8 Healthy Food Habits For A Beautiful Lifestyle

Food habits are at the forefront of a person’s life. A healthy lifestyle can be directly accessed by nurturing good eating habits. 

In this post, I bring to you 11 food habits that you can adopt for a beautiful lifestyle.

Food habits refer to the manner in which a person takes their food, along with how and when they do it. It also includes the quantity and quality of their everyday diet.

In the age we live in, restaurants are growing at a fast pace, and the stock of fast food available around is growing equally strong.

Food brands are launching a variety of luring items, and humans are simply loving the spurt of food options around them. As they very well should.

Food is an important part of our lives, and it’s not realistic to expect someone to be on a clean and healthy diet all the time. That would be boring, and quite unfair to the part of us that loves sweet and sour things.

But I always say that you can vastly improve your eating life by focusing on your habits.

Golden Benefits Of Healthy Food Habits

Here’s what life for a person with healthy food habits looks like:

• Positive energy from the inside
• A happy and healthy gut
• Glowing skin
• A healthy relationship with food
• Inner-strength and confidence
• Energy to workout

I listed all these qualities because I feel them every day when I eat well. And I really want to spread the message and importance of building these habits to as many of my readers as I can.

Working on these habits is worth your time. Because good food habits make sure you don’t spiral into a binge-eat, or make unhealthy eating choices when your stomach isn’t asking for it.

At the same time, you get to enjoy the food you love whenever you want to, and then kindly revert back to healthy habits, and actually feel good about it.

This is what you call having a healthy relationship with food. And nurturing your eating habits can have a massive impact on how you treat your food, both literally and emotionally.

This post is all about healthy food habits you can nurture for a fantastic lifestyle. (Don’t miss my number 4 tip. It’s the one habit you absolutely need.)

Time to dive in.

8 Healthy Food Habits For A Beautiful Lifestyle

1. Mindful Eating

Mindful eating is exactly what it sounds like – eating mindfully.

This means you engage your senses while you eat, and engage with food as if you’d with a friend. You enjoy your eating time, pay extra attention to what you eat, and how much you eat.

Through mindful eating, every bite of every food becomes savor-worthy. Whether it’s an apple or your favorite cupcake, you appreciate the act of eating. Food gratitude becomes an inherent part of your eating process.

You also become attentive to your actions while buying food, preparing it, serving it, and eating it.

It’s a process that binds your mind, and body into one, nudging you toward a healthier relationship with food. You advertently tune in to your stomach’s needs.

Benefits Of Mindful Eating

There are a ton of emotional and health benefits to mindful eating. Off the top of my head, these are the ones I love:

• No over-eating
• Curbed emotional eating
• Awareness of hunger
• Knowing when you’re full
• Good digestion
• Food satisfaction
• Healthier food choices
• Reduced chances of binge-eating

Tips To Practice Mindful Eating

I’ve written a separate post on this, which I highly recommend you to read. But for a quick glance, here are the top tips to practice mindful eating:

• Pay attention to your emotions while you eat
• Avoid eating when bored
• Use your dining table
• Avoid using media during meals
• Tune in to your body’s needs
• Meditate for 5-minutes before every meal
• Keep a food journal
• Quit all of your bad eating habits
• Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day
• Practice self-care
• Learn about your food
• Think before going for a second serving
• Be kind to your mind, body, and soul

Highly recommended post: 13 Unique Ways To Practice Mindful Eating

2. Proper Chewing

For proper digestion, you have to, and you must chew your food properly. The more you chew, the easier it becomes for your digestive system to process food.

But many of us, often don’t pay enough attention to our eating speed. And this leads to problems that we don’t even realize are being caused because of improper chewing.

Health Problems Caused By Improper Chewing

Here are the many health issues you can suffer due to improper chewing:

• Bloating
• Nausea
• Heartburn
• Mindless eating
• Weight gain
• Slower metabolism
• Laziness
• Belly fat
• Overeating

Here’s a simple fact for you – Your stomach isn’t wired to deal with unchewed food. It depends on you to feed it good stuff in its most processed form that you are capable of producing.

You have been given teeth for a reason. And no, it isn’t to simply move your mouth twice and thrice before swallowing food.

You need to slow down your eating process, and you need to start doing it today.

Helpful Tips To Slow Down Your Eating

Take a screenshot of these tips, and practice them regularly:

• Eat with a friend/family member
• Master the art of mindful eating
• Don’t be hungry for too long
• Avoid eating in front of screens (mobile, laptop, TV, etc)
• Eat more meals throughout the day, in smaller proportions
• Consider using a timer while eating
• Put your fork down while you chew
• Pause between eating
• And, at last, savor every bite of your food

Recommended post: 5 Best Drinks To Reduce Bloating And Feel Good

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3. Have Fruits Everyday

Fruits shouldn’t be neglected, because they are full of natural goodness. They contain vitamins, minerals, and fibers. They also have antioxidants, which we absolutely need for a disease-free body.

Fruits are naturally sweet, so they make up for healthy replacements for sugar-filled snacks. They are low in calories and fats, so can help people lose/maintain weight.

If you’ve been looking to get healthier, now is the time to ditch packed desserts for fruits at the supermarket.

5 Fruits You Can Include In Your Everyday Diet

Some options for you to pick from, and stock your refrigerator with:

1. Apples

Calories in 1 medium apple: 95

The fruit that’s known to keep the doctor away, deserves to be at the top of the list.

Apples are high in fiber, and foods that are high in fiber aid digestion. They are sources of vitamin C, which is essential for the growth of tissues.

2. Bananas

Calories in 1 medium banana: 105

Bananas are rich in potassium and fiber. Eating a banana in-between meals can keep you full, and hence control your appetite. Bananas can also be eaten before workouts and can boost your exercise performance.

3. Oranges

Calories in 1 small orange: 45

These are excellent sources of vitamin C, so they are amazing at keeping your immune system in check. You can also go for freshly squeezed orange juice every day (though it might lack the fiber that eating a whole fruit can provide you with.)

4. Strawberry

Calories in 1 large strawberry: 8

These delicious berries are loved by many. They are super-juicy, and look insanely beautiful and shiny (which isn’t a bad deal at all for the aesthetic lovers out there.)

Full of antioxidants, vitamins, and fibers, they can be healthy additions to your everyday meal.

5. Watermelon

Calories in 1 cup diced watermelon: 46

Watermelon is a sweet summer fruit, which is rich in an amino acid called citrulline. More than 90 percent of watermelon consists of water, which makes it amazing for hydration.

It also improves your heart health, and skin condition, and is a good way to fill yourself up when you’re hungry.

Tips To Add Fruits To Your Diet

Some helpful ways to consume fruits throughout the day:

• Have a bowl of fruits for breakfast
• Make fruit salads
• Buy unique fruits like kiwi, pineapple, berries, and litchi
• Take fruits to work with you, and munch during the day (apples, bananas, and grapes)
• Learn some fruity dessert recipes
• Prepare smoothies
• Freshly squeezed juice is also great 🙂

4. Drink Plenty Of Water

When anyone asks me for health-related tips, the first thing I ask them is – How much water do you drink?

Whatever their response is, I tell them to up their game because it’s usually not the right amount.

Please, start drinking enough water, is the first piece of advice I give them. Because drinking enough plenty of water is the first step anyone can take toward health consciousness.

Water is the basic source of life for humans. You simply cannot survive without it.

Some people make the mistake of assuming this to mean, that water should be drunk only when you’re thirsty. If you’re not thirsty, you probably don’t need water…?

But that’s not right at all. You need water, and you need it a lot.

Thirst is a symptom of being declined of water for too long. It’s an alarm system your body fires off to warn you of dehydration. Truth is that you shouldn’t let yourself even get to this point.

This means that throughout the day, you need to be taking regular sips of water. It’s the best way to stay hydrated.

The minimum recommended amount of water per day is 8 glasses.

With time, you can make a habit out of consuming a sufficient amount of water, and stick with it for life. If you feed yourself the right amount of H2O, your body will reward you in many beautiful ways.

Benefits Of Drinking Plenty Of Water

Here are the top benefits you can reap once you start drinking enough water.

• Glowing skin
• Better digestion
• Maintenance of body temperature
• Prevents the accumulation of toxic substances in the body
• Weight maintenance
• Increased energy
• Less stress
• Positive vibes, because that’s water for you 😀

Tips To Increase Your Water Intake

Here are proven ways to increase the amount of water you drink every day.

• Start your day with a glass of warm water
• Carry a water bottle with you everywhere
• Sip water regularly
• Add fruit to your water to make it interesting (cucumber, strawberry, lemon)
• Drink one glass of water 40 minutes prior to every meal
• Get your hydration in the form of juicy fruits and vegetables
• My favorite, use a water tracking app

5. A Protein-Rich Breakfast

Eating a good breakfast is the key to a good life. Your first meal of the day should be special because it sets the tone for the rest of your day.

Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper. – Adele Davice

When it comes to choosing your breakfast, anything that’s full of protein is your best bet in favor of good health.

Protein is a health-packed nutrient. It repairs your body tissues and creates new ones. It builds your bones, muscles, and skin. Even your nails consist mostly of protein.

It also reduces your appetite by keeping you full for a longer time.

Benefits Of A Protein-Filled Breakfast

You need to whip up a protein-rich breakfast, every day for the rest of your life, for several reasons:

• The healthiest way to start your day
• Keeps your full all day long
• Reduces chances of over-eating your next meal
• Aids weight loss
• Light on the stomach, yet satisfying
• Maintenance of muscles
• Healthier heart

Some good sources of protein: Meat, eggs, fish, milk, cheese, yogurt, beans, and soy.

6. One Cup Of Green Tea Everyday

Green tea is hands down, the best drink for fitness enthusiasts. It is considered golden, and all for good reasons.

Green tea has catechin, which is an antioxidant. It also has caffeine in it (in a very healthy amount, which means it’s a good replacement for coffee.) So, it can help you stay alert.

Catechin and caffeine, combined together, help the body break down excess fat.

Because of the presence of antioxidants, green tea is also a perfect go-to drink for coughs and colds.

It is jam-packed with health benefits that can change your life. This is not an exaggeration, because as I ventured into my wellness journey, one cup of green tea per day, was the first habit I built.

And the benefits have truly been very rewarding.

Amazing Benefits Of Green Tea You Should Know

I am not kidding when I say it is a golden tea. These benefits speak for themselves.

• Keeps you hydrated
• Aids in weight loss
• Soothing for the mind
• Increased your focus level
• Boosts your immune system
• A perfect detox drink
• Improves your skin
• Most importantly, a good replacement for other drinks

Click here to read about the benefits of green tea, different ways to prepare it, when to take it, and when to avoid it.

7. Fill Your Plate With Vegetables

Many people don’t pay enough attention to their vegetables. Understandably because there are a ton of food options around us.

But for a glowing life, adding vegetables to your diet is a must. There is simply no substitute for this food habit.

Vegetables are low in calories, but give high benefits that other food groups often lack. They are loaded with nutrition and jam-packed with benefits that you ought to know about.

Health Benefits Of Vegetables

Here’s why you can’t miss out on veggies:

• Extremely nutritious (potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber, etc.)
• Good for the heart
• Clear skin
• Healthy digestive system
• Sharp eyesight
• Good blood pressure
• Lower risk of cancer
• Higher immunity

Tips To Add Veggies To Your Diet

Make use of these tips to increase your vegetable intake:

• Stock your refrigerator with a variety of vegetables
• Make veg wraps
• Add veggies to your protein-rich breakfast (like a vegetable omelet)
• Take in the form of smoothies
• Go for veg soups
• Eat as snacks (cucumbers, carrots, sweet potatoes)
• Whip up veg salads with your meals
• Sip on fresh vegetable juice

Some vegetables you can add to your meals are spinach, carrots, broccoli, sprouts, mushrooms, asparagus, and garlic.

While buying vegetables at the market, don’t miss out on leafy and green vegetables. Because they’re the ones with the maximum benefits.

8. One Detox Day Per Week

Detoxing might often be associated with weight loss, but it’s something that’s fit for everyone.

It is a process of elimination of toxins from your body.

On a typical detox day, you eat healthy food and focus on replenishing your body through liquids.

You could even go for longer detox periods (2 days or more), but detoxing once per week is a good start, and also something you can keep going for the rest of your life.

Benefits Of A Detox Day

Here’s why you need to detox at least once a week:

• The perfect way to refresh your diet
• Increased vitality
• Flushing out toxins
• Rejuvenation of the mind, body, and soul
• Weight loss, weight maintenance
• Increase in energy
• Better skin health
• Sharper focus
• Much-needed rest for your gut

How To Have An Ideal Detox Day

Some tips for a healthy detox day for you:

• Wake up after a good sleep (8-9 hours)
• Have a glass of warm lemon water (honey can also be added)
• Avoids carbs for breakfast, go for proteins (scrambled eggs would be nice)
• Load your plate with vegetables, fruits, proteins, and whole foods for the remaining meals
• Water, water, and water
• Drink healthy liquids (green tea, 100% fruit or vegetable juice, coconut water)
• Exercise for 30 minutes (light yoga is good!)
• End your day with a kind letter to yourself (because self-love is everything)

The ideal time to detox would be on a weekend, when you can give yourself all the attention you deserve, without any interruptions from the outer world.

Now, wrapping things up…

Food Habits Cannot Be Ignored

They are the building blocks of your lifestyle and will take you a long way to having a happy and healthy life.

In this post, we talked about 8 habits that are worth working on.

Eat mindfully, chew your food properly, eat fruits every day, drink plenty of water, have a protein-rich breakfast, sip one cup of green tea daily, load your plate with veggies, and make sure to detox once a week.

I hope you’ll adopt a few of these, and see for yourself what the fuss is about.

Now I want to hear from you. Give me one food habit that you are proud to have. Anything big or small matters. I just look forward to getting inspired by you.

Just leave a comment, and I’ll make sure to reply with love. Questions and recommendations will be welcomed with equal enthusiasm. 🙂