Developing Good Eating Habits - Learn The Top Five Ways To Eat Better For Life

Healthy eating habits are as important as consuming the correct food for your health and then the ability to benefit from exercising. In other words its not just what you eat but how you eat it that makes a significant difference to your health and physical development.

Here are my tried and tested techniques that work every time as long as you are diligent.


 

1. Eat small portions. Try not to overload your system. Three large meals a day will not cut it for optimum performance, it will leave you feeling sluggish and you will be tempted to snack more. Have smaller meals but ensure that they leave you satisfied rather than bloated and stuffed, you need the nutrients but you do not want to overdo it.
2. Eat slowly, and savour your mouthfuls. Try to savour each bite, feel the texture within your mouth and enjoy it! Chewing your food releases digestive enzymes in your saliva and helps the digestive system dissolve the food more efficiently.
3. Eat more often. Yes you heard me right, eating smaller meals throughout the day is easier on you digestive system and body. Man was not designed to eat three square meals a day, you do not see mammals in the wild eating three meals. By eating regular your energy level will be more highly optimised throughout your day which is ideal for exercising. We have all been there after eating heavy meals then exercising, or the opposite where we feel we don't have the energy as it was three hours since you last ate something.
4. Do not be afraid of the snacks. When you eat healthily such as eating fresh and whole foods rich with protein or whole grains, you must not feel guilty for snacking. The key is to snack on the right things. For example I often snack on raisins as they are sweet (they keep my sweet tooth at bay) and they are good for you. Also keeping your fluid levels high will suppress your appetite naturally whilst also hydrating your body. Hunger is your body telling the brain that it wants to eat; most people are not in tune to this basic human sensation as they may be overeating throughout their day. Appetite is healthy, give your body what it needs, we make it too complicated for ourselves most of the time.
5. Prepare your food in advance. One of the main issues what leads us from the path to snacking unhealthily is not having anything in the cupboard or the fridge made up to eat. Plan your food, ensure you have good mainstays such as cooked chicken and rice, pasta and fish so you can box it up and take to work. If we take the time prepare our food keeping good habits will be twice as easy.