We all want to have the healthiest diets possible. Study after study goes to show that having a good, balanced diet can help to significantly increase your overall health and wellbeing and can even lead to a longer life. But sometimes, eating healthily can feel like somewhat of a challenge. Left, right and centre, we’re tempted by takeaways, fast food restaurants, ready meals and all sorts of snacks that really aren’t good for us when eaten on a regular basis. But at the other end of the spectrum, you don’t want to find yourself depriving yourself of anything in your diet that your body could actually benefit from every now and then. So, to help you along the way, here are a few different steps you can take to maintain the best diet possible!
Cut Down on Meat
Meat forms a large part of many of our diets. But study after study have found that meat consumption comes hand in hand with a number of detrimental effects on your health. Red meat, in particular, can increase your risk of developing heart disease and type two diabetes due their high unsaturated fa content. Reducing the amount of meat in your diet, or even adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet altogether, can drastically improve your health and wellbeing. Just make sure to replace the protein you usually source from your meat with other plant-based protein sources, such as tofu, tempeh, chickpeas, lentils and various nuts and pulses.
Don’t Go to Extremes
It’s okay to have a treat every now and then. You don’t have to go to extremes and cut absolutely anything containing sugar or fat from your diet. Your body can deal with these in small quantities. So, it’s okay to have those soft pretzels from Eastern Standard Provisions once in a while. You can have a chocolate bar on an evening every now and then. You don’t have to take an all or nothing approach to health! It’s all about moderation and creating a balanced diet that works for you.
Meal Prepping
Often, we end up leaning towards ready made meals, fast food and takeaways because we get to the evening and don’t have the time or effort available to us to start making meals from scratch. But instead of giving in and having these unhealthy meals regularly, it’s a good idea to meal prep. This is a process where you prepare your meals in advance. It can range from simply chopping the vegetables and measuring out other ingredients in advance, so you can just throw things in the pan when you’re ready, to actually making and freezing meals to be defrosted and cooked later. This can make healthy eating a lot more convenient!
These are just a few different steps you can try out to make healthy eating work for you. Incorporating them into your lifestyle can help you to achieve and maintain a much better diet and you’ll start reaping the health benefits before you know it!