The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot of things: schedules, the amount of time spent at home, stress levels, and — for a lot of people — food habits. For some of us, these changes have not been for the better. If you fall into this category, you may be struggling to get back on track. What can you do to get your food habits back on track?
Changing (or improving) the habits you’ve been having since ever, let’s be honest, can be a tough challenge to win. However, summer is close and even if holidays this year might not be as exciting as two years ago, feeling comfortable is equally important.
In this article, we focus on five simple strategies to help you meet your (nutritional) goals.
1. Listen to your body
When the afternoon rolls around, it’s tempting to seek out the bowl of candies, but is it hunger calling or just boredom? Often, people mistake thirst for hunger, so have that glass of water first and then reassess how you’re feeling. Ask yourself, “What are you in the mood for?” and “Is your body hungry?” Noticing your body’s reactions to these questions will help to keep you in touch with your body’s hunger levels. Instead of continuing to eat food to the point of feeling overstuffed, you’ll learn to recognize when your body is satisfied.
2. Balance is key
Everything boils down to balance, at the end of the day. Having a well-balanced routine is a goal everyone should aspire to achieve. In doing so, a starting point might be snacks. Snacking, like most food-based decisions, is about making smart choices. So, let’s snack smartly! Eating a handful of unsalted seeds and nuts (such as hazelnuts, almonds or pistachios) can’t hurt because they contain heart-healthy fats. This could totally be a good strategy that can help you avoid junk food and other no-sense stuff but, at the same time, provides you a healthy option for your breaks. A balanced diet starts (also) there, so let’s take this first step!
3. Don’t feel guilty about your guilty pleasure
Food is a pleasure and, for some people, it’s the greatest pleasure of all. Many of us rely on food after a bad day or when we don’t feel at our best. Everybody knows the huge (emotional)power of sharing a pizza with your best friends or going for your favorite aperitivoafter a horrific day at office. For these reasons, we ain’t implying one should eliminate his/her own guilty pleasures from the list. Nevertheless, the important thing is that our guilty pleasure must be an exception, a small part of an eating routine that’s otherwise well-balanced. Which is to say, one can probably afford to give in a guilty pleasure without any guilt. If it gives you pleasure and doesn’t kill you, bring it on!
4. Find an ally!
We know sometimes cooking isn’t the most enjoyable thing to do. You might not have time to prepare a healthy dinner or you might not have any clue about (healthy) cooking. In this sense, our service could be the best answer to your needs. At Nutribees we know how hard changing habits you’ve been following since ever can be. We deliver you our ready-to-eat meals right at your doorstep, allowing you to save your (precious) time and offering high quality products. Read this article to find out more about our service!
5. Change your mindset
You don’t need your diet to last forever. You need a goal you know you can reach. In order to see some concrete results, apart from trying to include more veggies in your diet or to avoid junk food, you should also consider doing some physical activity. I’m not talking about some serious hardcore stuff, don’t worry!
On the other hand, it’s important to realize that changing just your food habits might not be the only key. To live a balanced life, you also need to change your daily habits. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator, for example. If possible, walk or cycle to work. Take a long walk.
