When you want to lose weight, learning how to eat healthy is an important part of the process. Of course, it’s possible to lose weight without learning how to eat healthy, but the weight probably won’t stay off if you go that route. When you devote the time and effort to create a healthy eating lifestyle, not only do you lose weight, you create better health and new habits that will benefit you for the rest of your life.
Rather than viewing healthy eating as a means to an end (weight loss) start seeing it as a worthwhile practice all its own.
Here’s how:
– Focus on the Immediate Benefits
Learning how to eat healthy means recognizing that there are immediate benefits to the process. Before you consume any food or beverage, ask yourself, “What will I gain from eating or drinking this? What will it do for me right now?”
Possible answers you might come up with include: It will taste good; my hunger will be satisfied; it contains a lot of important vitamins and nutrients; I love the smell of this food; I love the texture of this food; my senses are being awakened.
– Focus on the Future Benefits
Learning how to eat healthy also carries plenty of future benefits, and it’s important to recognize those too. Ask yourself, “If I eat this food now, how will it benefit me later?”
Possible answers: I’ll have more energy; I’ll be healthier; I’ll be able to think more clearly; my skin will look and feel healthier; my hair and nails will be stronger; my bones will be stronger and less brittle.
– Tune in to the Experience
As you get used to eating better quality foods, really make an effort to tune into the experience fully. Don’t gobble your food down just to quiet hunger pangs; really pay attention to how the food tastes, how it feels as your body begins digesting it; and savor every bite. Smell it, feel it, taste it, enjoy it! Eating can be such a sensual experience if you just allow yourself to be present rather than eating mindlessly.
– Take it Slow
As you adjust to learning how to eat healthy, make sure to take it slow. You don’t have to overhaul your entire diet in one day. Add one or two new healthy foods to your diet each week. Try out a few new healthy recipes here and there. Take your time and find ways to make the transition FUN.
Learning how to eat healthy can be one of the most rewarding and enjoyable challenges you’ll ever attempt, if you simply make up your mind that it’s going to be a good thing instead of unpleasant in any way.
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