How to get started on eating a healthy and nourishing diet

Nutrition

14 Aug

Just a little note - this post may include affiliate links to my favourite products. this means if you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

We all know we need to eat ‘healthier’ and we all have our own ‘why’ we want to eat healthier but the part we struggle with the most is the ‘how’

You may ask - How do I get started on eating healthier? Do I go cold turkey and cut out any unhealthy foods in my diet? Or do I ease into it slowly with less pressure? Then you may try a certain way of eating such as keto, gluten-free diet or anti-inflammatory diet because you have heard of the benefits and know that that style of eating would be suited for you, but give up because that style of eating is not sustainable for you when you make quick changes.

When I was studying at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, I was taught the concept of ‘crowding out’ the idea is to bring more nourishing, wholesome foods into your diet, and then naturally the not-so-good food options will get forgotten about and you will stay away from those. Once your body starts thriving, your tastebuds will change, your gut microbiome will shift and you will actually be able to listen to your body telling you what it likes and dislikes resulting in balanced hormones, increased immunity and overall - a healthier you.

Here are my 3 top tips for getting started on eating a nourishing diet

1. Increase your water intake - most of the time you will reach for a can of soft drink because you are thirsty. Drink 8 glasses of water a day and you will find you won’t feel like the fizzy drinks - because A) you won't be thirsty and B) you will be forever running to the toilet!

2. Double your serving of veggies with dinner. Did you know that only 5% of the population are actually eating the required amount of vegetables per day that we need in order to get enough nutrients into our body in order to thrive? Vegetables and fruits are full of vitamins, minerals and fibre which is super important for our gut microbiome.

3. Eat breakfast - Skipping breakfast is a big no-no. Food is what fuels our body and brain. Without eating we cannot function and go about our day. Also, if you skip breakfast, your body will want to make up for it later in the day which is where you find you will be snacking mid-afternoon or worse - after dinner. Find my favourite breakfast recipe here

I would love to hear what your ‘why’ is. Why are you wanting to eat a healthy, more nourishing diet?