Have you been keeping up with your clean eating New Years resolution? Today, February 25, is Let's All Eat Right Day! We're celebrating the birthday of Adelle Davis, a famous American nutritionist who published a series of books on simple, healthy eating and living. To honor her contributions, here are some super-simple and frugal ways to eat clean - without even thinking!
Click through for 8 easy ways to eat healthy!
1. Skip the sugar and cream.
Little changes can add up! Drinking your tea and coffee with cream and sugar adds about 50 calories per tablespoon. If you don't like the taste of plain coffee or tea, shop around for flavors you really enjoy! After a while, you'll get used to the taste of black coffee and tea anyway. Visit a nice coffee shop in your area to try some samples and see what you like!
2. Stay glued to your water bottle.
Keeping hydrated is an easy way to prevent yourself from careless snacking and overeating at meals! Once you build the habit of filling up your water bottle several times a day, you won't even have to think about reaching for a sip every few minutes. It'll also help you stay away from sugary beverages, which can wreck a good diet (and make your energy crash).
3. Fill up a tall glass to drink less.
If you do want to indulge in less healthy beverages (read: booze or soda) on occasion, stock up on tall, thin glasses. When you pour into a tall glass, you think you're getting more beverage than you really are, so you drink about 20 percent less from a tall cup than a short, fat one.
4. Grab a small plate to eat less.
Want to cut calories without counting calories? Just put away your large dinner plates and only use small dishes. You'll think your plate is fuller when you eat off a small plate, so you eat less. I also like to eat with small utensils to force myself to take smaller bites. I find it even helps me savor the food more!
5. Make smart swaps.
Instead of fretting over calorie counts, just be smart about your choices! Instead of white rice, pick brown or long-grain versions; instead of high-sugar desserts like cakes and cookies, grab a piece of fruit; instead of potatoes or grains, use cauliflower as a healthy starchy base for meals. If you want a snack, munch on some veggie sticks instead of chips. You can bake, roast, stir-fry, or steam most foods instead of frying. Pick healthier cooking and baking oils; for example, you can skip the butter and use coconut or olive oil. The possibilities are endless for healthy swaps!
6. Go meatless one day a week.
Eating a lot of meat can slow down your metabolism and digestive processes, so it's good to give your stomach a break from breaking down all that heavy meat. Choose one day every week to try a #MeatlessMonday recipe and get creative with your vegetarian eats! It's a fun way to include the whole family (or your significant other) in smart eating choices.
7. Show off your healthy foods!
If you bury the unhealthy snacks in the back of your fridge or pantry, you're much less likely to reach for them first. Store sugary or salty foods in a cupboard with a door, or wrap them in foil or store them in non-transparent containers in the fridge. Keep all your natural, healthy foods in plastic wrap or clear containers, and move them to the front. Easy!
8. Don't skip food prep.
Preparing and cooking healthy foods is vital to maintaining a healthy diet. If you think your veggies are boring, you won't want to eat them, and you'll fall off the clean-eating bandwagon! Make sure you prep your food on grocery day - cut up your veggies and portion out bulk foods for easy cooking later in the week. And don't forget about the flavors, condiments, and sauces you love: if you'd cook meat with butter, oil, spices, mustards, marinades, or rubs, why can't you do the same for veggies, grains, and other whole foods? Roast, steam, stir-fry, saute, blanch, and/or FLAVOR your veggies to keep your taste buds interested!
What are your favorite easy ways to eat healthier?Share them with us on social media @catchyfreebies using the #ThrowbackThursday hashtag!
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