Sticking to a healthy diet means much more than just eating healthy food. It involves consuming food that is not just nutritious but also enjoyable and sustainable at the same time.
Many of us might find it tough to follow a healthy diet in today’s high paced world, especially when we are surrounded with so many tempting yet unhealthy foods.
Though easier said than done, it is still not impossible. By adapting to simple ways of living you can easily stick to a diet without compromising on your favorite foods.
Think before you start
Here are some tips and tricks to follow your diet sustainably and guess what, they are free!
1. Think before you start
We have access to ample of fad diets which are available over the Internet. But do we really need to follow them? Could they cause any side effects? Are they coming from a trusted source? We need to run through all such questions and only decide to go ahead if the answers are positive. It is advisable to consult a qualified dietician/nutritionist before starting any specific diet.
And REMEMBER! crash diets will give you quick results but may also make you gain double the weight or have adverse effects on your health.
2. Choose wisely
Be it outside or inside home, always make the right choices. Often people opt for potlucks, happy hour and dining out for any special occasions or weekends. Restaurant meals tend to have higher calories, sodium, sugar, fat, and are ultra-processed foods compared to meals cooked at home, and they often come in large serving sizes.
Also, our choices are influenced by others when we eat in social settings. It's really challenging when it comes to following a diet outside the home.
Here are some easy tips to follow when eating out:
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Check the menu before you reach the venue so you are aware of the type of foods served and can make an informed decision.
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Eat fruit or salad ahead of time to keep you full.
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Stay hydrated throughout the meal.
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Order your meal first and make sure that you take your time to savor the meal.
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Always eat mindfully.
3. Eat wholesome foods
- Sugar craves more sugar!! The higher the number of simple sugars you consume, the higher will be the cravings for carbs.
- Avoiding or restricting the consumption of simple sugar/carbs is the key.
These include highly processed foods heavy in sugars and carbohydrates like;
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Biscuits/cookies
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White bread
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Cakes/pastries
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Sweets
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Chips, etc.
Make friendship with whole foods high in protein and fibre like;
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Fresh fruits & vegetables
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Pulses & legumes
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Nuts & seed
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Whole cereal grains (jowar, bajra, ragi, etc.)
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Prolicious foods and snacks
4. Keep healthy filling snacks handy
There are moments when we often find ourselves to be extremely hungry, especially when we are following a healthy diet. These are the times when we tend to lose motivation and fall prey to unhealthy snacking options available around us.
It’s best to keep some healthy snacks handy like;
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Roasted nuts
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Makhana
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Whole grain crackers
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Granolas
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Prolicious thins
5. Portion control is the key
We often don’t understand where to stop. Be it tasty food or tasty and healthy food, it’s important to control the amount of food consumed in a particular meal.
Some ideas for portion control:
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Use small size plates/bowls for serving
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Use a teaspoon instead of a tablespoon when eating desserts.
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Start your meals with salads followed by protein foods and end with carbs
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Eat consciously and avoid watching TV, using mobile phones, etc. while eating. This ensures that you understand the satiety signals and will prevent overeating.
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Eat foods high in protein because they lead to higher satiety.
6. Refrain from an all or nothing approach
We often tend to lose motivation even when we have messed up with one of the meals in the day. For e.g., if you ate a pastry at the office party, you feel that you have already cheated on the diet so now you can just consider the day as a cheat day and eat anything that you like. But this is the wrong mindset followed by many of us.
Instead, you should consider each meal choice as a clean new slate and if you miss to follow diet for a particular meal, make sure that the next meal should be the healthier one.
7. Monitor your progress
Self-monitoring is an easy and effective way to track your progress. Also, when self- monitoring your progress, remember that weight loss and gain are not the only ways to measure how far you’ve come. Some questions to ask yourself to check whether your healthier diet is working or not are:
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Do I enjoy what I eat?
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Did I consciously make a healthy choice today?
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Am I feeling confident about my diet?
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Am I full and satisfied?
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Could I keep eating this consistently every day?
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Have I noticed any changes to my physical and mental health?
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But tracking doesn’t have to mean you log every calorie in a diary, checking in with your body can be enough to help you stick to a nutritious diet.
8. Be patient with yourself
To live a healthy lifestyle is a marathon, not a sprint. Releasing old habits and developing new ones is not an easy process, especially when it comes to foods you’ve been savoring for your entire life. Understanding which diet suits you takes trial and error process.
Accepting the process of change and trying to stay encouraged even at times when certain things don’t work for you is the only way out. If the goals you’ve set for yourself are achievable and realistic, aligned with a professional, it becomes easy to follow the diet and stay committed.
9. Consult a qualified professional
Finally, adapting to a healthy diet can be both challenging and intimidating but if you have a well-qualified guide, you will achieve your goals. Only a qualified professional (Dietician/Nutritionist) can help you set SMART goals and guide you through your journey towards a healthy lifestyle.
Lastly, as our diets are complex systems influenced by biological, cognitive, and social influences, it requires a variety of tools to navigate those factors and stick to a healthy diet long term. Not only inner motivation but the support from family and friends helps a lot. Connecting with other people who are also learning to adapt to a healthy way of living or joining a health-oriented community is one of the best approaches to keep up motivation!
About the Author
Sampada Sawant
Nutritionist, Prolicious
M.Sc. Foods, Nutrition & Dietetics, CDE.
A life member of the Indian Dietetics Association, she has a varied experience working with, community nutrition, diet consultations, clinical nutrition, and Food Industry. Has done research paper presentation at IDA conference 2018 and published a paper in International journal (IJRAR). She is a passionate Food & Nutrition professional with a warm and friendly demeanor always!
