Tips for Sustainable Healthy Eating

Changing one’s diet can be a difficult process, especially when they have been eating a certain way for years or even decades. Without a proper strategy the odds of a person succeeding are slim. Here are several tips that will help make this process a little bit easier. 

1) Change your environment. Minimize resistance.

Humans usually steer towards the path of least resistance. Whether it’s in their job, socially, physically, or nutritionally. Make healthy eating easier. It’s hard to compete with junk food, conveniently packaged and available in every convenience store and gas station. But you can put the odds in your favor by making healthy choices as easy or easier than the less desirable ones. A few strategies include:

-Weekly meal planning: Plan your meals for the week making sure they are mostly healthy. Then go to the store and only buy those items. Now you won’t fall into the, “There’s nothing in the fridge, let’s get takeout” trap. 

-Meal prepping: Cook all of this nutritious food when you have time so you can just heat it up on the go. My favorites are potatoes, quinoa, rice, and broccoli. When I’m in a rush there is no way I’m going to cook these items, and I usually end up eating a packaged lunch. But if I have them available it’s super easy to grab and go.

-Bulk shopping. Stock your house with healthy foods and limit less nutritious items. (See meal planning)

-Limiting eating out: Restaurant food will almost always be higher in calories and lower in nutritional content. It’s also more expensive. 

2) Don’t say “No” say “Yes”

Don’t focus on what you are missing out on and what you have to limit in your diet. Focus on new foods to include and healthy foods that excite you. Maybe try some new recipes that motivate you or buy some new fruits/vegetables to try. Shift your mindset from eating for pleasure to fueling your body’s needs.

3) Increase protein and fiber

Protein is a very satiating macronutrient and is also crucial for muscle retention when eating in a calorie deficit. It also has a greater thermic effect versus fat and carbohydrates which means you burn more calories while digesting it. A good protein goal to shoot for on a daily basis is .8g/lb of body weight, but for an individual serious about weight loss I like to see them at 1g/lb per day.

Fiber pulls water into the gut which will cause one to feel more satiated. Additionally, when a food contains fiber it slows down digestion which will delay future hunger. There is fiber in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains which is why we include those foods over refined grains and sugars. Yes, there are fiber supplements, but if you eat ample amounts of plants you will absolutely satisfy your daily needs.

4) Include all macronutrients 

I never recommend eliminating an entire macronutrient. All of them have their place in a healthy eating routine. I do, however, recommend limiting fat because it is easily converted into fat in your body, especially if you are eating ample carbohydrates in your diet. I generally say limit fat to around a quarter of your daily calories consumed (.25xTotal daily calories/9 grams). Additionally, try to make these fats “high quality” which means they are coming from natural sources such as avocado and nuts and not oils or processed meat. 

An example of a 2000 calorie day for a 160lb person would be:

(.25x2000)/9= 500 calories of fat (56g)

.8x160=128g protein (512 calories)

The rest of the calories would come from starchy carbohydrates in the form of fruits and vegetables. There is a bit of wiggle room but this is an example.

5) Eat “real” food

Pretty simple, eat real food. If it’s in a package it’s likely processed. Real foods include: Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, meat, and dairy. On that note, reduce these foods specifically: Sugar, fried foods, processed grains, oils, alcohol. I said “reduce” for a reason. If it scares you to cut certain foods out altogether then try to wean yourself off of them over time. 

6) Drink water

Water helps curb hunger. It also allows your body to carry out normal processes easier. I won’t give a number of ounces to drink because it is extremely variable, but make sure you are sipping throughout the day and drinking ample amounts before meals, but not during them. 

7) Don’t alter your life to fit your diet, choose eating habits that fit your life

Control what you can control. If you have certain meals you can’t miss or change, like work functions or family meals, don’t stress over them. If you like eating frequent small meals, do that. If you like fewer larger meals then eat that way. There is no single eating regimen and you need to find what works for you. 

8) Watch out for “trap” foods

Trap foods are foods that have hidden sugar, oils, or unexpectedly high calories. These include but are not limited to: juices, yogurt, granola, nut butters, bread, guacamole, nuts roasted in oil.

9) Eat out with a strategy

A major diet interrupter that causes everyone a lot of stress is eating out. Whether it’s at a restaurant or at a party or potluck, when you are eating food prepared by someone else it is likely less healthy than if you were to have prepared it yourself. If you are planning on going out and you know you will be consuming most of your day’s allotted calories at a single meal, then rather than stressing at dinner, try to limit your calories at your other meals. I find more people have success limiting calories at other meals during that same day rather than eating less at a social gathering. In addition there is always a spectrum of healthfulness in which each food on the menu resides. So try to order the lower calorie option or the entree that is higher quality. A good example of this is ordering a grilled chicken sandwich instead of pizza or getting a light beer instead of a higher calorie dark alternative.

When you eat out you should probably avoid this

10) Swap instead of cut

If cutting certain foods altogether is too difficult, replace them with a healthier option to satisfy your cravings. For example, if you eat Cap’n Crunch for breakfast every morning, instead of cutting cereal, replace it with a healthier alternative like Cheerios. Then later on down the road you can consider swapping Cheerios for something even more healthy like oatmeal or fruit. Small changes are more sustainable, so take the small wins and they will add up over time.

11) Don’t be too hard on yourself

People cheat on their diet. Cheating is necessary, and if done intelligently it’s even beneficial. A calorie deficit can only be maintained for so long before the body plateaus or a person becomes mentally burnt out. If you’re going to have a cheat meal make sure it’s planned and done intelligently. There’s a big difference between going out with friends for pizza and eating a whole domino's pizza at your house alone. One satisfies a social need and one doesn’t. One is generally planned while the other is impulsive. Assuming the restaurant quality is high and servings are of reasonable size there can be a difference of hundreds of calories between the two. A cheat meal can set you back a day but a full on binge can set you back multiple. 

Cheat meal tip: Make sure your cheat meal is well defined and not open-ended. Cheating can be a slippery slope if you don’t have some parameters around it. If your cheat meal is an In-n-Out burger and fries and that’s it, great! But if this meal turns into a full weekend of binging then that’s where habits are lost. 

When it comes down to it, “dieting” doesn’t work for the average person because it is inherently unsustainable. What we need you to focus on is building habits that you can maintain for life one small step at a time. Use the tips above that work for you and constantly look for improvement, since this journey is really one you are on for life.