What Personal Habits Can Positively Impact Nutritional Health?
We've gathered personal habits and routines from nine nutrition experts that have not only enhanced their own health but could also serve as valuable practices for anyone looking to improve their nutrition. From a Dietitian's advice on practicing mindful eating and exercise to a Business owner's simple act of starting the day with water for clarity, these insights offer a diverse range of strategies to elevate your nutritional well-being.
- Practice Mindful Eating and Exercise
- Maintain a Consistent Eating Schedule
- Shop at Farmers' Markets Regularly
- Plan Weekly Meals Every Sunday
- Use Smaller Plates and Eat Slowly
- Establish Consistent Sleep and Meal Times
- Avoid Comparing Your Diet to Others
- Emulate Healthy Individual Choices
- Start Day with Water for Clarity
Practice Mindful Eating and Exercise
Mindful eating is a technique I have practiced over many years now. In a busy world, it can be difficult, but I'm paying full attention to my eating experience. I focus on taste, smell, and texture, as well as rating my hunger and fullness out of 10. This is particularly useful in cafes or restaurants.
My second habit is regular physical activity. This gives me the determination to stay on top of my nutrition. It also just helps me mentally. Resistance training helps regulate my appetite and improve overall health.
These are two habits I always recommend to my current clients all the time. I find them super useful.
Maintain a Consistent Eating Schedule
Eating regularly throughout the day has been a crucial habit for me. It helps my body recognize its hunger and fullness cues, keeping me energized and focused throughout my daily activities. This routine not only reduces digestive symptoms but also promotes optimal nutrient absorption. By maintaining a consistent eating schedule, I ensure that my body receives the necessary nutrients at regular intervals, which supports overall health and well-being.
Shop at Farmers' Markets Regularly
I go to my local farmers' market almost every weekend. That means my fridge is stocked with healthy, seasonal produce, and I am motivated to use those foods in my cooking and meals all week long. The produce is so colorful, aromatic, and enticing, it puts a smile on my face. And it's a race to make sure I eat as much produce as possible to avoid food waste, which means I maximize the power of plants in my diet at each meal. If there's one key change people could make in their diets, it's to include more fruits and vegetables, period. I practice that in my own eating style.
Plan Weekly Meals Every Sunday
Weekly meal planning every Sunday! By planning meals ahead, you have better control over what you eat, ensuring a balanced intake of nutrients and helping to avoid impulsive, less healthy food choices.
Use Smaller Plates and Eat Slowly
I prefer to use a salad plate versus a dinner plate for my meals. Using a smaller plate helps you eat smaller portions, which can lead to consuming fewer calories and reducing the likelihood of overeating. This approach is especially helpful for individuals who tend to overindulge or have a large appetite. It creates the illusion of a fuller plate and satisfies your 'eye hunger.'
Along with that suggestion, eat slowly. Chew your food thoroughly. Put the fork or other utensil down between bites. Give your brain and stomach time to signal to each other that you are full and satisfied. Turn the television off, stay off the phone while you are eating, and pay attention to your body's signals. Practice what is called 'mindful eating.'
Establish Consistent Sleep and Meal Times
Having a relatively consistent wake-up and bedtime has been helpful for creating opportunities and routines for many healthy habits. Your body naturally gets used to a routine. So, when you're up and about for similar hours of the day each day, scheduling eating events becomes easier, and then naturally, your hunger levels mirror those time intervals. Then, regardless of whether you're on vacation, eating out or at home, or what might come up in life, you have a foundation to rely on and respond to.
Avoid Comparing Your Diet to Others
I stopped looking at what other people were eating. This is something that I highly recommend to all of my clients. What someone else eats may not actually be the right thing for you. Especially with social media, seeing clips of 'what I eat in a day' can be a recipe for disaster. In college, I caught myself thinking that if I ate what someone else ate, then I would look like them or perform like they did. This is not the case and can contribute to disordered eating habits. There are many factors that go into what someone chooses to eat. Copying someone else isn't always a healthful choice.
Enjoy the foods that you like. Don't force yourself to eat foods you do not like. Ask an RD for specific advice for you. Stop looking at what others are eating.
Emulate Healthy Individual Choices
Ask yourself, "What would a healthy person do?" This is a powerful habit tool that makes you think about who you are trying to become and ties the emotion back to your decision in the now. Whenever you go to make a nutritional decision, asking yourself what a healthy person would do creates a moment of thought that allows you to overcome an urge to eat unhealthily. This habit has helped me curb many urges to eat chips (my personal favorite) and make a healthier, well-balanced decision instead. This pays off in the long run because as you start to make the decisions that a healthy person would, you begin to become a healthy person. Over time, a simple question has the power to change your life for the better.
Start Day with Water for Clarity
Having 500-1000 ml of water first thing when I wake up helps me get a large chunk of my water needs met prior to starting the day, which can set me up for success, and I find it's great for mental clarity.
