5 Tips for Healthier Eating

Small changes make all the difference.

1. Go to your local food/farmer's market.

It could just be for the colours, the smells, and the variety. But it doesn't stop there. Because by you deciding to go and buy your food directly from the source ie the farmer, you are cutting the middleman out. You will actually be able to greet the person who grew your carrot or made your cheese, have a chat with them, ask specific questions or just haggle a bit. It doesn't get more straightforward than this. And surprisingly, the prices are usually lower than in your average big supermarket, even though the quality is higher. But one thing that will be really beneficial to you, especially if you pay close attention, is that you will notice the seasonal regional produce. We have become too accustomed to having certain food all year round, shipped from all corners of the world, sprayed with preservatives to last longer for their journey and shelf life. Grab a hot drink, a friend, your dog, and check out your local market and buy yourself something fresh to cook.

2. Read the labels.

Begin to read the labels of any type of food. Find out about the source of your food, where it was grown or produced, manufactured. You will start asking yourself if you really need strawberries in January brought to you from the other side of the planet? Or a tasteless tomato in winter that was grown in a greenhouse somewhere, being tasteless and that has about zero nutrition? So many food items have long lists of chemical words that are hard to pronounce and by no means clear to understand what they actually are. How do some of these additives affect us in the long run? Lots of questions will start to appear but ones that will also help you decide where your personal requirements lie and what food choices coincides with these.

3. Start with adding and limiting not eliminating.

Start with adding healthy foods into your diet gradually, you don't need to convert fully to broccoli and kale. Add more fruit and veg to your meals, colourful salads, wholesome soups, snack on some fresh fruit or nuts, integrate seeds, beans, pulses, and wholegrain into your diet. Stock up your pantry and fridge. Discover new ways of cooking some of your favourite dishes with more added healthy things. Limit some of your more unhealthier choices but don't feel paniced about eliminating them yet completely. It will make you feel more in control if you take realistic baby steps towards your target goal, instead of being too drastic and then having major setbacks. Also if you go out and are invited, it's fine to relax on your own dietary guidelines a bit, as you don't want to fall into the trap of ruining your dinner party. All in all it should be fun for you to eat healthier and make you feel better, not deprived of all the good things. Eating healthy is easier today than ever before, you might find that many people in your environment are also interested in having a healthier diet all-round.

4. Get creative.

Use what is around you, have a look in your kitchen or if you don't have much, in someone's kitchen close to you who might have gadgets such as: blender, mixer, juicer, hand blender, spiraliser, mortle and pestle, peeler, steamer, slow cooker etc. and find a way to use them. Get creative! Go on Instagram for inspiration, or blogs, websites, bookshops, on YouTube, there is an abundance of great resources and information out there. Learn a new dish, try to get out of your comfort zone a bit, away from your usual way of cooking. Find different cuisines: Asian, Japanese, French, Italian, Moroccan, Persian, Greek, British, German, modern, traditional, classic, fusion, vegetarian, vegan, raw, or try to mix it up. Even if you have a busy job, cook on the weekends, for your friends, or prepare some meals for yourself for the coming week.

5. Find ways to be healthier apart from your plate.

This may sound silly as the title of this article focuses on healthy eating. However, if you focus on trying to be healthier in other aspects of your life, your food choices will automatically get better and being healthy is never just a one sided thing. Deciding to live healthier means taking control and care of yourself, doing something good for you. Get some form of exercise, go out into nature, limit your drinking and find other ways to connect with your friends or meeting new people, discover things about yourself with new hobbies, try out yoga, try out not caring so much what other people think, take that dance class, go travel, take a holiday and eat lots of local food.