Developing Sound Nutrition Habits

A great article by Evolutionary Health on nutritional habits.

Developing sound Nutrition Habits: Setting Up a successful environment


5739659_orig

Image C/O CrossFit Everett

The past few weeks we have been   constructing a pyramid for developing healthy-nutritional habits. We began with the foundation of adopting the correct mindset, which I believe is the foundation of establishing any habitual behavior. After a strong mental foundation you need a baseline that establishes and maintains sound habits, because we all stray from the path time-to-time having a strong foundation to return to is key in developing long-term habits. I just returned from the Ancestral Health Symposium in Atlanta and while I was there the next piece to this puzzle slide into place. For the entire conference I was surrounded by like-minded people and food that fell within the Evolutionary-Health framework. It was without a doubt, the easiest experience I have had trying to eat healthy while traveling. Thus, our next piece in constructing the pyramid is setting up a successful environment.

The old adage “we are products of our environment” is especially true when we talk about nutritional habits. We can use epidemiological, anecdotal, and research evidence to show that the food environment you live in plays a strong role in predicting your nutritional habits. To avoid diving into the scientific literature, let’s think about your own experiences. How often do you consume something unhealthy because it is there? How often do you actively go pursue unhealthy foods? For example, if you are hungry and want something to eat, how likely are you to eat what is available versus going on a mission to get something specific? If you go to the fridge and there is a bowl full of prepared vegetables, left over roasted meat, or a piece of fruit would you choose that over deciding to bake a batch of cookies? What if the situation was reversed? There are cookies in the pantry but you know you should take the 30 minutes it takes to sauté up some meat and veggies, what would your choice be? I know from my experiences that I often tend to choose what is available first. In fact, I always make sure I have a meal or two worth of what I consider health food ready to go in my fridge in case I am too pressed for time to cook. Even though I have the best intentions, sometimes convenience overrides me knowing what I should be doing.

What does it take to set up a successful eating environment? It really is not as difficult as one would think, it simply requires planning ahead. Below is a specific list of tips and ways to set up a successful eating environment.

Preparing meals ahead of time if you have a busy schedule

  •  Pre-chop vegetables/meat/fruit in large quantities for use in recipes (i.e. omelets, stir-fry, roasting, quick sautés, etc.) or quick snacks. For  example, I usually chop up a large batch of veggies every Sunday evening so I can make omelets or quick stir-fry dishes in the morning or for dinner when I get home from a busy day.
  •  Prepare meals ahead of time if you have a busy schedule.
  •   Cook a large batch of food on Sunday and take the left overs for lunch for a few days.
  •  If you are someone who doesn’t like more than 1 day old food simply make a little extra each night at dinner  and just have 1 day-old left overs.
  •   Use a crock pot
  •  Throw a bunch of ingredients in the crock pot in the morning and have dinner ready when you get home.
  •  This is also where pre-chopped veggies are nice. Just throw pre-chopped veggies with a chunk of meat and some stock in the crock pot in the morning.

Remove the foods you want to avoid. 

  •  This seems simple but it is extremely effective. From my experience, if it isn’t there you won’t eat it and you won’t crave it because you never see  it.
  •  Toss out or donate food you know you don’t want to eat. Also, you can swap it with people you know.
  •  Purchase the foods you do want.

Eat at home more often

  •  This is possibly the biggest key. Eating at home removes many of the triggers that result in poor nutritional choices. The variety of a large menu, the smells and sight of food, and the overall environment promote poor choices and over consumption.
  • Plus, eating out is more expensive, so eating at home allows you to save a few dollars.

 6848035_orig

Setting up a successful environment requires you to be conscious and deliberate about your habits. It also requires you to adopt the correct mindset and enables you to develop a healthy baseline. While it definitely is not rocket science, it makes a huge difference in your nutritional habits. This fills in the third step in our pyramid.

 5393907_orig

This entry was posted in Health Tips. Bookmark the permalink.