Top 8 ways to get healthier without following a strict diet

I want to look slim and want those love handles gone’’, or I want to look sleek and slender in my favourite skinny jeans’’ are reflective of some of our thoughts whenever we ruminate about losing weight. Therefore, people often start following crazy crash diets, intending to reduce their weight as soon as possible and attain their body goals.

On the other hand, trendy diets and misconceptions regarding eating healthier to achieve a picture-perfect body complicate nutrition. However, healthy eating does not need to be complicated or confusing; at the same time, it is vital to understand that there is no miracle diet that can help us all achieve health goals.

Besides, people have different body types and eating habits and constricting people to follow a rigid diet only leads them to binge eat. Also, extreme dieting is not sustainable if our food is not enjoyable and nourishing. Therefore, we bring to you the following ways to maintain healthy food habits without having to go on a strict diet.

One of the first pieces of advice that you get while making changes to your diet is adding green veggies. Particularly, it includes green leafy vegetables such as spinach, arugula, watercress, romaine, etc. Spinach contains vitamin K, which aids in good bone health, and this means adequate consumption of vitamins can do good for your health. It also improves calcium absorption by your body. Spinach contains 250 milligrams of calcium per cup, and this is much required by your bones and teeth.

Plus, it is very easy to add to your daily meals; for example, you can make a green smoothie by adding spinach, diced mango, hemp seeds, and unsweetened almond milk. Likewise, you can make a pasta sauce out of kale or spinach and add it to your spaghetti. Also, when eating out, you can order a plate of side salad.

Forcing yourself to eat salads or other “so-called” healthy food does more harm than good; it is not a sustainable way to maintain good food habits. On the contrary, bland meals and boring dishes lead to excessive cravings and negatively impact your mood.

So, a better idea is to get creative with your food choices by making healthier versions of your favourite foods. For instance, instead of eating deep-fried French chips, you can have baked beetroot chips, or you can make simple swaps, such as cauliflower pizza crust or chickpea pasta.

Healthy eating is not just about what you eat but also about how you eat. Besides, we live a busy life; it is almost as if we are running against the flow of time, which explains why we often miss lunch or other meals. Relying on fast food due to busy work schedules or late meetings is very common.

However, we must establish particular mealtimes, take a little pause and enjoy our food. If possible, consider taking a break from work, turning off the TV and putting away your phone while eating your food. Also, you can take your mealtime as an opportunity to slow down and enjoy your food mindfully.

Avoiding soda or sugary beverages like sweetened coffee drinks as much as possible must be a priority. Instead, you can stay hydrated in many ways. You can try an array of teas, including green tea and hibiscus tea, as they have a lot of health benefits, including health-boosting components called polyphenols.

If you are not a fan of teas, you can try green juice or any other homemade fruit juice that you can carry in any reusable bottle. So, apart from water, you can make various nutrient-rich drinks at home and carry them with you, which help you to stay hydrated.

Drinking water is so old school (but, like, also crucially important, so please keep that up); you can eat your water too. However, eating foods that are high in water content is the secret to long-term, lasting hydration (and a lit-from-within glow).

get healthier without following a strict diet
Top 8 ways to get healthier without following a strict diet 2

Call in some backup for your water bottle by loading up on plants like tomatoes, cucumbers, romaine lettuce, and berries, which are all high in water. Watermelon is one of the most hydrating foods you can eat (no surprise where it gets its name), with a water content of 92%. Water-rich foods will hydrate your body like good ol’ H2O but will also add in the extra nutrients that come from fruits and veggies.

One of the staple rules of a strict diet is sticking to the same kind of food and alternating it once or twice a meal with a few different ingredients. Consequently, monotony and blandness in food make life miserable; also, when it comes to vegetables, you are more likely to choose the same ones you have been eating for years.

Therefore, it is time to challenge yourself and buy different vegetables from your local farmer’s market or department store. Maybe you saw a delicious butternut squash recipe and have never cooked butternut squash, maybe you see beets at the grocery store and Google how to prepare them, or maybe you come across a new leafy green at the farmer’s market that you’ve never tried.

Trying (or cooking) something new will not only make your meals more exciting, but a wider variety of foods also means a wider variety of nutrients. Plus, you might like something so much it ends up on your go-to grocery list.

You learned in middle school science class that plants get their colours from antioxidants, so it only makes sense to eat all the colours to provide your body with all the antioxidants, right? Incorporating all the colours – reds (tomatoes, apples, red pepper), blues (blueberries, blackberries, blue potatoes), oranges (sweet potato, butternut squash, tangerines).

Greens (leafy greens, Brussels sprouts, zucchini), yellows (spaghetti squash, bananas, corn), and purples (purple cabbage, eggplant, grapes) – is the easiest (and prettiest) way to ensure you’re getting an abundance of phytonutrients and the full spectrum of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. As an easy hack, try to add at least three different colours to each meal or include each colour of the rainbow while grocery shopping.

You might have heard about popular diets, including intermittent fasting, three meals a day or five small meals a day to boost your metabolism. All such trends may or may not have health benefits depending on the person’s physical and mental state. However, instead of following a trendy Instagram famous diet, you can simply eat when you are hungry.

Give yourself nourishing meals and focus on feeding your body enough energy to get through the day, whatever that looks like. Likewise, rather than eating a portion that someone else recommends (whether it’s your mom, a restaurant, or the recommendations on the box), eat until you’re satisfied and not overstuffed. Find the amount, time, and method of eating that works best for your body and lifestyle.

Meanwhile, it is equally essential to remember that just because you get hungry in the middle of the night, you must simply indulge your cravings and end up eating a big cheesy pizza. Instead, you can have something healthy such as Greek yoghurt or Banana with almond butter.

Divya Mangal

Related post