How To Make Eating Healthy Easier

Many brands and products advertise quick-fixes or detox diets to lose weight fast or heal your body instantly. The truth is, no cleanse or diet is going to give you the long-term results you're searching for. Instead, focusing more on simple, realistic goals to eat healthy will be easier on your wallet, body and mind. Even the smallest changes can make a big difference in weight loss, energy levels and overall health.

Get Inspired

One major problem people run into when trying to eat healthier is motivation, or lack thereof. While you may be very motivated for the first few weeks, sooner or later, you'll hit a point where you just want to give up. While that may seem like the easiest option, there are ways to get yourself back into the swing of things. One of the best things you can do is look at other people's journeys to give yourself some new ideas and get your spark back.

Whether it's calling a friend or family member, joining a support group on Facebook or writing down your goals and reminding yourself what you're doing this for, motivation can come from anywhere.

If you're getting bored of the same meals and foods, try searching Instagram or Pinterest for inspiration. Social media pages like Dr Amy Lee on Instagram can help you find new ideas for meals to make. If you're social media savvy, consider making your own Instagram or Twitter account to document your health journey to hold yourself accountable.

Focus On Whole Foods

Everyone knows fruits and vegetables are good for you, but when you're trying to eat healthier, they have even more benefits.

Whole foods are any unprocessed plant foods, such as whole grains and legumes in addition to fruits and vegetables. Whole foods are great for eating healthy because they don't contain any unnecessary ingredients, flavors or colorings like many processed foods do. Lots of processed foods also contain hidden salts, sugars and preservatives.

The elimination of chemicals and added ingredients found in processed foods are proven to make your mind and body healthier. Reducing your intake of processed foods can result in a healthier heart, disease prevention and weight loss.

However, processed foods are usually cheap and accessible, making them pretty hard to avoid altogether for many people. Instead of taking a big leap to a plant-based diet, try slowly cutting out processed foods and swapping them out for whole food options instead, or trying to be totally plant-based once or twice a week.

Trick Your Mind

Half of the battle of eating healthy is unlearning bad habits and learning better ones. There are plenty of tips you can use to trick your mind into feeling fuller faster or helping your portion sizes.

In a research study, psychologists found that eating your food on a smaller plate or bowl can help you eat less. The study showed that participants who received a larger bowl ate 30% more than participants who received a smaller bowl. When given a larger bowl and a larger spoon to get their food, participants ate 50% more than the other group. Try using a smaller plate or bowl at your next meal to make it seem like you're eating more and avoid overeating.

Another well-used trick to make eating healthier easier is to eat before you shop. When you go to the grocery store on an empty stomach, you're more likely to pick up the unhealthy, processed food and give in to cravings. Research also suggests that eating fruit before you go to the store increases your likelihood of buying fruit.

Eating healthy isn't always easy, but for many people, it's necessary to keep you feeling and looking your best. Jumping into a new diet or lifestyle right away can lead to feelings of failure and giving up. Instead, slowly incorporate healthier options into your life to make better choices every day.