How to Keep Your Healthy Diet Fun!
Want to create a healthy diet for yourself? You’re far from alone.
The majority of us want to eat a healthy diet, providing our bodies with the fuel they need to thrive. We want to experience the benefits of a healthy diet - more energy, a healthy weight, strength, good skin, hair and nails and more. But often, maintaining a healthy diet is so much harder than we originally anticipate.
A common reason for people falling off the wagon and returning to junk and convenience foods? Their healthy diet just wasn’t that enjoyable.
The mistake here is that they tried to follow a diet that wasn’t enjoyable for them. There are so many ways to eat healthily in a fun way that you’ll actively look forward to. Here are a few tips to keep your healthy diet fun!
Encourage Variety
Ever get in a rut of eating the same foods week in and week out? I totally understand! Many of us are creatures of habit and we tend to learn a few dishes and keep them in rotation. If you enjoy this, this is completely fine. However, some of us can grow bored of eating the same foods over and over again.
If you’re feeling tired of the same dishes, it’s time to incorporate some variety into your diet. Learn something new! There are so many ways to achieve this and, nowadays, with most of us having constant internet connections, it’s easier than ever too.
Consider reading some recipes online. You can find instructions on how to make anything from kimchi to cottage pie to a healthy strawberry milkshake. Try watching cookery shows on the television, noting down instructions or following along. You can look up video tutorials for dishes on sites like Youtube. There are food influencers on Instagram and Youtube who post recipes and reels showing roughly how to create what they’re making. The opportunities are endless! Also be open to dishes from other cuisines or cultures. This will open a whole world of new tastes, textures and styles of cooking. I personally love trying new cuisines and dishes - this is one way that I can ensure I keep my healthy diet fun!
If you've never tried Indonesian food before, try my take on a healthier Indonesian Fried rice. I even have a version that uses quinoa instead of rice.
Make Sure You’re Eating Enough
Don’t make the mistake of assuming that a healthy diet means a minimal diet.
Food is not the enemy and neither are the calories that all foods contain. Food should be something to be enjoyed, not avoided and feared. Eating enough will ensure that your body is getting enough energy and can complete its daily tasks and chores without you feeling drained, faint or unwell. So, make sure you’re eating enough. You can generally judge how much you should be eating based on your recommended calorie intake. This will vary based on your age, sex and activity levels, but the guide below should serve as a very rough example. Note: the numbers below can vary greatly per individual based on their goals, activity level, etc. Please consult a certified nutrition coach to calculate your specific caloric intake recommendation.
Children aged 2 to 8 - 1000 to 1400 calories
Girls aged 9 to 13 - 1400 to 1600 calories
Boys aged 9 to 13 - 1600 to 2000 calories
Active women aged 14 to 30 - 2400 calories
Sedentary women aged 14 to 30 - 1800 to 2000 calories
Active men aged 14 to 30 - 2800 to 3200 calories
Sedentary men aged 14 to 30 - 2000 to 2600 calories
Active adults over 30 - 2000 to 3000 calories
Sedentary adults over 30 - 1600 to 2400 calories
Try Superfoods
Superfoods are lesser eaten foods that actually have a huge amount of benefits for you and your body. They are simply foods that are particularly nutritionally dense and provide your body with significant and notable benefits. There are plenty out there, but some you might want to try adding into your diet include:
Green Tea - the popularity of Green tea has skyrocketed in the West over recent years. This is a tea is consumed without milk and sugar, but you may want to try sweetening it with honey or monkfruit sweetener. It contains a whole host of bioactive compounds, such as catechins, which prevent cell damage in your body.
Oily Fish - oily fish, such as tuna and salmon, contain extremely high quantities of omega-3 fatty acids. These are anti-inflammatory fatty acids that our bodies need daily from the foods we eat. For healthiest results, try out salmon or tuna steaks in a fresh salad with crisp leaves and low-fat dressing.
Olive Oil - choosing olive oil for cooking (depending on the temperature you'll be cooking at), as to promote a balanced diet low in trans fats and saturated fats. It can promote a healthier heart and, consequently, healthy blood distribution throughout your body.
One of my family's favorite recipes is this Simple Salmon Supper. It is filled with Omega-3 anti-inflammatory fatty acids and is incredibly easy to make. The kids love it too!
Super Simple Salmon Supper
Those are my 3 tips to keep your healthy diet fun! If it feels overwhelming to incorporate these tips all at once, just pick one tip and try it out for a week. Then you can gradually add in another tip to build upon the healthy habits you are creating! Which tip are you going to start using? Let me know in the comments below!
Want some more interesting and delicious healthy recipes? Try these out!
My Double Chocolate Protein Balls (filled with superfoods) from my cookbook, Nourish Your Body: A 30 Day Healthy & Delicious Meal Plan.
Double Chocolate Protein Balls
Green Curry Chicken: the perfect hit of asian flavors that is meal prep-able.
Chocolate Superfood Pancakes: a hit with the kids too!
Chocolate Superfood Protein Pancakes