Gone are the days of good or bad foods, a list of restrictions, and low-fat or low-calorie diets. If you want to upgrade your diet so it’s healthier and balanced, the best way to do this is to start including more variety of whole foods in your meals.
Crowd Out
You don’t need to overcomplicate it—you want to find a way that your diet fits easily into your life, without overthinking it. Restricting the foods that you love will only end in failure, but filling up on nutritious and delicious foods and crowding out the fried or sweet foods will help you in the long run.
Do not list foods as good or bad as this will increase your want for the so-called ‘bad foods,’ while making you resent or get bored by the ‘good foods’.
Small Changes
Start making small changes each week that are consistent and sustainable. Make a weekly goal and start adding to that every week. Your first goal could be to cook more at home, then add more vegetables to your plate. You could start trying out different whole grains or proteins and eating fruits you have avoided for a while.
Schedule
Have a day each week you do your grocery shopping and meal prep. You can make some whole grains and protein dishes for the week and cut up your veggies to go in salads or roasted in the oven. It will stop you from ordering in or obsessing about foods you ‘can’t’ eat. You want to always make sure you are organized and you don’t need to worry about your meals.
