National Nutrition Week – Get Planning!
With National Nutrition Week in full steam (and grill, and bake….sorry) this week, it presents an opportunity to check in with your diet and eating habits to see what works for you. There is an awful lot of information in front of us with social media, opinions from friends and family, new diet crazes…it can easily become overwhelming! And sometimes when it feels like there are too many things to ‘get right’, we simply don’t bother at all. So let’s discuss some strategies that may help you to simplify your options – this week, and beyond.
Tried and True
When looking at the most commonly accepted diets, we start to see recurring themes such as;
– Whole grains; 5 servings per day
– Vegetables; 5 servings per day
– Fruit; 2 servings per day
– High quality protein; 1 serve at most meals
– Drink 8 cups of water daily
While the above recommendations may not seem ‘in vogue’ or ‘trendy’, their consistent application has proven time and time again to improve our health and wellbeing – allowing you to live life to the fullest.
Live to the (80%) Full
This brings me to a simple strategy you don’t have to put a lot of effort into in order to receive benefits; eating to 80% fullness. Eating to 80% fullness allows you to ingest enough food to sustain your day-to-day activities, without the increased likelihood of accumulating weight gain across the year. This may look like dishing up your meal on smaller plates, eating mindfully to understand when you feel full, and packing up leftovers before sitting down to eat to reduce the chance of reaching for that second helping. This strategy can also improve post-meal activities, such as working effectively and sleep quality. Isn’t it lovely to wake up feeling refreshed from a good quality sleep?
Get Planning
Like any other behavioural change, it is helpful to plan ahead to avoid reverting back to unhelpful behaviours. This can look like setting time aside each week to organise your meals and obtain your groceries in advance. With healthy, accessible food readily available in your home, it can prevent poor food choices being made when you’re hungry and tired at the end of the day. Not only that, it can save you time throughout the week…leaving you more hours in the day to enjoy your favourite hobbies or activities. How would you be spending your afternoons if your healthy dinners were already planned or prepped?
The Power of Support
New behaviours are always easier to achieve with supportive friends and family to assist you when needed. Having one or two trusted people that you can discuss your healthy eating habits with, and maybe even make changes with, can increase your motivation and accountability to eat well for both your mind and body. Additionally, we tend to mimic similar behaviours to those we spend the majority of our time with. Can you think of anyone in your life currently who might fit this description?
The (Healthy) Takeaway
We know life doesn’t always go to plan, and achieving the above steps may not be easy at first – but like riding a bike, or learning any new skill, practice makes (almost) perfect. The more frequently the steps are implemented the easier, and more habitual they become. Give yourself some time to try each strategy, modify if necessary, and be compassionate with yourself as you learn along the way.
Better yet…what about coming up with your own strategy that might work for you?
