If you are someone who has also pledged to make some healthy diet changes in their lives in 2022, you are not alone. Dietary changes and eating healthy are among the most common new year’s resolutions people have every year.
However, few people can fulfill their resolution (1). The reason for this is setting unrealistic goals. So, this year, we encourage you to choose easy diet changes so that you can stick to your goal and have a much healthier 2022. Here is a list of the top five eating trends you should adopt for a healthy body and mind.
1. Change The Way You Snack
One of the food items in your diet that add unnecessary calories to the daily intake is snacks. Be it that one cookie that you mindlessly ate while working or the pack of chips that you picked up when that post-lunch hunger struck, all of this can drastically increase your daily calorie intake without actually giving you any benefits. The snacks such as cookies, chips, candies, and chocolates are usually empty calories. Hence, in 2022, change the way you snack if you want to lose weight or avoid gaining weight (2).
If you usually feel hungry a few hours after lunch, keep a small pack of seeds or nuts with you to munch on instead of the potato chips. You can also opt for a bowl of fruit instead of candy or a granola bar instead of that chocolate that you picked up.
In today’s times, there are so many healthy snack options that you can easily get from the market, or with some prior planning, make them yourself and keep it near you. At home, you can always have some air-popped popcorns or a hard-boiled egg, or a small serving of yogurt. In this new year, plan your meals; instead of mindlessly snacking on just anything you can find, plan out your snack time and include healthier and more filling options.
2. Read The Labels and Switch To Whole Foods
Whenever you shop for ingredients, try to either go for whole foods or if you do end up buying packed items, read the labels for ingredients. Be more aware of the things that you are putting in your body. Many ‘diet’ foods might have hidden sugars or are high in salt, which is not good for your body.
So, unless very important, buy 80% of your food in raw form. If you like eating fruits instead of canned fruits, go for fresh seasonal vegetables. If you want to eat wheat, go for whole wheat flour. The less processed food in your cart, the better it is for your body.
One tip for reading the labels of food items is to check the nutrition facts and check calories from proteins, carbohydrates, and fats per serving. It will help you understand what macronutrients will be sent to your body when you consume that food item. In 2022 become an informed consumer and never fall for the claims made on the front of the box (3).
3. Switch Your Coke For Water
In addition to snacks, sugary drinks are also a culprit in consuming calories higher than needed. The extra pump of cream you put in your coffee or the can of coke you had with your lunch will always add to your daily calorie budget. Switching sweet drinks for unsweetened ones can be of great help in reducing about 350 calories from your diet. Instead of a can of coke, opt for sparkling water or lemon water (4). Instead of sweet teas and coffees, go for unsweetened versions. Black tea, green tea, and black coffee can be your choice of drinks in moderation.
Also, even though fruit juices are also sweet drinks, having fresh fruit juices to substitute the fruit intake during the day can be an exception. However, canned juices have added sweeteners and should be avoided. Instead of canned juices, opt for coconut water or even fruit-infused water if you do not like drinking plain water. Studies have shown that people who reduced the intake of sugary beverages had higher chances of losing weight and have lower chances of gaining weight.
4. Portion Control Is The Way To Go
No matter how healthy your choice of food is, if you eat it in larger quantities, you will gain weight. If you are served a large bowl of chicken, the chances are you will end up eating it whole. Or that last piece of bread on your plate will be consumed even if you are not hungry because it is there.
It brings us to the first tip, be mindful of what you eat and practice portion control. One of the best ways to control your portions is to use smaller plates. So, you will only pick up enough food that is supposed to fill your plate.
The second way is to fill half of your plate with salad and vegetables while having your main meals, and then the rest should be the proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. It will reduce your consumption of calorie-dense foods and promote eating fibre. High fibre diets are helpful in weight loss, as per studies (5).
One of the best ways to reduce your portions while going out is to ask for half a portion to be served to you. This way, you will not end up with extra food on your plate, and you will be less likely to overeat.
If you somehow still feel hungry after eating your food, wait it out and do not immediately take another serving to fill your stomach. It takes about 20 minutes for the brain to register that you are full even after eating.
Hence, if you eat fast, even if your stomach is full, your brain would not register it and still give out hunger signals. One of the best ways to avoid this is by drinking a glass of water before your meals and then eating slowly. You will be able to enjoy your meals better and also control your portions (6).
5. Invest in Habits and Not In Fads
Healthy eating should be a lifestyle change and not a one-time thing that you follow only when you start gaining weight. Start slow and build habits rather than quitting something cold turkey. Weight lost with extreme diets and starvation usually comes back and is very difficult to lose. So, instead of starving, adopt habits such as intermittent fasting, where you only eat foods in a defined window of time. Thus, you will control the number of calories you eat without starving yourself (7).
Identify what food habits are unhealthy and make small sustainable changes. For example, if you want to start snacking healthy, slowly switch unhealthy snacks for healthier ones. Quitting unhealthy snacks will only result in binge eating. You should have healthy snacks at your disposal. Always switch one thing for another rather than stopping it entirely.
To Sum Up
Eating healthy should be a lifestyle change and not a punishment. Hence in 2022, try and build new healthy habits that you can follow for a lifetime, rather than falling for fad diets and diet foods that do more harm for your body than good.