Over the past few months, I’ve been working to really nail down my healthy habits. With little tweaks here and there, I feel like I’ve started to build a routine around habits that are helping me reach my goals. But there was a lot of learning along the way to get me to where I am now, especially when it comes to my healthy eating habits at home.
If you’re like me, and you work from home, hopefully these will help you create the boundaries and routines that make healthy eating at home easier. You could easily take some of today’s tips with you to work as well. Remember building a healthy lifestyle takes time. So as you noice habits, take them one at a time. Even if you only add one new habit a month, just think of the progress you’ll make in a year!
Put All Your Food Away
Ya’ll breaking up with my snack habit was hard. But I knew it needed to happen because it wasn’t helping me feel my best. Is there anything wrong with snacking? Not at all. I personally found that for me snacking means I’m not getting the right nutrients in my diet because I’m not eating balanced meals. After tracking my eating habits for a few days, I realized something needed to change.
Putting my food away was a big help in breaking up with my snack addiction. It’s also been key in creating my healthy eating habits at home. I’m a very visual person. So if I walk by the kitchen and see my favorite Simple Mills cookies* on the counter, I’m far more likely to grab them than if they were safely tucked away in the pantry. Now I find I enjoy my treats more because I’m really only eating them occasionally and when I crave them rather than just because I see them.
Keep Your Veggies At Eye Level in The Fridge
Again this is my way of directing myself to eat certain foods. If you open our fridge, you’ll notice the top shelf is veggies. The 2nd shelf is typically leftovers. And from there, it’s whatever fits in at the time. If the first thing I see when I open the fridge is fresh veggies, I’m much more likely to reach for them.
Often times, I’ll go the extra step and “prep” a few veggies ahead. This way I can easily prepare a healthy meal quickly. Most often, I’ll just make sure to have chopped veggies on hand for an easy salad or stir fry. But when you’re working on creating healthy eating habits at home, every little bit helps to make it easier.
DON’T KEEP FOODS IN THE HOUSE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP WITH
I spent so long in the place of you can’t have this or you can’t have that it’s taken me serious time to work back from it. When you start to label foods as good or bad, sometimes it just makes them more appealing when they really aren’t. When I’m at home, I want to feel like I’m surrounded by nourishing foods. And I want to eat in a way that honors my body.
If you have no portion control, I’ve been there, sometimes the best thing you can do while you’re working on your relationship with food is to not keep that particular food in the house. There are a few foods I’ve done this with while learning to enjoy them in moderation. Slowly but surely I now either no longer crave them or they simply have lost the appeal to eat them in excess.
When you’re creating healthy eating habits at home, you want it to be a positive experience. But if you’re getting stuck in cycle of bingeing on ice cream, then hating yourself for eating so much ice cream, maybe taking a temporary break from said ice cream is best. It doesn’t have to be forever. Just learn to enjoy these foods in a way that isn’t so toxic to your mental health.
VARIETY IS KEY
I’m not sure if I’ll ever understand the guys who can eat the same meal every day. Nope. I just don’t get it. I’d be SO BORED. One of the smallest changes that made the biggest impact on relationship with food was opting for variety of foods & colors each day.
Instead of feeling like I have to eat this vegetable or that vegetable, I try to get as many different veggies in as I can. Focusing on eating wide range of vegetables has enable me to feel so much more food freedom. Plus I know I’m getting a better base of the vitamins & minerals my body needs.
STOCK YOUR FRIDGE & FREEZER FOR SUCCESS
I’ve done an entire blog post on how to stock your freezer for success when it comes to healthy eating. But a lot of it applies here as well. Part of developing healthy eating habits at home is making sure you have foods in your house you actually like to eat. Otherwise, you’ll be tempted to order takeout or stop at the drive-thru.
I always keep things on hand to make a smoothie, salad or stir fry. These are my simple go-to meals for when I don’t feel like cooking. And I guarantee I reach for them several times a week. Creating healthy habits at home doesn’t have to be complicated. But stocking your food supply with foods you love, enjoy and can throw together quickly definitely makes it easier.
TRACK YOUR HABITS
We know I’m not super into the counting life. Personally I’ve found it removed too much of my intention with food and I wasn’t ever really getting a balanced diet. But tracking my eating habits at home for a week told me a lot. I realized I was eating far more sugar than I thought. I needed to be drinking more water. And there was a good chance I probably needed to add in an iron supplement because I was overly tired.
The biggest piece of advice I can give you when you want to create healthy eating habits at home: go slow. Make one small adjustment at a time. And if needed, track it to see how your body responds. Then make the next change.
You are more than capable of building a healthy life. You are worthy of feeling amazing in your body. So be patient and kind to yourself in the process getting there. I’ve been at this for years and there are still things I’m learning and tweaking. But I’m more excited than ever to feel my best and live my happiest life. I hope you can say the same soon too! Until next time. Xoxo, Savvy
Shop The Post
