There are no shortage of cliche phrases around food and eating:
- “You are what you eat!”
- “Getting fit is 90% kitchen and 10% gym!”
- “I’ve got bigger fish to fry.”
- “Revenge is a dish best served cold.”
Eating and food are a big part of our culture, something we’ve been doing since our first day on this earth until now. Save a few days when you were sick, you could easily say that eating is one of your biggest pastimes.
Even though we’ve been eating for so long, there might be some things we’re doing that are wrong. Old habits die hard, and we might still have some old habits with us for a long time ago.
Changing those habits aren’t easy, but we’ve chosen some eating habits that you may want to start implementing into your daily life. Remember to take one at a time, you don’t want to overwhelm yourself.
Chew Slower
We’ve all been there, where you’re just having one of those days and you need to eat your lunch in roughly three seconds. Hopefully, those days are few and far between and you have time to properly eat your meals.
Being a fast chewer has negative health impacts, such as increased BMI and adult weight gain. Other studies have shown links to diabetes and even oral problems.
Next time you’re tempted to scarf down your meal, try to chew each bite 20 times. When you chew slower, you’re giving your body a number of benefits. You’ll limit overeating, improve your gut’s health, and protect your teeth.
If 20 times is a lot, try to resist the urge to shovel food in your mouth. Make a conscious effort to put down the fork between each bite instead.
Don’t Eat Late
Yes, yes, this subject has always been the theme of hot debate. One study will say it’s linked to weight gain while another will say it has no effect. Who’s to believe here?
While eating late on its own won’t necessarily attribute to weight gain, it’s what you eat late that usually does. The later you eat, the more likely it is to be junk food (sounds a lot like college, right?) You arrive home late or just haven’t had time to stop, you don’t feel like cooking, so you run out and grab fast food or order a pizza.
One thing that late-night eating does too is mess up your sleep schedule. If you eat late and then try and go to sleep, you’re telling your body two different things. Overall, it’s best not to eat late and keep your meal times normal.
Start Your Day off With Water
Having a cup of joe is the classic way to start you day. Even though coffee is fine in moderation, you should be adding a glass of water to your day as well.
Within 30 minutes of waking up, you should drink a full glass of water. It’s going to help start your metabolism, give your brain some fuel, and help wake your body up. Plus, you’ve just gone 7-9 hours without drinking anything.
It may be gross, but it’s going to give your body a ton of benefits.
Meal Plan
When some people think meal planning, they think of furiously calculating caloric intake with every meal. If you’re on a specific diet, you may have to do so. But meal planning has other benefits.
For one, you’ll get to check out tons of amazing recipes to experiment with in the kitchen. Two, it’s going to make sure you’re only buying what you need. If you have a problem regularly snacking on potato chips, substitute them with nuts or dried fruit as part of your meal plan.
It’s much easier to resist temptation when it’s not even there.
Plan Out “Cheat” Days
We know you’re not some super athlete, so you’re not going to have to deprive yourself of fun food for months on end. But just like meal planning, plan out those days you take off from your healthy regimen.
It could be Friday night out with some friends, grabbing dinner and a movie, your cousin’s birthday party, or even getting beers and pizza for the game. Try to limit those times to two a week. Plus, it always tastes better if you’ve had to “work” for it.
