Looking for foolproof hacks to eat healthy so you don’t have to muster up heroic willpower? You’re in the right place.
Eating healthy does not have to be hard. Set yourself up for success with these two powerful strategies: Better systems and an optimized environment.
Pack It On
Imagine that you’re aiming to pack on 10 lbs of muscle mass. That’s the goal. Lofty goals are all well and good. But you need systems to get you there.
Nobody manifests stronger muscles from the couch.
To gain muscle mass, here are the systems that will take you to the goal:
Lift weights 4 days per week. Write down your workout before you arrive at the gym. Incorporate squat, bench press, or deadlift into each training session.
Track your sets and reps. Hire a strength coach. Eat 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Eat a 300 calorie surplus each day. And use the free Myfitnesspal app to track your nutrition.
No Wrong Turns
Now imagine you are taking a road trip to the Grand Canyon. It’s a magnificent destination (goal). You need to figure out how to get there (system).
If you’re my parents’ generation, you plug the coordinates into a Tom-Tom (last updated in 2010) and hope new roads weren’t added in the last decade.
Or if you’re really old school, print out Mapquest or unfold the paper map 11 times to see every road in the United States.
Or choose the simplest option and tell your phone, “navigate to the Grand Canyon.” Regardless of your preferred navigation method (no judgment), it’s a system that takes you to the goal.
Now let’s apply the systems approach – the first of the hacks to eat healthy – to nutrition.
Hack 1: Nutrition Systems
It’s almost impossible to make smart food choices when you’re stressed, hungry and tired. That’s why a giant cinnamon roll is the official meal of airline travel.
Several factors predispose us to poor food choices when we feel stressed, hungry and tired. These include altered appetite regulation, increased stress hormones and impaired impulse control.
Read more in this article: Sleep for Weight Loss: The Emerging Connection
Instead of leaning on your willpower, build systems to promote better eating habits. Here are 3 examples:
1. Meal Plan
Outline your meals for the week. Meal planning makes it harder to veer off course at the first sight of a Dairy Queen.
2. Meal Prep
Prepare meals beforehand. Every Sunday, I prep my lunches for the workweek. I load up 5 Tupperware containers with a delicious combo of rice, ground turkey and salsa.
3. Bring Snacks
Healthy options like fruit, yogurt, nuts and protein bars will tamp down unexpected cravings and limit junk food binges. My favorite on-the-go snack is the delicious Gatorade Whey Protein Bar.
Hack 2: Optimize Your Environment
I have a confession: I ate a lot of chocolate chips this week.
Because they were sitting out on the counter. In broad daylight. Just asking to be eaten.
Environment influences behavior. Optimizing your environment lets you sit with less pain. And make better food choices.
A 2017 study found that a simple environment change – putting a sign by the water in the cafeteria – promoted water consumption and cuts down on soda intake.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Hide Your (Sour Patch) Kids
Keeping the chocolate chips in plain view was my biggest mistake. Slide the junk food to the back of the pantry/fridge/freezer where you’re more likely to forget about it – right next to the unopened bag of spinach.
2. Fill The Fruit Bowl
Leave fruit, water bottles and other healthy snacks around the kitchen to promote better eating habits. Trap your thirst and hunger before it traps you!
3. Buy Healthy Groceries
I eat sweets whenever they are in my pantry. Or fridge. Or freezer. Eating too many chips? Don’t buy them at the store.
Pro Tip: Write a grocery list and stick to it. Grocery stores are designed to sell you more food than you planned to buy. That’s why the essentials – milk, bread and eggs – are in the back of the store.
Meal plan, write a grocery list and go shopping when you feel full. Smart food decisions are easy when you’re stuffed.
The Verdict
There you have it, the top two hacks to eat healthy. First, create systems to promote healthy eating. Second, optimize your nutritional environment.
For more science-based healthy eating tips, check out the Nutrition section on this site.
Interested in learning more about building healthy habits? I highly recommend Atomic Habits, the best-selling book from James Clear.
Readers: Do you use systems or environmental design for better nutrition? Are there other hacks to eat healthy that you recommend? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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