3 Easy Tips to Eating Healthier

We want to cultivate healthy eating habits, but temptation is everywhere, which can throw us off-track from our goals. No matter how healthy we are in our individual choices, there will always be situations where unhealthy food is present. So, what can we do to promote healthy eating habits?

1. Plan Your Meals Ahead of Time

According to a study in Psychology & Marketing, “self-control was one of the strongest determinants of a healthy eating habit” (McCarthy et al., 2017). When tempted to make unhealthy choices, remember that you are in control. Having the goal of being a healthy person can be beneficial as well. Identifying yourself with this goal will aid self-control, as food often serves as a means to projecting a chosen identity positioning. Sharing your intentions to be health conscious and forming this as part of your self-identity may help you be more successful. Self-control and defining your goals is beneficial in the long term, but what should you in order to avoid the pitfalls of overindulgence? Food preparation and planning ahead is key! This allows you to control what you eat ahead of time rather waiting until the last minute and grabbing what's conveniently in front of you. So if you've never considered meal-prepping, this may be an alternative worth trying.

2. Cook for Yourself

Due to the large portion sizes and high calorie dishes at restaurants, it is difficult not to overeat. When cooking for ourselves, we can choose ingredients and portion accordingly. This is what it means to be physically involved with our food. The extent to which we are physically-involved determines how responsible we feel for our choices. At a restaurant, we do not feel as responsible, since the process is less physically-involving. A study by Hagen et al. (2017) published in the Journal of Marketing Research found that if we are less physically-involved with our food, we are more likely to indulge. In other words, we deny responsibility because physical involvement is “evidence” enough for us to reassign blame. If someone else prepared our food and brought it to us, we can justify unhealthy choices. Yet, even though the cook portioned the food and the server brought it to you, you are still responsible and in control once the food is on the table. Denying responsibility for eating habits is an underlying reason for gaining weight. For your long-term health, becoming more physically involved in your meal choices through cooking enforces healthy habits. To help you get started, check out Nature's Trusts Plant-based Recipes for healthy meal inspirations.

3. Accounting for Your Indulgences

Even though we now understand why we make these choices, and have the tools to stick to healthy eating habits, sometimes we will indulge. Many people subconsciously prepare for indulgent meals, which is called “pre-compensation”. A study conducted by Lenne et al. (2017) in Appetite explored this behavior by observing attendants of the Minnesota State Fair. Because this fair is known for its enticing, high-calorie food, it tests just how much people will engage in pre-compensatory behaviors in anticipation of indulging. Pre-compensating means eating in a way that offsets the caloric intake of the event. The study found that many people engage in this behavior, and can return to their normal eating habits after the event. This behavior made it possible to enjoy the unhealthy food with less guilt. What we can learn from the study is that pre-compensatory behavior could be useful in anticipation of indulgence. Healthy eating habits on your own can make those meals out with friends more enjoyable because you feel at ease about the balance of your choices.

To form healthy eating habits, establish your goals and how you want to accomplish them through your food choices. Follow these 3 Easy Tips to Eating Healthier, and eventually they will become your everyday habits. Remember that you are responsible and in control. To reduce giving into temptations, always plan ahead and cook for yourself. If you decide to make the conscious choice to eat foods that deviate from your goals, try to form your future choices for the day and/or week around these indulgent choices. If your overall habits are healthy, some “cheat” meals are okay as you will balance them out with other healthier eating decisions. Keeping all this in mind will aid in cultivating good eating habits and benefit your long-term health.

Your turn!

Let us know what you’re doing on a daily basis to eat healthier in the comment section below. We’d love to hear about what works well for you in cultivating your own healthy eating habits.

To learn more about healthy eating and holistic living, don't forget to follow @naturestrusts via Instagram and like NT via FB by using the links provided below. Tag us with pictures of your healthy eating habits because we'd love to see your healthy inspirations and perhaps even share via NT social media as well!

REFERENCES:

Hagen, Linda, et al. (2017), “Rejecting Responsibility: Low Physical Involvement in Obtaining Food Promotes Unhealthy Eating.” Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 54 (4), pp. 589-604.

Lenne, Riche L., et al. (2017) “Behavioral Compensation Before and After Eating at the Minnesota State Fair.” Appetite, Vol. 118 (1), pp. 113-119.

McCarthy, Mary B., et al. (2017), “Healthy Eating Habit: A Role for Goals, Identity, and Self-Control?” Psychology & Marketing, Vol. 34 (8), pp. 772-785.

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