Deciding to improve your lifestyle is always a good choice. The good news is you don’t have to turn your life upside down all at once to make this a reality. There can be no denying that even the smallest changes can make a significant difference to your overall health. Healthier Dietary Patterns –
Whether you’re planning to switch your current brew for a healthier option from the Mornington Peninsula Breweries or simply planning to make better food choices, the good news is, Healthier Dietary Patterns will have you feeling better in no time!
Table of Contents
Tips to Change and Improve Your Current Lifestyle
Dietary changes are among the quickest ways to improve your current lifestyle. Whether you realise it or not, just about everything centres around it. Not sleeping well? Feeling stressed? Feeling sluggish? Suffer from high or low blood pressure? It all has to do with what you eat or drink.
While deciding to make dietary changes is one thing, actually doing it can be very challenging. Experts agree, for results to be sustainable, it’s best to start with small steps. We’ve compiled a few simple and easy to follow tips to get you started on your road to a healthier you!
Change Your Mindset
The first step to any major change should always involve changing your mindset. If you’re approaching your desire to change your eating patterns as if it’s a punishment, you won’t succeed. Essentially you’re only setting yourself up for failure.
Make a list of the benefits to your health and your life in general if you maintain the new changes. Stick this list on the fridge or the grocery cupboard. On days when you feel like reaching for a double cheese, calorie-filled pizza, give the list a read!
Focus on making small changes every week. It might be easier to cut bad elements from your general eating plan if you don’t do it all at once. For instance, in week 1 minimise your salt intake in addition to the new meal plan. In week 2 start eliminating excess sugar in your coffee or tea.
Drink More Water
Every program involving weight loss, dietary change or general lifestyle changes always start with the sentence, “Drink more water.” And, with good reason. Drinking an average of 8 glasses of water every day will protect your body’s organs and tissues.
Water carries oxygen to cells and also lubricates joints. Swapping out a fizzy drink for a glass of water will also make you feel less lethargic, especially in the afternoons when energy levels are usually low!
Eat a Variety of Foods
Don’t resort to eating plans that encourage focusing only on one food group or one type of meal. For good, sustainable health the average person needs at least 40 different nutrients. No single food group or meal can provide your body with all these nutrients.
The trick here is to make a balanced food choice over a period of time. Consistently supplying your body with healthy nutrients in the form of smaller meals is the way to go! Be sure to include fruit and vegetables in your new eating plan. Fruits are best served at breakfast and lunch. With a wide variety of vegetables, it’s easy to find a few new favourites if you don’t ordinarily eat vegetables.
Control Portion Size- Healthier Dietary Patterns
Another secret many healthy people swear by is portion size. Controlling the portions you eat will help you minimise the calories you consume. Smaller portions are the best way to allow you to eat all the foods you enjoy. Some useful tips regarding portion control include the following:
- Cook or prepare the right amount to prevent the urge to eat more.
- Use smaller plates. Do this for all your meals to avoid dishing up to “fill the plate”.
- When you’re eating out, share your portion with a friend, or take leftovers home to have the other half of your portion home as your next meal.
Opt for Gluten-free Beer
Alcohol can also be a contributing factor to an unhealthy lifestyle. Consider changing your favourite beer to a gluten-free option. Gluten-free beer and food have numerous benefits to improving your health. Minimising your gluten intake, in general, will go a long way toward eliminating that sluggish feeling we all experience from time to time!
Get Moving!
Nutrition is just one step in what should be a multi-faceted program. A healthy lifestyle must include a considerable amount of time doing some type of exercise. Whether you take up golf, join a gym or simply set up a walking regime, any activity is better than staying on the couch! Wherever possible, do some exercise in the open to boost your vitamin D!
Final Thought
Rather than viewing yourself as having to give up foods that you enjoy, find healthier ways to prepare your favourites. Remember to focus on portion control as well as maintaining a daily intake of fruit and vegetables. Adapting to your new eating plan may be difficult at first but as you start feeling healthier and more energetic, you’ll be grateful you made the change! And the momentum will help you make more changes than you thought possible.
