Get healthy: how to change your eating habits
An expert shares his advice on how you can live a healthier life.
When it comes to food, changing your eating habits can be one of the most difficult things to do.
However, sometimes life forces us to make those changes.
Be it that life-threatening disease, or wanting to lose weight, or merely just
wanting to live a healthy lifestyle, changing your eating habits can really be
the thin line between life and death.
According to Dr Sylven Masoga, a dietician, the body usually takes 21 days to
get used to something.
So if you just keep at it, within no time, your body would have adjusted.
Here is how you can do it:
Reduce your portions
Make small changes. Do not drastically change your menu and make your body
suffer. Allow your body to get used to the change.
If you are used to eating two cups of rice, start off with reducing the portion
with a quarter. When you feel your body is getting used to that portion, then
reduce it further by another quarter, until you reach your goal.
Be disciplined and get a support structure
Changing your eating habits will not be easy, but you have to be disciplined
and concentrate on your goal. Always keep the end result in mind and remember
why you’ve chosen to take this journey.
Having your family or friends supporting you can really help, especially on days you feel like throwing in the towel. Let them know what your goals are and have them hold you accountable as well.
Change your grocery list
Create a new grocery list. It’s pointless starting a healthier eating regime if you’re going to continue buying the same foods. You’ll have no choice but to eat what you shouldn’t be eating, and it could lead to more waste.
Cut out unhealthy snacks
Swop those non-nutritive snacks with nutritive snacks. For example, choose to
eat an apple, banana, seed crackers, or berries instead of bad snacks like
chips and sweets. So instead of packing junk food for work, you can choose to
stock up on nutritive snacks and fruits. Be careful of bad snacks posing as
healthy alternatives. Always check the labels and keep an eye on sugar and
sodium content.
Limit going to places where you will be
tempted to eat
Going to parties, functions, and events can make it harder for you to stick to
your goal of eating healthy. Limit
the time you go to functions, choose your events wisely, or make sure you eat
before you leave home so that you’re not starving while you’re at the party.
There’s also nothing wrong with packing a few healthy snacks in the car should
you get hungry.
Don’t be too hard on yourself
Winners are those
who refuse to quit the battle. They choose to rise again after falling. Choose
to be a winner and not allow your old habits to defeat you. If you get tempted
and fall back into your old habits, don’t beat yourself up. Just get up again
and start all over again.