3 top tips on Healthy eating without Dieting

Nowadays, it has become very clear that your health should be prioritized, so we have put together a few basic, but necessary tips that will help you make small changes in your path to eating more healthfully, without labelling it “‘dieting”

#1 Eat slowly

A Randomized control study published on “Slower eating speed lowers energy intake in normal-weight but not overweight/obese subjects” was done by Meena Shahn et al. The results were concluded, that the subjects who ate slower, whether obese or normal weight individuals stayed fuller for longer.

How could this be?

Well, taking your time with eating allows you not only to stay sustained for longer, because it breaks down all nutrients to a more absorbable form and allows all the fibre, vitamins and minerals to be absorbed at all parts of the digestive tract. It also allows you to enjoy a meal and reduces your need to snack, as proven by another study conducted by Katherine Hawton ^,*,Danielle Ferriday et al. The study concluded that the subjects whom ate slower, snacked less, were fuller for longer and had greater psychological satisfaction after meals.

#2 Balance out the energy you expend with the amount of food you eat

It just makes sense, that eating more and moving less throughout the day might leave you with some excess calories. Now this doesn’t mean that you have to start counting calories, just be mindful about the amount and types of foods you eat.

How do I do that?

Once again, no need to calorie count. You know your body, and if you are someone that struggles to shed the weight, then it’s about time you take some time to evaluate what you eat on a daily basis. Eating 3 main meals with 3 healthy snacks throughout the day will leave you satisfied throughout the whole day, and prevent a binge. We know this works, because you expend energy during the day, whether it be walking to work, or even using brain power.

What? Brain power uses energy? You ask. Well yes, the main fuel for your brain is glucose, and that means vegetables, fruits and some whole-grains are in order. This might be confusing to some people reading articles about low-carb diets, but we know that physiologically your brain and muscles require glucose to work properly. You’re welcome.

#3 Prepare your meals in advance

Preparing your meals for a few days in advance will save you a lot of time and effort throughout a busy week. Cut up your vegetables, and put them in an airtight container. Make some overnight oats (Recipes all over the internet, Pinterest and Instagram). Start making cooking fun. Unlike “Dieting”. healthful eating allows us to have fun with food, and gives us something to look forward to when preparing a meal. Many times, we tell ourselves, we can’t do something, for example, I can’t prepare food because I’m so busy. Read the first sentence of this section again. Take a day that you do have and dedicate it to making food for yourself. Take a few whole sweet potatoes, put them in foil with anything you want on them, and put them in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes, and there you have it folks, a meal and a snack!

These are only a few small tips that you can start your healthful eating plan with. Remember that it’s about the small changes and starting with consistency will be beneficial to you and your health.

NS Team