How To Build Healthy Habits This Summer!
Dr. Kate Irwin • May 29, 2021
Nutrition Tips You Can Implement Today!
We are in a weird world right now where social gatherings are limited. With the warm weather of the summer coming with the promise of outdoor activities and increased interactions, there will be more and more opportunities to indulge and honestly, we deserve it right?
While there is nothing inherently wrong with indulging in food, the problem arises when you do it over and over again throughout the summer and into the fall. As more social gatherings resume, this may take away from any progress you have made towards your goals. Nutrition goals vary from person to person and can include eating more fruits and vegetables, eating less calories for fat loss, increasing protein intake to help increase muscle mass or eating more natural less processed foods to improve overall health. No matter your goal, focusing on your nutrition throughout the summer will help keep you on track.
Now, the good news is that this doesn’t mean you can’t go out for dinner or have that glass of wine or a piece of cake at the family BBQ. It simply means becoming more aware of your food choices throughout the day and making decisions based on both your needs, wants and goals!
A few really easy and attainable goals with nutrition that you can start to implement today are:
1.
Chew your food slowly - This is a great way to help your body and mind connect while eating. Not only do you have an enzyme in your mouth that starts to break down food and can help with digestion and bloating, but when you chew your food fully you are able to enjoy the flavours more and it leads to eating less and enjoying more!
2.
Eat vegetables with every meal - This simple goal isn’t as easy as it looks but it can lead to eating more volume of food for less calories, increasing your nutritional intake of vitamins and minerals and contributing to better overall health!
3.
Eat without a screen - Screens are such a large part of our lives these days, increasingly more with the pandemic. Did you know that if you are distracted and not focused on your food you are more likely to eat more and feel less full? Put down the phone, turn off the computer and TV and focus on your food.
4.
Meal prep your food - Having cut up veggies and fruit in the fridge is key to success in consuming more. If you have to cut up your veggies each time you want to have a snack you are less likely to grab them. Meal prep can be as complicated as making your weeks worth of breakfast and lunch every Sunday, or as simple as cutting up carrots and cauliflower and pre-cooking a few chicken breasts so that you have a constant source of protein in the fridge! Don’t overthink this one, you don’t need any special containers to prepare all your food for the week, start simple and see where it leads.
5.
Eat until you are 80% full - As a continuation of focusing on your food with no screens, eating your meals until you are 80% full will allow your body to digest and absorb your food more efficiently. Chew your food completely and pay attention to how you feel, this doesn’t come easily and takes time to understand when you are truly stuffed (think Christmas Dinner) and when you have had enough to fulfill your body's need for nutrition.
6.
Write out your food and nutrition goals - Last but not least it to put your goals into writing! By writing out your goals, big or small, it makes them a reality and makes them more concrete. I always start with the simplest of goals such as eating veggies with 2 meals a day and then build on that.
Remember that any nutritional changes you make to help you towards your goals should be sustainable. While cutting out all carbohydrates may seem like a great option, for most that isn’t sustainable. Focus on small changes and build week by week and your results will come. Results come from consistency not perfection.
If you want some more tips to improve your nutrition this summer, click the link below to get started!
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