There are so many benefits to maintaining a healthy diet.
First, being healthy obviously puts you at less risk for getting illnesses & diseases. It’s possible for even the healthiest person to still develop a disease or become ill, so don’t take this as a guarantee that if you eat well you’ll have no health issues in your life. However, I think it’s very important to do what you can to prevent these problems. Besides, eating well will also increase your energy, improve your sleep, and can help you lose weight if that’s something you’re going for. All of these things will have you feeling a lot better, physically & mentally.
Everybody has their own preferences on what they like to eat, and there’s tons of healthy options, so I won’t just be listing foods to eat. Instead, I’ll give some tips on how people are able to maintain their healthy eating.
- Out of Sight, Out of Mind: This is simple but super effective. If there’s no junk food in the house, you won’t be eating junk food in the house! If there’s people in your house that love their junk food, this will be more difficult. In this case, you can ask them to try a healthier diet with you, or at least ask them to keep it in an area you aren’t going to be looking. Out of sight out of mind isn’t only about what is physically in front of you, though. You also need to make a focused effort to ignore all of the commercials, advertisements & social media posts that show some of your unhealthy cravings. Once you see it & give it attention, you’ll want it. Don’t be this person. Focus on your goals and aspirations to be a healthier you by ignoring these as much as you possibly can.
- Balance: It’s important to stay balanced. None of us is perfect, and if you try to have a perfect diet, it can sometimes be of more harm than help. Based on my personal experiences when I’ve tried to have a perfect diet, after a certain amount of time I began to relapse. Also, I’d go a month straight without any ‘cheat meals’, then the second I’d get my hands on some ice cream or a donut, I’d crave it every day after that and it’s hard to stop once you start. When maintaining a healthy diet, some unhealthy snacks or foods every once in a while will not make a big difference in your results or healthiness. You need to remain balanced or you might be more susceptible to a bad relapse.
- On the Move: If you travel, you know how difficult it can be to eat well while on a trip away from home. I know people who travel all the time for work, and they’ve used it as an excuse for why they don’t eat well most of the time. In my opinion, if you’re traveling you should be enjoying yourself. You should eat foods that are linked to the area you’re in, healthy or not, because in most cases you won’t know when you’ll be back in that area for an opportunity to eat their local or cultural foods. The important thing is again to have balance, even when traveling. Don’t eat the unhealthy options every single day of the trip; add in some healthy meals for lunch or breakfast if you like pigging out for dinners on vacation or work trips.
- Meal Prepping: I live a fairly busy lifestyle. I work a lot of hours at my job, spend time on a few side hustles, I exercise, and I also try to make as much time as possible for family & friends. I’m sure people can relate to having a busy schedule, and sometimes it’s tough to fit eating healthily into that schedule. Something that works for me is meal prepping. I find some time to cook during the weekend, and I have my lunches and dinners set for the week. I know how it goes when you get your lunch break and order some food or go somewhere to eat. There isn’t always a healthy option close enough to where you work, or if there is, it may be expensive. Meal prepping can help you ensure that you maintain your healthy diet throughout the work week. If you go this route, I recommend incorporating some variety in your meal preps if possible. If you eat the same thing for lunch and dinner every day of the week, you’ll be tired of it and order lunch by Friday. Trust me, it’s happened to me. This will also save you money throughout the week because you won’t be eating out during your lunch breaks.
- Whatever You Do, Don’t Get Discouraged: This change won’t happen overnight, especially if you’re somebody who has never tried it before. Don’t get discouraged if it’s difficult for you to give up some junk foods, just discipline yourself to eat them less and less. If you feel yourself getting discouraged by lack of progress or because you’re struggling to transition to a healthy diet, I’d recommend reaching out to somebody who has succeeded in making this change in their life. They can give you some more tips and you can be inspired by them getting it done. If they struggled in the beginning too, you can use that as motivation as well. If you don’t know anybody, convince a friend or family member to try with you. You can hold each other accountable and you won’t be in it alone. Keeping track of your progress can also be beneficial if you’re struggling. You’ll see how close you are to your goal, and it’ll motivate you to get there. This will also be a steady reminder of what you need to be doing.
I hope at least one of these tips can benefit you or a friend or family member with their journey towards maintaining a healthy diet. The most important thing is finding something that works for you. Like I said earlier, I didn’t list healthy food options because there are so many. Figure out which foods you enjoy eating the most, and formulate a plan around it. Once you figure out what works for you, use some of these tips to maintain it.
