Eating food that nourishes your body is not as difficult as you might think. The key is to make healthy food choices a keystone habit. Also, don’t be afraid to treat yourself every once in awhile. I often get the question of, “How do you eat so healthy all the time?” My answer? I don’t eat healthy ALL of the time. Majority of the time, yes, but not always. I also explain how I avoid certain foods and that I follow an intermittent fasting schedule. For me, eating healthy is easy, but I promise it wasn’t always this way.
How I struggled with eating healthy foods
After years of struggling with body image, and probably having an undiagnosed eating disorder, something changed. I grew up, I got married and had kids. On the day my second child was born, I was 60 pounds heavier than my usual, before-kids weight. I chalked it up to being pregnant. I let it slide as I continued to eat as if I were pregnant well after I had my son. Again, I found another excuse: breastfeeding. I know that extra calories are important for breastfeeding, but this was out of control.
How healthy eating came into my life for good
About five months after my son was born, I was perusing the good old Facebook feed and saw a post that caught my attention. A friend from high school was talking about this thing called “Whole 30” and how she was challenging herself to follow this eating plan for a whole 30 days. I Googled it and thought sure, why not? I started it the next day. If you want to know what Whole 30 is, you can Google it, or click here, but basically it means you eat whole, real food. I didn’t buy/read any books, there is plenty of info online for you to succeed with Whole 30. You can have nothing processed for 30 days. No alcohol, no dairy, no legumes and no sugar, unless it’s in natural form, such as fruit. Coconut milk (Thai Kitchen is the best, IMO) became my best friend and I perfected a ranch recipe like you wouldn’t believe!
What eating healthy can do for someone…
In that first 30 days, I lost around 20 pounds, and somewhere along the way I challenged my husband to try it out, so I did another consecutive 30 days with him. I ended up losing another 15ish pounds. I was really close to my usual, before-kids weight and I felt AMAZING. Plus, even though I was still heavier than, say, on my wedding day, I looked healthier. It was shocking to see what a whole foods and sugar-free lifestyle could do for someone! I will admit that at first I did a Whole 30 to lose weight, plain and simple. However, when I realized how good my body felt when I wasn’t eating junk, it became more than just the number on the scale. It was turning into a lifestyle change that I wanted to continue.
Healthy eating doesn’t have to be strict
After those two rounds of Whole 30, I loosened up a bit and allowed myself wine and sushi (my two favorite, unapproved things). To this day, I base my diet (and I don’t mean that I’m “dieting” I mean the array of food I eat) on the Whole 30 principles, with slight adjustments. I do eat rice, quinoa, couscous and gnocchi pretty regularly, and I have wine/other drinks every so often. Most of the time, I avoid anything with added sugar and I avoid bread and pasta. Now, I’m not saying I don’t love the occasional pizza night, because I do, but they are few and far between. Moderation…I know you’ve heard it before, but it’s true!
Eating healthy food: Feel good on the inside
Anyone can do this…you just have to embrace the change that it brings. Eat as much as you want of any “whole” foods (prepared in a healthy manner, such as roasted, sautéed with olive oil or air fried) and avoid bread, pasta and added sugar. This is not a diet unless you want it to be. This is a lifestyle change that takes time and dedication, but can eventually become a keystone habit that you do without even trying. If you find it difficult, or boring, to eat the same fruits/veggies and proteins, mix up with a healthy supplemental mix. My favorite brand is Smart Pressed Juice. My sister recently started a blog, and she highlighted this brand, too! Check her post out here. You can also invest in an air fryer…I’m telling you, basically any vegetable tossed in salt, pepper and olive oil is amazing…and so fast!
From Diet to Lifestyle
Once you begin to see the outcome of this change in diet, more than just the number on the scale, you will know you’ve achieved a lifestyle change. You will have more sustained energy, and you will no longer feel the effects of “sugar crashes” in the afternoons when you used to grab a sugary snack or a fancy coffee. However, don’t be afraid to treat yourself to that fancy coffee every once in awhile! It won’t hurt you to splurge on a piece of cake at a birthday party or a family trip to get ice cream. Just don’t overdo it and it’s likely it won’t become a habit.
