Healthy Eating Tips and Food Swaps
Our intern, Rennie Chi, noticed that her classmates often skip breakfast, eat junk and fast foods and don’t drink adequate water. As a health and beauty advocate, she researched and created this blog to share tips on how people of all ages can make healthier eating choices.
Healthy eating may seem easy, but in reality, it can be challenging. Once our bodies and brains are used to tasting something that we enjoy, like junk food, it’s hard to turn away from it. The high levels of sugar, fat, and sodium that are often found in junk food is the recipe for a food addiction. And it triggers the brain’s reward center and creates cravings for these foods.
However, with a commitment to change along with planning, it is possible to adopt healthier eating habits. Swapping foods, eating more protein and fiber are some hacks that will help you eat healthier.
1. Protein Intake
You should aim to include protein in every meal. It promotes satiety and keeps you feeling full for longer periods. Protein consumption alters the levels of several satiety hormones, which include the hunger hormone ghrelin and the peptide YY, which is a hormone that allows you to feel full.
Protein increases muscle mass and strength in our body, as it is the building block of our muscles. When doing strength training, eating a sufficient amount of protein will not only let you maintain your muscle mass but also boost muscle growth. Additionally, if you are on a weight loss journey, you may be losing muscle in addition to fat so eating adequate amounts of protein will prevent you from losing your well-earned muscles.
Protein has major benefits for your bone health, too. Those who eat more protein are proven to maintain better bone mass as they age and decrease their chances of osteoporosis and fractures.
Protein can come in various foods with options for everyone. Outside of the common eggs, chicken, beef, fish, dairy, etc., there are also many snacks and drinks with added protein to help you reach your protein goal. Protein powders are also a common way for you to supplement your protein intake.
Here are some options for protein powders depending on your preference:
Whey protein (24g per serving)
Here are some high protein recipes for everyone to enjoy.
2. Food Swaps
It may be difficult for some to start their healthy eating journey all-at-once as the drastic change may be too overwhelming. Small, incremental changes will make it much easier to adopt healthier eating habits. Here are some substitutions that can have a big nutritional impact without sacrificing flavor and satisfaction.
Fried food → Baked foods
Fried foods generally have more calories and are less healthier compared to baked foods. Fried foods are cooked in mostly seed oils which introduce way too much Omega-6 fats to our system, thereby promoting inflammation. These seed oils (canola, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, soybean, sunflower, safflower, rice bran, peanut) need to be avoided. However, baked and air-fried foods require minimal added fats, use lower temperatures which help preserve nutrients in food, and don’t create any additional trans fat (oil turns to trans fat when heated to very high temperatures for frying). Some swaps include:
Fried chips → baked chips
Fried chicken → Air-fryer fried chicken
Fried fish → baked fish
Rice and noodles → Veggie rice and noodles
Swapping traditional rice and noodles with vegetable alternatives can aid in healthier eating in a variety of ways. Vegetable rice and noodles have lower calories and lower carbs but contain more nutrients, as vegetables are packed in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They also have a higher fiber content, aiding in digestion and regulating blood sugar levels.
Alternatives to try include: cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, broccoli rice, edamame noodles, and shirataki rice.
Snacks → Healthier alternatives
Instead of snacking on candy and chips, consider healthier substitutes that can deliver the same flavor and taste punch with more nutrient density than your standard bag of potato chips. Next time you need a snack, how about reaching for one of these:
Fresh fruit, nuts, popcorn, protein bar, turkey jerky, baked kale chips, chunk of cheese.
3. Meal Prepping
Meal prepping allows you to stay on track with your healthy eating habits by making it easier to stick to your nutrition plan.
- Controlled portions
Meal prepping allows you to portion your meals properly so you are not over-eating. - Consistency
Meal prepping allows you to maintain a consistent eating schedule. There’s no rush to prepare meals as most of the work has been done in advance. And no excuse to say ‘I’m too tired to cook – I’ll just order takeout’. - Healthy choices
Planning, prepping and portioning your meals ahead of time is an effective way to keep your food budget and your diet plan in check as it will be filled with healthier choices.
Here are many various budget friendly meal prepping meals for you to enjoy!
4. Mindful Eating
Mindful eating is the practice where you pay full attention to the food that you are eating and drinking. You become more aware of the portion you eat, the taste, etc. Oftentimes, people will only stop eating when they’re stuffed, not satisfied. Listening to and being aware of your body can result in better eating habits.
Here’s how to do mindful eating in five easy steps:
- Turn off your TV and put away your cellphone so you can focus on the food in front of you
- Enjoy the taste, smell and sensation of eating
- Chew your food well before swallowing
- This slower pace of eating will give your body a chance to feel full and signal that it’s had enough
- Finally, put away the food so your brain knows that you’re done
5. Drinking More Water
This goes hand-in-hand with mindful eating. People often mistake thirst for hunger. When you think you are hungry, your mind could be tricking you. So next time you have hunger pangs, grab a glass of water (try adding a twist of lemon or slice of cucumber for additional flavor). Wait 15 minutes and see if your hunger dissipates. If you still find that you are hungry, then it is a good sign for you to eat. However, if you realize that your hunger pangs are gone, then it is your body telling you that you need to stay hydrated. Staying hydrated throughout the day can also reduce your appetite so you won’t be thinking about raiding the snack cupboard!
Remember, small changes can eventually add up to big results!
