Eating whole, fresh foods is the foundation of any healthy diet, but it’s sometimes not easy to do. But you can achieve your goal by gradually adding new foods and new habits to your daily routine. It takes some preparation, but soon eating whole foods will become second nature to you.
Cook Your Own Food
Many busy people these days rely on fast food and convenience foods to get them through the week. Those are fine once in a while, but if you want more fresh foods in your diet, you need to cook your own food. It’s not as difficult or as time-consuming as you might think.
If you keep the right ingredients on hand, you can cook many recipes quickly and easily. You can put just about any vegetable or protein in a stir-fry or mix them with rice or quinoa for a filling and nourishing meal. Freeze prepared meals so you don’t have to rely on processed foods.
Become Vegan
Vegan diets are naturally dependent on whole foods. A plant-based diet makes use of fresh vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and fruits. If you’re not ready to go fully vegan, you can limit meat and think of it as a garnish. After learning to prepare tasty dishes from plants, you can gradually ease out eating meat altogether.
While many vegans appreciate the natural taste of whole foods, you may prefer to add flavor with seasonings. Garlic and onion can always liven up a dish. You can grow fresh herbs in your kitchen or keep dried herbs handy in your pantry.
Prepare Fresh Snacks
One of the biggest reasons people eat so many processed foods is because they’re in a hurry. You can get around that obstacle by preparing fresh snacks in advance. Once a week, chop up raw vegetables and keep them in a container of water in your fridge.
Keep fresh fruit in a bowl for quick munching. Nuts, seeds, and granola are also convenient snacks. You can add them to cereal, yogurt, salad, and soups, or just eat them straight from the container.
If you make small changes over time, you can develop a lifestyle that’s centered on a diet of healthy, whole foods. Look at the process as an adventure of exploration and discovery. Soon, you’ll think nothing of reaching for an apple or carrot sticks instead of a bag of chips.
Check out this article on how a poor diet hurts your health!
