A healthy, balanced diet is an essential part of preserving good health. However, a lot of men find it challenging to eat healthy despite their desire to do so.
One of the reasons why men fail to eat healthy is that they try to do everything all at once. While it makes sense to go full blast once one has decided to start eating healthy, taking things slowly is often the best approach. There’s a bigger chance that this slow but steady approach would turn healthy eating into a habit instead of something that one is required to do. For example, slowly substituting salty chips with fresh, crunchy vegetable sticks will let the person get used to the change until it becomes second nature.
While eating healthy might be scary and difficult for some, here are some easy ways that will help you eat healthy:
Trade red meats for leaner ones
Protein is a very important part of a man’s diet, especially if he’s also into developing muscle mass. It’s easy to get all the protein one requires, especially since most men are all about red meat off the bones, but there are other, healthier options out there. Chicken, turkey and fish are great substitutes for red meat. You get the nutrition you need without giving up any of the delicious taste.
Pile on the Grains
Choose whole grain bread for your sandwiches instead of your usual white bread. This small and simple change will add more nutrition in your diet. You won’t even notice the change taste wise.
Less sugary drinks, more water
One of the biggest weight gain offenders is soda and other sugary drinks. They are delicious and all, but most of the time we unconsciously take a swig of soda or coffee as we go about our day. And those sips all end up on our waistline. Drinking less soda and more water is another easy step to eating healthy. Instead of having cans of soda around, try buying large bottles of water and place them somewhere close to you as you go about your day. Placing it within reach means you’ll be opting to drink more water than soda.
While we’re on the topic, if you really want to drink less soda, use tall, slender glasses rather than short ones. Our brain has the tendency to magnify vertical lines so tall glasses look bigger than short, round glasses. Using a tall glass tricks your mind into thinking you’re drinking more when in reality, you’re actually drinking 20% less.
Eat breakfast
A lot of people skip breakfast in the misguided notion that this will help them lose weight. But research shows that eating breakfast actually helps control weight. A healthy breakfast is an integral part of a healthy diet and will give you the vitamins and minerals you need. Go for a whole grain, low sugar cereal with some fruit slices for a delicious and nutritious start to your day.
Put healthy foods somewhere you can easily see
Place a bowl of fruits or nuts near the door or anywhere that you pass by before going out. This would increase the odds that you’ll grab something healthy to eat even when you’re rushing out in a hurry.
You should also wrap healthy foods in plastic and unhealthy foods in tin foil. This is where the adage “out of sight, out of mind” comes in. You decide what you eat based on what you see. Hiding unhealthy foods will make you less likely to think about and eat them.
Making small changes will boost the odds that you will be eating healthily. It won’t overwhelm you and will make it easier to improve your health and well-being.
