6 Life-Changing Healthy Eating Habits

6 Life-Changing Healthy Eating Habits

(AscendHealthy.com) – Eating well is essential for longevity and good health. Some of us may have a hard time getting started, especially if we’re accustomed to grabbing something quick. However, moving toward better eating habits doesn’t have to be complicated or confusing. There are some great ways to eat well that can change our lives for the better.

1. Make Food at Home

Who doesn’t like eating out? Life’s easier when we don’t have to cook, and restaurant food usually tastes exquisite. But eating out or grabbing fast food often contributes to obesity and a surge of unhealthy habits for people worldwide. Making food at home — at least most of the time — is a simple way to develop healthier eating habits.

2. Eat Smaller Portions

Putting food on smaller plates gives the illusion of a full plate of food but reduces how much a person is eating. It’s a simple hack, but one that may save hundreds of calories per meal. This suggestion is especially notable given the size of restaurant plates, where the portions are often enough for two or even three meals. Eating smaller amounts each sitting may contribute to overall better health and weight management.

3. Drink Coffee in Moderation

Coffee may have some surprising benefits when consumed in moderation, no more than 3 or 4 cups per day. Caffeine can make people more alert and active, and it may also play a role in preserving brain health during aging. Coffee could be valuable for people who want to change their lives and develop patterns of healthier eating. Drinking coffee may also suppress appetite, which might help reduce overeating and make it easier for people to maintain habits that promote a healthier weight.

4. Plan Meals in Advance

Meal planning, or meal prep, is a great way to eat healthier. People often choose fast food because it’s more convenient, but this won’t be an issue if there are pre-planned healthy meals in the refrigerator. Meal prepping takes some time to plan and prepare meals in advance, but picking one day a week may make it easier. Once it becomes a habit, it’s simply part of a routine.

Here are 100 meal prep recipes to consider.

5. Choose More Fruits and Veggies

Fruits and vegetables are a big part of a healthy lifestyle. Choosing more of them makes mealtimes healthier, even if we don’t change anything else about what we’re eating. Veggies are full of vitamins and minerals, and fruits have plenty of fiber and antioxidants that may protect us from disease. By adding bigger portions of veggies to meals, we might eat more volume of food while keeping calories in check. Fruits can also be great substitutes for more sugar-laden desserts.

6. Shop With a Grocery List

Going to the grocery store hungry may lead us to overbuy, but so might going to the store when we aren’t sure what we’re purchasing. Making a list before leaving is the best way to reduce unhealthy impulse buys. Instead, we can stick to the list and only get what we need, so we stay healthier and keep our spending and eating where we really want it to be.

We don’t have to transform everything about our lives or diets to be healthier, but we do need to focus on at least some of the changes that can have bigger impacts. Small shifts in our eating habits can lead to healthier, longer lives and reduce the chances of disease and disability as we age. For most people, making those changes is well worth the investment.

~Here’s to Your Healthy Ascension

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