Three Tips for Sticking to Your Healthy Eating Plan

When you make lifestyle changes that will enhance your health and potentially help you live longer, they become easy over time – the norm. But in the beginning, there may be temptations that are hard to overcome, causing days when you simply can’t seem to stick to your new healthy way of eating. As you embark on this journey, and until it does become easy for you, keep the following tips in mind to help you stick to your new healthy eating plan. 

Remind yourself of your goal – 

Whether you are beginning a low carb lifestyle to lose weight, you are starting a gluten free diet to keep Celiac disease under control, or you are starting any other healthy diet for any reason, you do have a reason. Remind yourself of this every time temptation arises. Keeping a note on your refrigerator with your goal written down, write your goal at the top of your next shopping list, set a reminder in your phone for meal times to go off and remind you of why you should make healthy decisions. Since it is easy for temptation to overpower our will in some cases, keeping your main goal at the forefront of your mind can help you stay focused and have the power you need to stick to your low carb or other lifestyle. 

Out of sight, out of mind – 

While this isn’t always the case, and you may very well have an evening where you are craving an eliminated food so much that you are willing to drive to the store and purchase it right that minute. But the majority of the time, those cravings appear because you know the bad-for-you food is in the cabinet or the refrigerator just waiting to be savored. If you don’t have easy access to it, it’s likely that you won’t crave it near as often. Substitute foods you typically have on hand for those that are similar but adhere to your diet, such as gluten free sweets or low carb crackers.

Budgeting can be the hardest part – 

If you have ever tried to live a healthier lifestyle, you likely know firsthand that those foods that are bad for you cost much less than foods that are good for you. Any low carb tortilla will cost much more than the traditional flour tortilla. The same is true for all low carb foods, sugar free foods, and gluten free foods in most cases. It is understandable that the healthier foods cost more for consumers – they cost more to manufacture. However, your local grocery store can often charge a much higher price for their health food options because they buy in smaller quantities. If you shop at a store that specializes in healthy foods, whether a physical location or an online store, you are sure to find low carb foods and other healthy foods at a lower cost. This can help you maintain your grocery budget (or close) while still allowing you to change your lifestyle for the better.