy foods to your diet. You don’t have to swear off eating pizza for dinner and instead can make sure you’re adding a side of carrots to the menu. There are also plenty of vegetables to sneak into your sauces without realizing it.
Incorporating healthier choices into your lifestyle doesn’t happen overnight. It can be a challenging change in your life, especially if you’re busy like me. I suggest implementing more minor changes to transition them into lifelong habits easily. These recommendations are just some of the ways to help with this transition!
For other tips on building a healthier lifestyle, check out my blog about how to work out more often.
Michael Gortenburg, Founding Principal of Eighteen Capital Group (18CG) in Kansas City, Missouri. Also, follow Michael on Medium, Twitter, and Xing.
Michael Gortenburg 