Happy New Year JMB readers! Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? Are you sticking to them so far? Statistics show that most people who make resolutions are likely to give up on their goals by February, and many of those goals are to eat healthier. Let’s try to extend that statistic until December with these five tips to healthier eating in 2015:
1) Plan Ahead
Fellow JMB contributor Jen recently wrote about how she meal plans for her family of five every. single. week. Through the use of chalkboards, a google spreadsheet and lots of commitment on her part she has successfully been making healthy meals for her family for several years now.
Whether you write it out on a chalkboard, put it in your notes in your phone or have a spreadsheet on your computer, knowing what you’re going to eat each and every night (or morning or afternoon) will ensure a healthier meal is put on the table. There are a plethora of healthy eating meal plans out there. Jen highlights a few in her post so I’d start there first.
You can also check out Megan John’s post that includes 4 weeks of meal plans!
2) Prep
Ok, so you’ve planned out your meals for each week, now what? PREPARE! This is where I will lose some of you but before you stop reading hear me out. Preparing your meals in advance doesn’t have to mean spending an entire day in the kitchen. It also doesn’t mean you HAVE to prepare every single meal either (ok so I lied in #1).
The idea behind meal prep is to have things on hand so that you won’t head for that frozen pizza. This can be as simple as making a dozen hardboiled eggs for your breakfast and/or salads, throwing steel cut oats into a crockpot, sauteeing or baking some veggies for side dishes and making a big batch of protein that will be available when you need it.
If I’m super on point I will double up on at least one crockpot meal and save one for another week. That doesn’t take any extra effort on my part and I’m left with a whole other meal ready to go when I need it! To ensure a successful meal prep I suggest taking one day out of the week where you can spend a few hours (not the entire day) in the kitchen chopping, cooking and freezing.
If you get a weekly farm-to-door delivery like Black Hog Farm begin your meal preparation once you know what food items you are working with, or choose a day when you aren’t as busy with kid activities. For me this usually means Sunday when we don’t have a ton planned and my husband is around to help with the girls.
3) Eat more Veggies
This actually falls into the prep stage but because it is so important in the success of your healthy eating plan it deserves its own number on this list. You know how important vegetables are to your health so I won’t delve further into why you should be eating them but I will tell you HOW you can incorporate more of them into every meal. I always aim to get in at least two vegetables at each sitting.
When I cook I really don’t like making several side dishes so I like to get as many veggies as I can into one dish. (Choose My Plate recommends women ages 19 – 50 get in 2.5 cups of veggies a day so plan accordingly when prepping veggies). This translates to sautéing up onions, spinach, asparagus, broccoli or whatever other veggie I have on hand and throwing them into my scrambled eggs in the morning or better yet making a veggie egg casserole during my prep day.
Lunch usually consists of leftovers from dinner, which consists of even more veggies. Think stir-frys, skillets and of course crockpot meals. I have a chili recipe that calls for carrots, celery, squash, zucchini and spinach. When I throw all of this together I don’t feel the need to make a side salad or another veggie dish.
If I’ve hit my crockpot limit for the week I usually stick to roasted veggies or mashes like roasted broccoli and cauliflower (super easy just chop and put in oven) or cauliflower and sweet potato mashes (this can be as easy as microwaving your sweet pots and mashing with yogurt, milk, or butter, grass fed butter that is).
If you like one particular vegetable research new ways to prepare it and I guarantee you’ll be getting in at least the recommended daily amount.
4) Eat more Fat
Fat has been villanized for years but new research is showing that fat is actually an essential part of our overall health. Contrary to popular belief, fat doesn’t make you fat but can actually keep you from packing on the extra pounds.
Fat keeps you fuller in between meals, which means you are less likely to overeat. Plus, there is even some research correlating fat to brain health. Good sources of fat are animal proteins like chicken thighs, avocado, coconut oil, olive oil and salmon.
You don’t have to start smothering your food in butter (but if you do please use a grass fed brand like Kerrygold) all you need is between 20 and 35 percent of your daily calories.
5) Avoid “Healthy” Processed Foods
It goes without saying that a healthier diet always excludes processed foods. We know what the typical processed foods are (usually they come in the form of packaged foods) but did you know that even some of those “healthy” foods can sabatoge your health and weight loss goals?
It’s important to know that there are very few packaged and processed foods that aren’t chalk full of chemicals, sugar and additives. Even when you think you’re making the right choice by buying organic oatmeal or boxed almond milk you might actually be doing a disservice to your diet and your body.
You’ve heard it before but if you can’t pronounce something on the ingredient list or don’t know what it is you might not want it in your body. Don’t let this discourage you. There are tons of others ways to eat your oatmeal and drink your almond milk, and still enjoy the foods you love. I also suggest doing a little research on some of those ingredients, as they aren’t all bad.
If the convenience of packaged foods is calling your name (raises hand) reach for items like Lara Bars (typically only 5 ingredients, all of which you can pronounce), full-fat canned coconut milk (emphasis on BPA-free), and Stonyfield yogurt (when shopping for yogurt it’s best to choose plain and organic. You can always add fruit or honey to it later).
What are some of the ways you eat healthy?
