If you want to be healthy, you need to ensure you're eating healthy, nutritious food, and although that might sound an easy thing to do, the fact is that it can be a challenge - we're busy, stressed, and often just not aware of what we should or shouldn't be eating in the first place. With that in mind, here are some ways to get more nutrition in your daily routines.
Plan Meals Ahead
One thing that's going to help is if you're able to plan your meals ahead of time because you won't then be rushed and end up grabbing a takeaway or microwaving something unhealthy from the freezer. Spend a little time at the weekend planning the meals for the week ahead and ensure you include a wide range of fruit, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains to give you a balanced diet.
Prioritise Regular Mealtimes
Something that tends to cause a problem when it comes to being healthy and eating well is mealtimes that are all over the place - or you skip meals altogether. If that happens, your metabolism will get out of kilter, which can lead to weight gain, plus your body won't be getting the nutrients it needs. Then there's the fact that you'll probably snack unhealthily later on. If you can make sure you eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at regular times, that's definitely going to help.
Practice Mindful Eating
Another way to ensure you stay healthy, get the nutrition you need, and fit it all into your regular routine is to practice mindful eating. The best thing about this is that you don't have to change when you eat (unless it's not regular, as above), or what you eat (as long as it's not unhealthy). Instead, you just need to take your time over your food and savour every bite. Chew your food thoroughly and take the time to appreciate the flavours and texture of what you're eating, and don't have any distractions around you, such as the TV or work, for example. One of the benefits of eating more mindfully is that you'll know when you're full sooner, so you won't overeat.
Stay Hydrated
When you think of good nutrition, you'll probably think of food more than anything else, and that does make sense - after all, food does give you much of the nutrition your body needs to stay healthy. However, you also need to make sure you stay properly hydrated, as that can also cause health issues, and dehydration just feels awful anyway. You might not even realise you're dehydrated because the symptoms can feel like hunger, so again, that could cause overeating if you're not aware of what the issue really is.
The best approach is to drink less caffeine and sugary drinks and stick to water as much as possible, sipping it regularly throughout the day - you can even set an alarm if it helps to remind you. Once you start being properly hydrated, you might be surprised at how good you feel.
