During these times of social isolation and quarantine, many people are everyday looking for easy ways to stay healthy and not feel overwhelmed. When it comes to eating, to avoid staying stuck at the fridge while you are at home, can seem daunting. However, that should not bet the case. As a matter of fact, eating healthy while being at home is easier than you thought. Simply put, you have more control of what you eat. Today, I’m sharing very powerful and effective ways in which you can maintain a healthy eating regimen, while being stuck at home, especially if you are on a fitness journey.
Rule #1: Meal prep to eat healthy while being at home
If you thought that doing meal prep was only for when you needed to head to the office, think again! Meal prepping is an essential way to keep things in check. And it has to do with both eating healthy and saving your budget. By planning your foods ahead of time, you will ensure you cover all your food essentials and stay within your budget. As a matter of fact, this is even more crucial in these times, when you are spending more time at home.
Meal prep strategies will prevent you from overeating, feeding into excessive anxiety and keeping your food pantry stock under control. To eat healthy while being at home is easy when you organize the foods you need and the menus you will prepare. For a more in depth guide on how to meal prep easily, check this post.
Rule #2: Always keep quality whole foods
What types of foods should I eat while being at home? Well, you may already have an idea or an answer to this. However, you want to pay special attention to essential foods you must eat regularly. This is not only to stay fit, but also to prevent food anxiety and sugar cravings. Yes! If you weren’t thinking about it, know that besides your emotions, the way you eat can trigger cravings. And of course, you want to avoid gaining those unnecessary pounds or body fat! So, here, I’ll break down for you the top foods you should always keep at home, not only for a healthy weight, but also for gut health, fitness performance and wellness overall.
Protein:
You may have already learned that protein is one of the most essential nutrients we need. But, we often tend to overlook it, since we pay more attention to other types of foods, or things we should “cut out”. Let’s focus on adding more protein to our meals. Some of the best sources are animal foods like eggs, chicken, fish, turkey, lean meat, and low fat dairy
products. I love some good greek yogurt, it has double the amount of protein than regular yogurt, and less fat. For plant-based options, choose whole grains like beans, lentils, quinoa, soy, other like tofu, and seeds.
Protein is essential to keep you full for longer. Eating enough protein will keep your blood sugar under control and avoid you from feeling hungry every minute throughout the day. Besides that, you know that having those protein foods will boost your muscle function and help you stay lean. Add at least 1-2 portions of protein at every meal.
Healthy fats:
Eating healthy fats is also a must if you want to help your body maintain a good health overall. Stay away from saturated fat as much as possible and get in those healthy fats instead. These types of foods are also great sources of essential nutrients like omega 3 and vitamin E, much needed for your a good body composition. The best healthy fat foods are: vegetable oils like olive oil, canola, soy, sunflower oil. Also, nuts and nut butters like peanut and almond, just to name a few. And don’t forget avocados! These are one of the best sources of heart healthy fats.
High fiber foods/ healthy carbs:
Scared of eating too many carbs? Well, here’s the deal, you don’t have to eliminate carbs from your eating regimen, if that’s not your style. Just do some healthy swaps and focus on fiber rich foods. Your body needs fiber to keep you full for longer. Also, it keeps your gut system healthy. Apart from that, eating enough fiber will also help your body to shed more fat. Most of these foods also give your body huge amounts of vitamins, minerals and
antioxidants, which also help to boost your immune system. Foods in this group are: whole grains, like the ones mentioned above, leafy green veggies
like spinach, kale, other vegetables like broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, etc. Fruits are also essential sources of fiber. Choose especially the bright colored ones. The foods that have the most fiber are strawberries, blueberries, pomegranate, kiwi, papaya, etc. There’s a wide variety you can choose from. For a full list of foods you should eat to stay fit and healthy, check out this guide . I also added a list of foods to boost your immune system here .
Rule #3: Stay hydrated
Staying hydrated is important, especially now that you’re at home. Drink enough water
throughout the day. It’s very easy to skip this step, since we have less movement at home.
However, you shouldn’t stop drinking water all day. Not drinking enough water is the main
reason why people tend to have more sugar cravings, gain weight and feel lazy. Therefore,
having enough water will ensure you’ll be more energized and boost your metabolism.
Rule #4: Don’t forget to include healthy snacks throughout the day
Eating healthy while being at home also includes healthy snacking! Oh how many of us have
been guilty of not paying attention to the snacks we keep in the fridge? We often plan our
main dishes and meals, but it’s also important to include our snacks. My favorite and most
important snacks are sources of protein (like yogurt, cheese or low fat ham slices, hard
boiled eggs), fiber foods like fruits or veggie chunks, and healthy fats like nuts.
Rule #5: Remember food safety to eat healthy while being at home
One of the most important steps to eat healthy while being at home is to practice food safety. Remember, it’s not only your hands that must be sanitized, but also the foods you eat. Food safety includes washing your fruits and veggies carefully under running water, making sure you remove dirt. It also involves you separating raw foods from cooked, getting clean kitchen utensils, storing food properly on your fridge. Here is a more thorough info on how to practice food safety at home.
Rule #6: Reduce over processed foods in your kitchen
This is a must! If you are looking to eat healthy while being at home, staying away from food cravings is essential. Adding more quality whole fresh foods, rather than processed, will not only help you stay fit, but also avoid you doing those frequent trips to the fridge. Emotional eating and bingeing is very common these days, so one effective way is to deal with your emotions other than with food, and keeping over processed foods to the minimal as much as you can.
Rule #7: Keep your kitchen clean to eat healthy while being at home
Just as you wash your hands frequently, make sure you keep your kitchen are clean too! Sanitize the whole kitchen area, keep cooking essentials washed and clean. Also, focus on having kitchen utensils clean. You want to avoid not only a virus, but other bacteria contaminating your food.
Rule #8: Practice mindfulness: Great for eating healthy while being at home
This is by far one of my favorite strategies to eat healthy! Especially when being at home, you don’t want to deal with counting calories. Seriously, it’s not that necessary! Once you focus on the principles I mentioned before, you will start nourishing your body the right way. Rather than focusing on weighing foods or counting calories, which, by the way, is not wrong, learn to tune into your mindfulness when you eat. Eating mindfully is one of the best ways to eat healthier. You just have to tune into your body’s hunger and fullness signals. Eat until you’re at 80% full and enjoy every bite you take. This is effective to avoid overeating and gaining weight. In fact, mindful eating helps a lot of people to stay in shape!
Bonus! Besides eating healthy while being at home
Don’t forget to actively workout while you are at home! Practicing regular exercise at home is essential to help you stay healthy, sane and fit. You
may already have built your own workout routine at home, which is awesome. Just know that eating healthy while being at home is the main thing that will keep you at a healthy weight and toned. Healthy nutrition makes up 80% of all results. However, since you already workout at home also, let’s get the habit of training at least 3-4 times a week. Regular
exercise will also reduce your anxiety and stress levels. There are many workout routines you can find online. Make sure you keep your body active as much as you can! It will thank you!
About the Author: Zola Johnson
Z. Johnson is a Registered Nutritionist and Cosmetologist. She has been an advocate for healthy nutrition, beauty and lifestyle for more than 5 years. Z. Johnson is also dedicated to motivate and empower people to strive towards a better version of their well being. She is passionate about educating people on self-care, sharing experiences and best tips to achieve healthier lifestyle goals.
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