3 Easy Steps I Took to Build Healthy Eating Habits
I don’t know about you but with the plethora of healthy eating tips out there I didn’t know where to begin! Luckily during my time at Michigan Technological University, I had the opportunity to take an awesome class with Brigitte Morin called Human Nutrition. I learned a ton about how food worked in our body, and one of my favorite parts of the class was how I learned how simple nutrition can be! We were assigned to read Michael Pollan’s book In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. This book was a game changer for me. It made good nutrition habits simple and easy to comprehend. So, what was his philosophy?
1. Eat Real Food
Eat real food, what does that even mean? It means eating whole foods that serve to fuel your body. Food that your grandmother would recognize. My go-to is buying the food on the edge of the store, so predominantly your produce and meats. I find it helpful to plan my meals ahead for the week so I can avoid having produce go bad in my fridge. Food is medicine and eating real food is what will keep your insides healthy and running smoothly. The average person needs 9-13 servings of fruits and veggies a day, but most people don’t get even close to that. I’ve been able to find ways to get all the produce I need, and a wide variety of it! Since focusing on eating real, whole foods I have more energy, my digestive system runs much smoother, and overall I just feel happier.
2. Not Too Much
Something you’ll hear about often is portion control. So, what does that actually mean? It’s a lot easier than it sounds. It’s common to eat until you are super full, but that’s eating excessively. We want to feel full and satisfied, but not stuffed and heavy in the stomach. Reducing your portions so that your meats and veggies all fit onto one medium-sized plate is a great way to make sure you aren’t eating too much. Also, once you are starting to feel full, stop eating! It takes about 15-20 minutes for our bodies to register that we are actually full, so listen to your body and when it starts telling you that its satisfied trust that. Another good tip is eating about 80% of the food in front of you (if you aren't already feeling full), and wait a little bit to give your body time to start digesting before finishing what is left on your plate. One thing I have learned is to listen to my body and let that guide my food choices. When I did that, I was able to pinpoint that grains and dairy were causing lots of digestion issues. For me and my body, as for many others, limiting my dairy and grain intake has been key. Focusing on not overeating just requires listening to your body what it needs. Trust your body it knows what it needs!
3. Mostly Plants
Let’s bring it back to when humans were first roaming the earth. We were primarily eating food that came from the earth, so mostly plants. Though as a species we have evolved, our need for a plant-based diet hasn’t changed. As I mentioned earlier, the average person needs to eat 9-13 servings of fruits and veggies a day, and those who are athletes or battle chronic illnesses need even more than that. Not only do our bodies need several servings of fruits and veggies a day, we need to eat a variety of plants because each food gives our body different nutrients. Several nutritionists suggest “eating the rainbow” and getting several different colored veggies and fruits because that’s a good way to add variety to your eating habits. Finding creative ways to add more produce to your diet is a great way to get all the servings needed.
I will be experimenting more ways to add fruits and veggies to my day, and will share the recipes I like. This book (and my blog) isn’t about starting a diet, it’s about changing how you approach food and relearning what is and isn’t healthy for your body. If you have any questions about whole food nutrition or how you can add more produce to your life, feel free to contact me! When I adopted Pollan’s philosophy towards food it changed how my approach towards food and improved my health abundantly! What are your favorite ways to add more fruits and veggies to your diet?
Peace & Love,
Erika
Want to visit Michael Pollan's site? Here is where you go! http://michaelpollan.com/books/in-defense-of-food/