How to Change Your Eating Habits

Wondering how to change your eating habits? The key is to start small, making healthy changes you can maintain for the long-term. Trying to do everything at once may cause you to get disheartened. Let’s not make a mountain out of a molehill. Changing the way you eat is easier than you might think, and we’re here to show you how to reset your eating habits for a healthier future.

11 Simple healthy eating habits

If you’re asking how can i change my eating habits, we’ve compiled some of the small changes you can make that can have a big impact.

1. Start small
2. Focus on what you’re adding to your diet
3. Slow down
4. Stock up on healthy options
5. Prepare meals in advance
6. Eat at the table with no distractions
7. Learn new recipes
8. Drink more water
9. Don’t leave it too long between meals
10. Monitor snacking

How to change your eating habits for life

The food you eat can massively impact your health and risk for certain diseases¹. We need to eat a variety of foods, and the right amounts of them, to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight².

Think your eating habits could do with improving? You’re not alone. Here’s how it’s you can change your eating habits for life!

1. Start small

Take baby steps, you’re not going to completely change your lifestyle and eating habits overnight. Some things you can do to improve your health, and drop the pounds, include:

• Getting between 6-9 hours of sleep a night³
• Sleeping too little can lead people to overeat, make you tempted to skip exercise and trigger a cortisol spike that makes your body more likely to conserve fat⁴
• Trying low-fat dairy products
• Starting the day with a nutritious breakfast
• Choosing healthy snacks
• Cutting down on sugary drinks
• Eating less junk food
• Limiting alcohol⁵

Even picking one or two of the changes above can make a big difference over time. Start small – you don’t have to do everything at once! The key is to ensure the changes you make are sustainable and that you can maintain them over time.

Aim for small, consistent changes, research shows this is better than aiming for a major diet or lifestyle overhaul⁶. When it comes to a healthy diet, change takes time.

2.Focus on what you’re adding to your diet

Try to focus on what you’re adding, rather than things you’re taking away. For example, are you going to try new foods, or nutritious recipes? Think about including more fruits and vegetables in your diet, rather than focusing on the fact you’re ordering fewer takeaways.

What’s more, it’s important you don’t eliminate anything. That may only make you crave it more, plus, all foods can fit within a healthy diet. Everything in moderation – don’t forget that!

3. Slow down

Try not to be quick and careless with your food when thinking about how to change your eating habits. Those who eat quickly tend to weigh more than those who don’t⁷. On the other hand, eating slowly helps you eat less, as it takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to signal to your brain that you’re full.

4. Stock up on healthy options

‘Out of sight, out of mind’ definitely applies to food. So, instead of buying sharing packs and large amounts of unhealthy, processed food, stock the fridge and cupboards with healthy options.

The easier you can make healthy eating, the better. Make it as convenient as possible to eat in the right way and less convenient to eat unhealthily. Try to reduce the amount of temptations lying around the house.

5. Prepare meals in advance

Meal prepping can be a powerful tool when planning how to change your eating habits to lose weight, as it ensures you’re prepared and less likely to buy unhealthy options. It also helps you manage your food portion sizes better.

You should also bring healthier snacks with you when you’re out and about, such as fruit, protein bars or bags of nuts and seeds.

6. Eat at the table with no distractions

Try to be more mindful when you’re eating; it can help you gain control, promote weight loss, reduce binge eating – and help you feel better⁸.

A big part of this is eating slower, with no distractions. So, unplug and turn off the TV or other devices. Some studies have found that being distracted, and not paying attention to your meal, tends to make you eat more. Paying attention to a meal is also linked to eating less later on⁹.

7. Learn new recipes

Start getting creative in the kitchen! Cooking your own meals gives you full control over exactly what’s in your food, and how big the servings are. Healthy eating needn’t be boring, so try new things and get experimenting – why not learn a new recipe every week as you learn how to change your eating habits?

8. Drink more water

Hydration is key for weight loss, but is also an essential part of living a healthy lifestyle in general. Water has no calories nor any sugars that could damage your teeth¹¹. Water can not only help you stay feeling fuller for longer and help you eat healthier, but also:

• Helps your body remove waste
• Aids in digestion
• Keeps your cardiovascular system healthy
• Maintains body temperature
• Helps your brain function optimally¹¹

9. Don’t leave it too long between meals

Ghrelin is a hormone produced in the gut, often deemed ‘the hunger hormone’, secreted when your stomach is empty. The higher your ghrelin levels, the hungrier you get. The lower your levels, the fuller you feel, and the easier it is to eat less calories¹².

So, try not to leave it too long between meals or let yourself get too hungry. Eat at regular intervals to maintain blood sugar levels and keep ghrelin levels low.

10. Monitor snacking

If you feel you snack too much, you’re definitely not alone. While it’s perfectly normal to eat snacks throughout the day, try to limit the amount of junk food options, or those high in sugar and fat. You can derail healthy eating habits without meaning to. Instead, make healthy swaps, and ensure your meals are satiating to reduce the temptation to snack frequently.

How to change your eating habits for a healthy diet

Changing your eating habits doesn’t need to feel like a huge overhaul or a daunting prospect. It’s easier than you might think, and the key is to start small, and create habits you can maintain for the long-term. Load up your plate with fruits and vegetables, stay hydrated and enjoy your food more. You’ll soon start reaping the benefits of a healthy lifestyle!