One of the biggest challenges about following a diet is the need to perform a complete overhaul of your eating lifestyle. It can seem like a very daunting task for most people and it’s also the main reason most of us are tempted to drop out a diet halfway through.
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The amount of effort it takes to change your entire food habit can sometimes seem monumental compared to the end results. That is why we advise you to make these nine simple, yet effective, dietary changes to your food habits which will ensure that you stay healthy and on track with your diet plan.
9 Easy Ways To Tweak For Your Daily Diet
1.) Cut Down On Your Sodium Input
A diet high in salt is usually associated with elevated risks of hypertension and can also mess with your metabolism. Some foods like canned soup, canned tomato sauce, flavored rice, and canned beans generally contain a higher level of sodium than their natural counterparts.
The next time you’re grocery shopping, it would be in your best interests to make the effort to pick up the healthier version.
2.) Increase Your Water Intake
Drinking a lot of water is guaranteed to give you a plethora of benefits, ensuring your good health and fitness, and also keeping your skin nice and youthful in appearance. However, many of us find it hard to drink large quantities of plain water. You can try infusing your daily water with mint, lemon, ginger, or cucumber slices. All these are guaranteed to not only flavor your water but also to help detox your body as well.
3.) Choose The Right Drink Size
Whether you’re out on a date, shopping for groceries or buying take-out, make sure you choose the smallest cup size, especially when you’re ordering drinks containing artificial sweeteners. It may seem like a small thing but over time it can have a huge effect on your daily calorie intake.
4.) Choose A Healthy Smoothie Over A Soda
Most of us need a drink like we need our next breath. It’s hard to drop the habit of grabbing a soda or a beer when you’re sitting down to read a book or catch up on a game. Try making smoothies from healthy fruits and veggies and leaving them in your fridge so that the next time temptation hits, you can choose the healthier option!
5.) Load Up On Proteins
Be sure to include a little bit of protein in the form of eggs, meat or veggies in every meal. Proteins are essential macro nutrients that will ensure that your body burns fat instead of lean muscle. The more proteins you consume, the healthier you will become. Also, proteins are known to trigger a process called thermogenesis, which ensures that you burn more calories just by digesting food.
6.) Follow The GPC Code While Eating
Every time you sit down for a meal, make sure you eat greens and vegetables first, followed by proteins like eggs and meat, and finally the carbohydrates. This will make sure that you feel relatively full by the time you start on your carbs and in turn you will consume less of them. And of course, less carbs means greater weight loss.
7.) Stock Your Fridge Based On Your Diet
When you go grocery shopping, avoid buying foods that are likely to make you cheat on your diet, like sodas, chips or other junk food. Instead, stock up on healthy nuts and other fruits and veggies. Remember it’s easier to stay on your diet when you don’t have stuff to cheat with.
8.) Employ Smart Swaps
Swapping out unhealthy options in your fridge for healthier options is a great way to stick to your diet. Try swapping out processed foods, desserts, sodas, and chips for healthier snacks like cut veggies, nuts, and cut fruits. You can also choose foods like carrot sticks because they help you feel full without adding on to your calorie intake.
9.) Drink Water Before A Meal
Try taking a huge glass of water before and after each meal and you will see a marked difference in your eating habits. Water before the meal will make sure you don’t eat more than what you need and helps you feel full as well.
Bonus Points
Also, when you’re eating, try to avoid multi-tasking, like watching TV or reading a book. When your mind isn’t occupied with the food you’re consuming it’s easy to over indulge and cheat on your diet without meaning to.
However, it’s also easy to get carried away with making lifestyle changes and choosing options that aren’t really that advantageous. In fact, some of the most commonly adopted practices aren’t really wise ones, at all.
For example, protein bars after a workout may seem like a healthy option but they still contain a great deal of artificial sweeteners. It’s really much like eating a candy bar.
Try consuming a protein shake instead. Many people also prefer flavored water during their diet but some of these flavored drinks also contain a lot of sugar. Try using natural flavors like honey instead, if you like your water flavored.
Similarly, “Light Beer” may seem like an ideal addition to your diet but it isn’t exactly “light’ in terms of calories. Choose fresh juice or iced water instead. Another common mistake is skipping meals. Avoiding meals equals avoiding calories and thus helping with your diet, right? Not necessarily.
For one, skipping a meal may make you eat more later on and also, when you’re body doesn’t get its required nutrition it assumes you’re starving and begins burning your muscle and also affects your health.
This is also the main reason you should avoid skipping breakfast. Another diet fad to avoid is Juice Diets or any other miracle diet that advocates the advantage of a particular nutrient and bans others.
The human body needs all three macronutrients, fats, carbohydrates, and proteins to function well. Avoid consuming any one type of food and make sure you follow a balanced diet that will help you stay healthy.
Easy Ways To Tweak Your Daily Diet For A Healthier Life Final Words
These are some of the best ways to make sure that you stick to your diet, without falling back. These little tweaks can be adopted with little to no effort on your part but can have lasting, positive effects on your body. Do so and watch yourself transform into a fitter, healthier person.
