It has become second nature for people to flip the back of the box around or ask someone how many calories something contains. It is good to be aware of how many calories you’re consuming, but it takes a negative turn when you become obsessive over tracking the calories you consume. This can take a major toll on your mental health and stop you from doing fun things because you’re worried about calories all the time. There is a way to eat healthy and be mindful without counting calories. Don’t let a couple numbers on a box stop you from living your best life!
Focus on Whole Foods
An easy way to make sure you’re fueling your body with nutrients is to focus on eating whole foods. Whole foods have not been processed, refined, or had other ingredients added to them. This means anything that has more ingredients than just the food itself is not a whole food. Some examples of whole foods are vegetables, fruit, meat, grains, fish, seeds, and eggs. This might feel like your food list has been abolished because how could one live without oreos or potato chips, but this doesn’t mean to stop eating processed foods if you like them. This just means to eat more whole foods than processed foods. For example, if you’re making pasta for lunch consider adding in some vegetables or making the sauce from your own ingredients instead of a premade mixture. There are small changes that you can make to eat healthy everyday. Eating healthy doesn’t revolve only around how many calories you’re eating, but about the ingredients in what you’re eating. Whole foods provide you nutrients, energy, and brain power. Having a well balanced diet is so important for your body to be able to process food properly. Focus on eating more whole foods everyday and your body will thank you!
Build Meals Around Protein
Another easy way to build a meal around whole foods is to build meals around protein. If you calculate how much protein in need in a day and track how much protein you actually eat in a day, you would be astonished. It’s really uncommon for people to reach their protein goals everyday without intentional effort. Protein is vital to our existence as humans, and without it our bodies cannot function properly. I have a blog post ready for you if you don’t know about the importance of protein or if you want to learn more! When you are putting together meals, the focus point should be around whatever protein you choose. If you’re making pasta, you should add in chicken or sausage or use chickpea pasta instead for added protein. Protein also helps you stay full for longer. If you eat a salad with no protein in it, there’s a reason why you’re hungry an hour later. Protein helps your body and brain process everything more efficiently, so when there’s a lack of protein, there’s usually a lack of energy and brain power. Eating enough protein is so important for your body to look and feel its best.
Eat Mindfully
The largest concern when people stop counting their calories is that they don’t know when they’re actually hungry or just bored. It takes a bit of practice to realize your real hunger cues, but once you can recognize them you will eat when your body actually needs food. Eating mindfully is a great way to take this step into the realm of not counting calories. It is the idea of being fully present when you are eating and recognizing your body’s cues before it’s too late. Have you ever been eating something that you enjoy and you just keep eating until you feel like your stomach could explode? I have definitely been there before and it’s because I wasn’t practicing mindful eating. When you feel a hunger cue, think to yourself – am I actually hungry or am I just craving something? If you decide that your body does need food, then take a moment to pick a healthy food option that will fuel your body for that day. When you’re eating the food you chose, try to stay off technology so you can recognize your body giving you cues. When you’re immersed in your phone, tablet, or TV, you’re distracted from the cues your body is trying to give you. Your body is full before your mind realizes it and alerts you. If you eat your food fast and without any thought, then you will probably feel really full once you’re done. If you eat slow and mindfully, then you will be able to stop eating once you’re satisfied. Choosing the type of food you eat is important, but having a mindful approach when eating food is just as important.
Enjoy Life
There are hundreds of other tips that I can give on how to eat healthy, but overall you should be enjoying what you’re eating. The point I want to get across is that eating healthy does not require you to count calories. People often count calories because they think that this will lead to a healthy life, but that’s not necessarily true. Someone can eat significantly less calories than someone else everyday, but the person who eats more calories could look and feel better than the person who eats less. This could be a result of the person eating whole foods instead of processed foods and giving their body the nutrients it needs. Living a healthy life is about having balance. You shouldn’t be missing out on fun activities because you are worried about going over your normal calorie intake. I know that this idea is daunting, but it is possible to live a healthy life without the need to count calories. If your friends or family are going out to dinner, go with them and treat yourself to something delicious! You can find balance in every aspect of life, but you have to work to get there.
Eating healthy without counting calories is simple when you break it down. Eat more whole foods that have not been processed, make sure you’re eating enough protein, eat mindfully, and enjoy a balanced life! This sounds easy, but can get a bit more difficult in real life situations. It takes time to get used to this kind of living, but with practice you will be able to live your healthiest life while still enjoying all the wonderful things it has to offer!
