As I'm beginning this journey of a healthier diet, I found some things that are making it easier for me and are helping me on daily basis. I'm sharing them in hopes you will find something that will inspire you to make a little change or give you an idea on how you can incorporate them in your life.
1. Your reason Why?
This one is the base and core of every change - knowing the exact reasons why you're doing it. So the most important thing is that you're doing it for yourself, not for you parents, friend, partner or anyone else. I wrote about the main two reasons why I decided to go vegan in my yesterday's post, you can read it HERE.
2. Take it easy, day by day
I'm that type of person who gets into something new 110% and I find that my desire and passion about it goes away as soon as it came. This time I'm really trying to take it step by step, one day at a time. I would say that you should focus on the journey not the destination. Even if you make just one better choice each day, like choosing a glass of water instead of glass of soda or going for a 10 minute walk around your neighborhood, it can be very motivating for you and keep you on the right track. Changing your entire lifestyle overnight can be extremely overwhelming.
3. Replacing instead of cutting out
Replace "I can't eat this..." and "I can't eat that..." with "I can replace this (insert unhealthy food/drink) with (insert healthy food/drink). I was quite overwhelmed when a doctor told me to eat fruits and veggies, drink water and herbal tea and then her list of all the no-no's started: no fried food, no spicy food, no sugar, no alcohol, no coffee... It almost made me panic, haha! Now that I switched my mindset and I keep my focus on all the amazing food I can have, it makes things so much easier!
4. Make a list
On paper or digitally, make a list of all the healthy foods and drinks you can think of (I used a little bit of help from the Internet). When I finished, I was quite impressed by all the options! Then I made a separate list of all the things that are in season now and that I can easily find in stores nearby. This also makes grocery shopping much easier.
5. Prepare
Stock up on some basics using the "replace method". Himalayan pink salt instead of table salt, extra virgin olive oil instead of vegetable oil, whole wheat bread instead of white bread, natural sweeteners instead of white sugar... Of course, this doesn't mean you should go and throw away everything you have in your kitchen but next time you run out of something, get it in a healthier option. I also got some dried herbs and spices and let me tell you - they make such a big difference. You can also buy foods in bulk, such as oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat pasta or anything else that can last a little bit longer and you use frequently.
6. Find easy recipes or make up your own
This is where Internet also comes in handy, there's so many recipes online, it's makes me feel like options are endless. A lot of times I don't copy the recipe completely, it is more often that I get the idea and then make it my own. Since I'm not that great at cooking, I always go for recipes that are super simple and don't take too much time. If you're just starting with making food, I would suggest to find and try out few different recipes for every meal, if you like them, keep making them until you master them. Then move on to adding a few more.
7. Don't be too harsh on yourself
Not every day is going to be amazing. Not every day is going to be easy. Mistakes are going to be made and some bad decisions are going to be taken. But the most important thing is to move on from them as soon as possible.
If you have any other tips, share them in the comments or let me know which one you found the most helpful.