Wanting to make changes to your regular diet can be overwhelming and difficult to maintain. Tracking calories takes a lot of work and constant vigilance. Since new diets are popping up all the time, knowing which one is right for you takes research and some trial and error. A diet that changes drastically from what you are currently doing can quickly become unsustainable, especially if it requires more prep time than you are used to. As with any major life change, it’s best to start small and sustainable. Here are four small changes to your diet can you make now as you transition to a healthier lifestyle.
1. Drink More Water
I think the easiest change you can make to your day is to drink more water. Drinking water in general is good for your body since it helps rejuvenate your cells, so this is just another reason to add on to the list. A study done in 2015 found that people who drink two glasses of water 30 minutes before a meal lost more weight on average than those who didn’t. The hypothesis is that the water expands your stomach, making you feel full. So if you think you are overeating at meals, give this a try to help reduce food intake.
2. Cut Back on Snacking
Snacking is often thought of a good way to curb hunger throughout the day and reduce calories eaten at major meals, but science does not back this idea. If you aren’t into calorie tracking, snacking can increase your overall calorie intake, rather than decreasing it. If you are feeling hungry, it’s best to eat a full meal. A small snack will not fill you up, and you may be just as hungry when you do eat a meal. Additionally, snacking has become a social event or something done out of boredom when you aren’t even hungry. Many studies have been done over the years linking the removal or reduction of snacking to weight loss for obese people.
3. Watch out for Branding!
People wanting to live a healthy lifestyle are more likely to purchase foods that have wording on the packages associated with health and fitness. Subconsciously people feel better about their food choice and end up eating more and exercising less. A study at the University of Texas examined the amount of a food people ate to the branding. The study found that people were more likely to eat up to twice as much of a healthy branded food than an unbranded food. Your best bet is to review the ingredients, nutrition information and the serving size, rather than the packaging of foods.
4. Do you Have a Sweet Tooth?
Don’t worry, you can still satisfy that craving while maintaining your healthy lifestyle. Keep some dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher) in the house. When you have a craving during the day eat a square, but keep it to two squares a day. Dark chocolate is sweet enough to satisfy that craving, and may also satisfy salty snack cravings. In addition, dark chocolate has a surprising amount of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) important to your diet, as well as a good amount of antioxidants, which help reduce the amount of free radicals in your body.
The above are just four changes you can make to your diet in a small way, there are many more, such as serving food on a smaller plate to force smaller portions, keeping snack food off the counter and out of sight, and eating more calories early in the day rather than later. When choosing what kind of changes to make review your current routine and pick changes that you can easily add into your day.
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