Beating your bad eating or drinking habits can be very difficult when trying to lessen your calorie intake or on your road to your healthy lifestyle. Sometimes soda is the easy option or you feel like having something sweet with a meal, but like we discussed in our last blog, everything in moderation. Having a little something sweet in moderation or drinking a can of soda only once every now and then, whatever your goal is to becoming healthier. Think about what your bad eating habits are specifically holding you back and think how you can improve on them using these steps:

1. Clean out your cabinets
   • Not only does a clean kitchen and cabinet organization lead to healthier eating habits, but cleaning out the unhealthy foods that lead to your bad habits can also help. I am not implying to throw out all your bad food but try cooking for yourself instead of buying frozen meals or don’t keep restocking the tub of ice cream in your freezer. Removing the temptation from your home is a good first step to eliminating those unhealthy foods. 
2. Keep your produce readily available 
   • Try keeping your produce in the front of the fridge or try placing a fruit bowl on the counter so you see it right away and feel the need to snack on that instead of junk. You are more likely to grab the first thing you see on the counter rather than to dig for a snack. 
3. Quit snacking while watching TV
   • It’s no doubt when you sit down to watch your favorite show or a movie, you feel the urge to snack. You don’t realize how much you are consuming when distracted by the TV, so try eating in your kitchen without the sound of your TV. 
4. Change the plate size you use
   • Pretty self-explanatory, that if you use a smaller plate when eating meals or snacks your portion will be smaller, therefore avoiding overeating. Your plate appears fuller when eating with a smaller sized plate.

When on your path to a healthy lifestyle it is important to cut those habits that are holding you back. Set goals and figure out what the cause of your unhealthy eating is in your diet. Focusing on just one aspect of your eating and eliminating that one item first is the easiest way to get starting on fixing more of your habits. 

Strive for Progress not Perfection!

Kayla Withrow