Habits can either make or break us. And sticking to a healthy eating pattern is admittedly a challenge for many. But the good part is if we shift our focus to the after-effects of keeping to food discipline, then a diet routine doesn’t feel as punishing. Changes in your body, your improved energy levels and the way you improve your look make for a feel-good factor.

A good diet means making choices that are not only nourishing but also flavourful, enduring and suitable for your unique needs. Here are some simple tips and tricks:

1) Ensure that five days out of seven in a week, you eat healthy. If you stick by the parameter of giving more days to disciplined eating, there is a very good chance of you not falling prey to foods that beckon you

2) Get into a regular exercising pattern and vary the routines. Doing different exercises can help you see your body transform before you. When you see your stamina, energy, core strength and agility climbing a progressive graph, you will have incentive enough to keep to a food discipline.

3) Spend time on what you love and do it daily. This itself aligns you to sticking to healthy eating habits.

4) Do not go for the food aggregator app: First of all, switch off the discount notifications and alerts that tempt you to scroll the phone. Tell yourself that it is better to sit down at a restaurant and have fresh food over the weekend. Keep only health food menus on your page. And keep to one app for emergencies. Delete the rest. Tabulate your costs at the end of the month and you will immediately swing back to your routine.

5) Sticking to healthy eating habits can also be accomplished by pre-meditating on healthy food. Plan menus for the week, do your own grocery shopping of healthy foods that you want to eat and find palatable, give yourself the agency of choice. Taking a round of organic farms is incentive enough to pick up fresh herbs and juicy vegetables.

6) Reserve a time to indulge in your favourite food and definitely don’t keep it within easy access when you are hungry or when your mind is preoccupied by some heavy tasks and you mindlessly stretch out your hands to do some stress-eating. That’s when you tend to over-indulge yourself and have excess amounts. Choosing a time slot means you will be slow-eating to relish it and not gulp it down. This is the same principle to be followed when you get invited to dinners. Knowing that keeping to discipline might be tougher, prepare for it by cutting down food during the earlier part of the day.

7) Carry your own snack: Carry your own roasted snacks, some dry fruits and nuts to work or even when you are travelling around the city and are caught up in traffic congestion. Have your fill when hunger pangs strike instead of picking up something from the office vendor.

8) Finally, cooking at home means you can control everything that goes into your menu. Food can make you creative and productive. “If you constantly take ownership of what you do and eat in moderation, you will have a healthier lifestyle,” says clinical psychologist Janet R. Laubgross.

9) Be realistic in your goal-setting: Start small and grade your progress. The modified diets can then turn into long-lasting habits.

Published in Indian Express