3 Simple Ways To Stick To A Healthy Diet

I use the word ‘diet’ in the sense that it just refers to what you eat. I’m not talking about specific diets - like Atkins or Keto - but more of a generally healthy diet. This typically consists of balanced meals that are packed full of nutrients and good food sources. When it comes down to it, that’s all you need to eat well! 

It sounds so easy, yet many people struggle to stick to a healthy diet. Why? Well, we can identify many reasons if we had time. Instead, I’ll show you a few simple tips that will help you stick to a diet and eat balanced meals every single day:

Give yourself more freedom

A big reason people stray from health diets is that they are too restrictive. For me, this is my biggest criticism of all the fad diets out there. When you restrict yourself too much, you start longing for everything you’ve cut out. Instead, give yourself the freedom to pick and choose your meals. This is actually an idea stolen from Kurbo by Weight Watchers, which is a program aimed at teens and kids. Effectively, it uses a traffic light system where you have green, yellow, and red foods. The idea is you can mix these colors to create balanced meals. Doing something like this is far more enjoyable and easier to stick to that choosing from a restricted menu.

Track your calories

Generally, calories are the main thing to track when you eat. The most common fitness goal is to lose weight, which is only achievable with a caloric deficit. This means you have to burn more calories than you consume. Tracking your calories helps you do this. It also lets you know how calorific your meals are. Again, it offers more freedom as you can decide to have a light lunch if you want a treat for dinner. There’s also a sense of accountability as you can’t hide from the fact that you just consumed 300 calories by eating two brownies!

Get creative

Lastly, you should be more creative in your approach to recipes. Chicken salad is healthy, but it’s very boring. This is why so many people stray from the healthy path; you’re making bland and boring meals. Of course a pizza is tastier than plain salmon and steamed veg! Healthy food doesn’t have to be boring and tasteless at all. There are so many healthy recipes that are packed full of flavor and satisfy your cravings. When food tastes good, you’re more inclined to keep eating it. That sounds simple, mainly because it is! The video above gives you a few meal ideas to start, but there are loads online as well. 

Overall, it’s about changing your relationship with healthy food. Stop seeing it as this boring thing that makes you feel restricted. Instead, view it with a more open mind! Allow yourself the freedom to choose different meals every day and play around with exciting recipes. Tack your calories while you’re at it, giving you goals to aim for and a sense of accountability. 

For more mind and body, tips follow me @NadiaMurdock