(ThyBlackMan.com) Healthy eating is something important and we all know it is. Whether you say “I need to eat better” or “I’m going on a diet,” healthy eating is something we know we should do. Of course, in most cases, we don’t. Either we start and half-step on it, start and quit, never get around to it, or avoid it altogether.
It’s that last one that is weird. Just actively avoiding eating better. Like “F*** heart health, grease sandwiches from cradle to grave!” However, there are some folks who avoid just eating better—not a full change in diet—like they owe it money. Bizarre. Here are five things that might help you develop better eating habits.
Find Out What You Will Eat
There are some foods people just don’t care for at all. I will eat broccoli but I’m not a broccoli fan. If it’s on the plate, I’ll eat it but I’m not clamoring for broccoli to the point of putting it on the plate myself. And there’s no way I’m putting ghost broccoli—cauliflower—on the plate at the moment. Now, our next point just might change that the same way it did for broccoli but right now? Nah.
All you have to do is find out what you’ll eat exactly. Not all healthy food is bad at all. Some of it is awesome, some has the charm of cardboard to go with the taste. I found out what I’d eat by find out it’s been mixed in with food I will eat for years. When I finally tried some of the stuff that is healthy on its own it was at least edible and it didn’t suck.
Those are my two personal requirements for food to be eaten. They’re not necessarily going to be enjoyed but the end game is eating healthier. Some foods make it that stage of being a joy to eat, some won’t. That’s why you need to…
Figure Out How You Will Eat It
This is the magic to healthy eating. It’s not just “Oh it’s green or colorful so it must be healthy!” It can come down to how it’s prepared. For broccoli, I prefer to eat them steamed with nothing on them, really. It’s the most uninteresting way to eat them but it’s healthy. No cheese, it’s not creamed or anything like that. Carrots, I like them candied—not exactly healthy—or rinsed and cold.
You just have to find a way you’ll eat it. Most things have at least two ways you’ll actually eat it and one way you’ll enjoy eating it. You might eat it the one way you’ll enjoy eating it and never mind other ways you’ll probably eat it. The problem is you have to eat this thing—that is healthy for you—multiple ways and you’re already not high on it.
Sometimes, you just have to try out it a few times. You don’t have to sit at a table with a slew of this one vegetable, fruit, or whatever prepared tens of different ways and try them all out in one marathon. That’s a little much. Just, revisit it when the opportunity arises.
Knock Out The Vegetables First
I had to learn this first if I wanted to get my veggies in. See, if I didn’t eat my vegetables first, they just weren’t getting eaten at all. As a matter of fact, they were going to chill on that plate and I might eat them but the interest isn’t there. If there’s meat on that plate, that’s the main attraction. Hell, the roll might be a bigger attraction than the veggies.
So, set your meal up like a concert. Vegetables are the opening acts, whatever else is a featured attraction, and the thing you really came to eat is the main eventer. You’ll get those veggies in if you have trouble finding them worth eating period.
Just remember that you have to get them in. Eating them first will definitely help in that because once your favorite side and the main thing you were waiting for are gone, it’s just bad news for the veggies you don’t care for at all.
On that note, make sure you get a portion you know you’ll eat. If someone else prepares you plate, let them know not to just pile it all on as if you’re hankering to eat it. Start out with smaller portions to familiarize your palate with it before eating more because sometimes the texture can be unappealing depending on the vegetable.
Portion
If you’re not entirely going to eat more greens or veggies in general then just portion what you do eat. You don’t have to smash the largest plate or bowl or whatever each and every time. You can still smash your favorite foods but on a smaller scale and get a side of something filling. You’re eating roughly the same amount to get full but it won’t all be this particular thing that might not be that good for you.
I mean, yeah, it tastes amazing. Savory, nice texture, all of that but for it to be your entire meal? Well, that’s not always necessary. Eating in smaller portions or will have you eating a smaller or normal portion as opposed to eating more.
This all comes down to the size of the plate or bowl, really. It’s that easy.
Fresh Fruits
I love desserts and have a huge sweet tooth. Sometimes eating fruits can cut back on that. Will I quit desserts entirely? Unlikely. But I eat them less and I’ve found some desserts I can do without or eat far less such as cookies and cupcakes. Now, I was guilty of eating dried fruits regularly.
I love banana chips and pineapple chips are okay but fresh fruits are best. It’s also strongly suggested that you just eat them instead of juicing and going with smoothies. I’m sure it is but I’m not going to turn down a banana-strawberry smoothie at all.
That aside, get those fruits in. It’s probably easier to get fruits in than it is to commit to eating vegetables, actually. There’s a sweetness in fruits already and in some of the unhealthy stuff we take in such as sodas, we have fond memories of them because many had artificial fruit flavorings. It just so happens that the actual thing is better.
Staff Writer; M. Swift
This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.
