3 Tips for Preparing Healthy Meals
One of the best ways to eat healthy and stay on track with efforts to lose weight and get healthy is to prepare food at home. Whether you want to make all your meals at home, pack lunches to take to work or just prep a few meals per week, the following tips from our nutrition mindset coach will help you prepare your meals in the healthiest way possible.
1. Season Creatively
Too many times, we reach for the salt when we could add zest to our meals with spices and seasonings that provide health benefits. Research shows that Americans consume much more than the maximum FDA-recommended amount for sodium, which is 2,300 milligrams per day. Too much sodium causes bloating and wide-ranging health issues. Why not swap out the salt for some healthy spices and seasonings? Many herbs and spices boost the metabolism and yield antioxidant benefits, such as ginger, garlic, oregano, basic, rosemary, cumin, cayenne pepper, red pepper, sage, turmeric, cinnamon, and parsley, among many others. When you absolutely must use salt, opt for the pink Himalayan version, which has a rich mineral content, including iron, calcium and potassium, that actually helps your body detoxify. Himalayan salt contains less sodium than processed table salt, lowers blood pressure and helps balance the body’s pH levels.
2. Add Volume With Greens
An easy way to fill up both your plate and stomach is by adding lots of leafy green vegetables into the mix. Leafy greens boast beneficial dietary fiber that curbs hunger pangs coupled with rich micronutrients that boost your health. Add them into your dietary mix in a salad or as sides, throw them into omelets, soups and casseroles, or mix them into your morning smoothie. Some excellent choices include kale, spinach, broccoli, arugula, Brussels sprouts, Swiss chard and collard greens.
3. Prepare Meals in Advance
One of the best ways to stay on track with diets and weight loss goals is to plan and prepare clean meals in advance. If you spend a couple hours on the weekend shopping and doing meal prep, you won’t have to squeeze time in during your busy workday or be tempted to eat out. If you make this a weekly habit, you’ll be much more likely to stick to your healthy lifestyle and weight loss goals.
These tips will help you stay on track with your goals to eat healthier and lose weight in 2023. For more ways to boost your overall health, consider a session with a nutrition mindset coach who can help you transform your body and improve wellness.
