SPORTS & RECREATIONThree Tips to Spring Clean Your Eating Habits

Did your eating habits fall off track this winter? Well, now that spring is here, it’s the perfect time to spring clean your eating and refresh old eating habits. Here are three simple tips you can take to improve your eating and form new habits this spring:

1. Have a plan. Meal-planning is my number one tip for healthy eating success. If you don’t have a plan or know what you’re going to eat for your meals, the likelihood of making a poor choice is quite high.

Meal-planning is cost-effective and can be a healthy way to set yourself up for success for the week ahead. By taking time to decide what you will make for the week and having the ingredients ready to go, you will be less likely to rely on unhealthy convenience foods. Having a grocery list and sticking to it will help you save money and calories by avoiding unplanned purchases and resisting tempting deals on unhealthy foods. 

Work smarter, not harder when meal-planning. Cook for future nights by doubling your recipes and storing meal-sized portions in the freezer that can be reheated in the microwave. Cook planned extras and reinvent an ingredient to save time in the kitchen. For example, make a big batch of shredded chicken using a slow cooker and create four different entrees such as chicken quesadillas, chicken casserole, barbecue chicken pizza, and chicken tacos.

2. Eat out less. Eating out at restaurants is the source of too much fat and salt in our diet. There are very few healthy choices when eating out, so it’s best to enjoy those foods on special occasions. Try eating at home more often by replicating your favourite restaurant meals but putting a healthy spin on it.  Rather than going through the drive-thru on Friday night, try making homemade baked chicken fingers with baked yam fries and carrot sticks. 

3. Find new ways to enjoy your greens. Having a hard time eating veggies? There are many ways to cook vegetables to make them taste delicious and still be very healthy. Switch it up by using different cooking methods like barbecuing, steaming, roasting, boiling, or sautéing. Add different herbs and spices like garlic powder, basil, cumin, lemon pepper, or dill. Try to have a salad at lunch and supper with at least five colours. Use low-fat salad dressing or dip to help eat your veggies. You can even add your veggies to a smoothie.