The EASIEST Way To Improve Eating Habits

One of the questions that I get asked often is: "Carolina, is there an easier way that I can improve my eating habits besides going cold turkey and eating only salads?"

My answer? A resounding YES!! (BLAH! I mean, what’s life without some fun foods like wine, cheese, and chocolate…or a burger and fries every once in a while??)

The first step towards making improvements to your daily eating habits aren't necessarily about taking things OUT of your diet. It's really more about adding in what's been missing. 

When you begin to address the things that are lacking in your daily diet, you'll feel better, you'll be more satisfied, you'll start to have more energy and you'll give your body the fuel it actually really needs to thrive. 

Just doing this one thing will make any other changes you make SO much easier. Trust me on this one. It's much, much easier to decrease your "not-so-great" habits when you begin to incorporate the better ones.

Here are three things that you’ll want to make sure that you ARE eating:
 

• High fiber foods:  Because fiber is fermented in your gut, this triggers the sensation of feeling like you are REALLY full. This is why fibrous foods are known to be so darn satiating. For example, a cucumber - which is a water-based veggie - isn't going to be near as filling as broccoli will be.
  

• Protein: Simply put, your body NEEDS protein. Eating it will provide that beautiful body of yours with what it needs to make muscle, connective tissue, hair, blood, enzymes, neurotransmitters, and more. If you want to feel healthy, strong, and energized, it’s important that you’re eating enough of it.
  
  There are plenty of plant-based proteins available as well, so please don’t feel that you are limited to only eating animal protein if that’s not your thing OR if you have other reasons for not consuming meat/poultry, etc.
  
  Try eating:

  • Legumes: Things like lentils, beans (adzuki, black, fava, chickpeas/garbanzo, kidney,  lima, mung, pinto, etc.), peas (green, snow, snap, split, etc.), edamame/soybeans (and products made from soy like tofu, tempeh, etc.), peanuts.

  • Nuts and Seeds:  Reach for almonds, pistachios, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, hemp seeds, squash and pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, and chia seeds.

  • Whole Grains: Kamut, teff, quinoa, brown or wild rice, millet, oats and buckwheat.

  • Vegetables: In general, veggies will contain a smaller amount of protein than the other plant-based foods. Veggies with the highest amount of protein are sweet corn, bean sprouts, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, russet potatoes, hubbard squash, collard greens, and artichokes.

• High volume foods: A meal that is filling is not necessarily determined by the number of calories it has. It's really about the volume of the food! Think about it like this. For 300 calories of broccoli looks like a lot more food than 300 calories of almond butter….. and it is a lot more filling. High volume foods send satiation signals to your brain because the food is literally filling your stomach more! (*Remember that it takes 20 min for your brain to register that you are full.)

 
When you first start to incorporate foods that are full of fiber, higher in protein or that are considered “high volume,” you are going to feel like you are eating a TON of food. Yet in reality, you are more than likely eating less calories than you were before. So yes, you will feel very, very full.
 
If you are like me and you’ve got to have that dark chocolate (which is actually good for you) every day, make sure that you are filling your tank up with the essential foods FIRST as doing so will help to prevent you from overdoing it and falling off the wagon.

Happy eating!