How to Eat Healthier in 5 Easy Steps

We are not at our best when we are perched at the summit; we are at our best climbing – even when the way is steep.

Our journey of life has a natural rhythm that is repeated each year. This rhythm includes periods when we transition between one season and the next. These transitions are ideal times to pause & reflect on our goals and our past successes & challenges; and to make plans for how to eat healthier in the next season.

The transition between the end of summer and the beginning of fall is often called “Back to Routine” because it marks the shift from less structured summer months and summer vacations to a time of more structured daily routines.

Back to Routine also coincides with harvest time, when the natural foods that support a healthy, anti-inflammatory lifestyle are abundantly available, affordable and at peak taste & freshness. It’s the perfect time to think about how to eat healthier and incorporate small changes into our daily routines that help us live each moment more fully.

 How to Eat Healthier in 5 Easy Steps:

1. Write down your goals and your motivations. Why do you want to eat healthier? The science of behavior change suggests that the strongest drivers of lasting habits are tied to positive emotions (e.g. I want to eat healthier so I’ll have more energy to spend quality time with my family vs. I want to eat healthier because I am a bad person if I don’t).  Each day, think about what is motivating you, especially when you are tempted to make an unhealthy choice.
2. Evaluate your successes & setbacks. Keep track of what you eat for 3 full days. Write it all down – meals, snacks, drinks. Then go back and evaluate what is and isn’t working for you. If you are following the Gene Smart anti-inflammatory diet plan, how well does what you are eating align with the plan’s guidelines for eating natural anti-inflammatory foods?
3. Rethink what you stock in your pantry.  Take note of the unhealthy foods that will tempt you and get rid of them.  It’s easier to resist unhealthy temptations if they never enter your house. That way they can’t call your name late at night or at a moment of weakness when you are feeling stressed, bored or restless. Use the handy foods lists found in our free Healthy Eating Guide to stock your pantry and refrigerator with healthy foods. Plan your meals and shop on a specific day so that you’ll have plenty of healthy fresh food on hand.
4. Take advantage of harvest season. Find new ways to incorporate foods into your dishes that are naturally high in fiber and polyphenols. It can be as simple as adding fresh raspberries to your morning cereal, or adding black beans as a dinner side dish.
5. Marshal your resources. Our genes and our 21^st century lifestyles are working against us. For most, will-power is simply not enough. Enlist the support of friends and family members to hold you accountable and keep you on track. For more support & inspiration, join our Anti-Inflammatory Living community on Facebook.