If you want help eating healthy, these are my top 3 suggestions. I’ll keep them sweet, short and to the point because with the information overload out there on the Internet, don’t you feel like we could all use a little more simplicity?! These tips should help you hit the basics of healthy eating so that you can begin to make it an effortless part of your lifestyle.
Who is my nutrition approach for?? This is a good question for me to answer because the way I choose to eat is not for everyone. Just like we all have different fashion styles and choose the stores we shop at accordingly… we all have different takes on nutrition and then choose our approach to food accordingly.
So, in short… my approach to healthy eating can be summed up as: simple, enjoyable and balanced.
SIMPLE: if the ingredients are things I have to find at a specialty store or if I get tired reading the instructions to a recipe, it’s not happening. My healthy eating style is simple because that’s all I make time for.
ENJOYABLE: just because it’s healthy, doesn’t mean I’m eating it. I find ways to turn my favorite foods (pizza, pasta, cookies) into healthier versions. Healthy eating can be delicious and I find ways to make it that way.
BALANCED: what I mean by balanced (because I know that word is now overused) is that my approach has to have room for both kale and cookies lol. I want to be able to meal prep yet and in the same day enjoy a queso and fajita dinner date (my recent fav meal) with my girlfriends or husband.
If that is an approach that sounds suited for you, then hopefully these 3 best & simple nutritions suggestions of mine will be ideal for helping you.
There was a time in my life where I ate flamin hot cheetos for breakfast (no, I am not kidding). Wing night was a regular part of my week. I rarely ate a meal; instead, I snacked all day. Drink water? No, I didn’t like it. I preferred sugar sports drinks. Basically, wherever you’re at now with nutrition, I can relate to you, girl.
Despite all my poor food habits, I worked out daily. After years of this cycle: kill it at the gym, eat poorly, feel frustrated with a lack of results, I decided to focus on eating healthier. KEY WORD… HEALTHIER!
Healthier keeps the focus on your journey because it’s relative. Look at where you are at, how can you be healthier? For me, instead of having chips as a snack, I would choose a “healthier” option like a granola bar. Then, I looked for “healthier” granola bar options: fewer ingredients, healthier carb sources, etc. After sometime, I made a “healthier” choice by dropping snacks and eating several small meals.
Do you see what I mean about “healthier.” Health isn’t black and white. It’s not objective. With your food choices, find ways where you personally can eat healthier than how you ate yesterday.
2. HAVE A HEALTHY PLAN B
In my dreams I would have this gorgeous oversized kitchen with carrara marble countertops and two islands. I would have that clear glass refrigerator that Yolanda Foster had on the Real Housewives. And, my private chef would whip me up a healthy meal at my request from food grown in my backyard.
In my reality, I run to my local HEB grocery store 2x per week to keep my kitchen stocked. If I’m on my game, I do a protein prep and meal plan so that I have sides that pair well for when I construct meals.
Still, I’ve learned the importance of having a healthy plan B. What is that exactly?? It’s having things on hand and ready to go for when you’re not on your game. For me that means having Amy’s organic and gluten free frozen meals for when that becomes my dinner (instead of swinging through a drive through). It means having Skinny Pop popcorn to much on (instead of chips or ice cream). Are either of those options my Plan A? No. But, they are a healthier Plan B.
I believe having a healthy plan b as a back up is the key to sticking to healthy eating long term because you still feel as though you’re in your nutrition groove.
3. EAT (+THINK) IN THE MOMENT
This one is super important because it’s what keeps the wheels turning. I’m going to throw out a scenario my friend (you know “my friend” lol) experienced not too long ago… my friend went to her friend’s get together and munched on far too many appetizers… jalapeño poppers, chips & queso, grilled cheese sticks, etc. After that, she met up with her family at Grimaldis for a pizza dinner that was already planned; you can’t say no to Grimaldis. Needless to say, my friend came home with a full belly.
Fortunately, my friend eats and thinks in the moment so she jumped right back into her healthy eating habits. No guilt. No worries about what was or wasn’t eaten.
Yes, “my friend” is me. And the most important suggestion I have for how you eat is to do so in the moment. Whether you made a healthy or not-so-healthy food choice, the next moment be “over it.” This is a mindset and it is one that will stick with practice. You will be so much more likely to stick with healthy eating if you can live and eat in the moment. What you’ve eaten (good or bad), you’ve eaten. What can you do in this moment to be your best self?!
SUMMER COOKBOOK
If you’re a meal plan member, you know all about our Weekly Meal Menus. During challenges, I put together weekly meal menus and send them out as a free installment to the meal plan. These meal menus are like mini cookbooks containing 5-7 recipes each week. The goal is to create excitement about healthy eating with new recipes so that it becomes enjoyable and the results come effortlessly.
I put all the Summer Weekly Meal Menus as well as recipes I’ve posted on the blog into a cookbook and it’s already in your inbox… go check it out! This Summer Cookbook contains all of that deliciousness in one place. I’m old school and love hard copies of things, so I am printing this and adding it to my Meal Plan Binder! Enjoy!
If you haven’t joined the meal plan now and want to, please do so now while the 15% OFF sale is going on… you’ll instantly receive this cookbook too!
Leave a comment