When thinking about ways to indeed have a healthy lifestyle, there are so many options on the internet but keeping it simple is the way to go. Small behavior change over time is the answer. Starting with one fix at a time can help relieve the stress revolving around eating healthier and more nutritious foods. Over years of research, studies have found that 12 fixes are most impactful for your wellness and nutrition journey. We will discuss these 12 fixes and what they look like. What should you do? Adapt two practices this week and impress yourself before moving on to others!
1. Swap Sugar
Replace sugar, refined white flour, and processed foods with whole foods. Swap artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup with whole fruits, pure maple syrup, or raw honey.
2. Plan Protein
Eat 75 to 150 grams of protein spread throughout the day, with at least 30 grams of protein for breakfast to get your day started. Protein keeps you full and your brain's fuel source steady while increasing muscle mass.
3. Boost your Gut
Eat fermented food like yogurt or drink kombucha every day. The live bacteria in these foods are proven to boost your gut health so keep them consistent in your daily routine
4. Push Produce
Make fruits and vegetables 50 percent of your meals and snacks. Fruits and vegetables boost your immune system and help detox any toxins in the body.
5. Eat Early
Front-load your eating and avoid eating late in the evening. Try eating the majority of your food during the daytime. Fuel your body during the day because that’s when carbohydrates are best used while you are moving. This promotes fat-burning later in the evening and when you are sleeping.
6. Move More
Move your body more. The more you move, the better. Movement and exercise create optimal health, so add more fun and enjoyable movement into your daily life. Just start walking.
7. Water Well
Drink water all throughout the day. Dehydrated cells are more likely to store fats instead of using them for energy. Staying hydrated ensures that your fat cells are swollen with water to burn more fat efficiently.
8. Shift Surroundings
Rearrange, resize, plan, and search your environment. Making simple changes to your surroundings can trick your brain into wanting to eat less unhealthy food and more health-promoting foods. Place a fruit bowl on the counter and remove the box of cereal.
9. Switch Fat
Replace less healthy fats with healthier fats. Replace butter, shortening, and margarine with fats rich in monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil,
Canola oil and nut oils.
10. Change Grains
Eat three to six servings of whole grains per day instead of refined carbohydrates. Replace refined grains like white bread and buns, white rice, and white flour pasta with whole grains like whole-grain bread, black or brown rice, and whole-grain pasta.
11. Snack Mindfully
Chew small bites of food slowly and only eat when you're hungry. Stop eating just before you get full. The more you chew, the more nutrients you absorb.
12. Sleep Soundly
Sleep seven to nine hours every night. You will be more productive the next day if you get enough sleep. Inadequate sleep encourages higher levels of hunger hormones and decreases our fat-burning and muscle-building activity during sleep.
Choose one of these fixes at a time to focus on for a while, then continue to focus on that fix while adding new fixes each week or month. After you have concentrated on all the fixes, continue to follow all 12, making it a consistent lifestyle! Which one are you going to start with?