How to Make Healthy Eating Habits Stick
By Sara Butler
Eating healthy isn’t about having enough willpower. Sure, you can probably coast by on willpower for a few weeks, but it’s eventually going to run out -- and you’ll run out to get a dozen croissants. If you want to make healthy eating a habit that really stands the test of time, then you need to make eating healthy as easy as possible. Here are some tips to help you get started on making your eating habits stick.
Keep Ingredients on Hand
It’s a good idea to have enough ingredients on hand to make a healthy dinner in a pinch. Think of meals that don’t take a lot of time to prepare so you can fall back on them on the days your time (or energy) get away from you. This is a great tactic to keep you from stopping by the drive-thru on the way home from work.
Double or Triple It
When you take the time to make a healthy meal, don’t be afraid to make a lot of it. Plan to double or even triple a recipe, then have containers on hand you can throw the leftovers into for your freezer. This ensures you always have something on hand.
Don’t Buy Junk
If you want to make healthy eating easier, then don’t keep junk food on hand in your home. Make it a policy in your home -- no junk food, no matter how delicious that giant bag of gummi bears looks at the store.
Get Creative with Substitutions
Sometimes you may not end up making something because you don’t have all the ingredients needed. There’s a simple solution to this: Keep regular substitutions on hand or just leave the ingredient out altogether. You’re not going to ruin a recipe by using the two-year-old apple cider vinegar that’s been in your cabinet (though, you may want to consider cleaning out your cabinets) rather than the expensive sherry vinegar the recipe calls for. You don’t need chili oil when you’ve got Tabasco. You don’t need cilantro if you’ve got parsley (even dried parsley) on hand. Let Google guide you to substitutes you may not have thought of or just go with your bad self. You may end up creating something tastier than you imagined possible!
Healthy eating can be easy if you know where to start!
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