10 Ways to Eat Healthier Today

Hi, I’m Kelly Boulé, and I have been practicing as a hypnotherapist and holistic nutrition coach in the Kansas City area for a little over 20 years.

Today I would like to talk to you about ten different things that you can do to eat healthier right now. If you’re at a point in your life where you want to try a particular diet or to eat healthier, that’s great! But maybe you aren’t ready to start quite yet; here are ten simple things that you can do right now, starting today.

1. Drink More Water

The first one, the biggest one, is to drink more water. I can’t stress enough how much hydration affects our body. It helps our metabolism. It helps our mind. And, believe it or not, it also helps cravings. Sometimes we crave certain foods because we’re actually dehydrated. So just increasing your water intake by even a glass or two a day can be really huge progress.

2. Get Good Sleep

Number two is to get really good sleep. Sleep affects everything in our body. It affects our mood and cravings and it affects our metabolism as well. One thing I try to do in my life is to go to bed a little bit earlier than I’m actually ready to go to bed. That gives me better sleep. When I have better sleep, everything in my body, including my mind, work better. Read more here about how hypnotherapy can help you sleep better.

3. Don’t Eat After 7 p.m.

Number three is a really simple one. Don’t eat after 7:00 p.m. If you go to bed, say, at 10/10:30, that’s going to give your body two to three hours to really digest your food. You don’t want to take digestion into sleep because that can really slow things down and can also slow down the healing in your body that takes place at night during sleep. So don’t eat after 7:00 p.m.

4. Eat More Whole Foods

Number four is to eat more whole foods. Processed foods are not typically digested well and don’t really fill us up like whole foods can. Focus on eating things like lean meats and vegetables. I love turkey. I love chicken. I love eggs. I love salads. I love vegetables. Those things are really going to fill you up and leave you satisfied a lot longer throughout the day.

5. Eat Leafy Greens Daily

Number five is a really good trick I learned years ago when I was in nutrition school. Eat at least one salad or serving of fresh leafy green vegetables a day. If you want to, throw some spinach in your smoothie. Believe it or not, you really can’t taste it! Or eat a fresh romaine salad. Eating a salad also helps to dramatically cut cravings in half. I’ve made it a point in my life to either throw some spinach in a smoothie in the morning or to get a salad around noon, even if it’s just a side salad with something else I’m having. This will really help you cut your cravings.

6. Eat Healthy Fats

Number six is to eat healthy fats. Healthy fats like butter, olive oil and salmon are a really good way to keep your blood sugar regulated longer throughout the day. This way you won’t be craving as much.

7. Exercise

Number seven, exercise. Exercise helps your mood. It helps you with stress eating. When I exercise, my mind feels better. When my mind feels better, I don’t feel like I crave snacks as much.

8. Plan Your Meals

Number eight, plan your meals each week. This is a really great way to feel more in charge of the way you eat. I don’t know about you guys, but if I open up a refrigerator that’s empty or with not much in there, my first thought is “What can I have that’s quick?”  And then I’ll head right to my pantry and that might have some chips, canned foods or something else that’s not so great. I love to cook about twice a week. I use my instant pot and I’ll cook one to two huge meals that I can have as leftovers throughout the week. Sunday and Thursday are big cooking days in my household and that really helps to keep us on track. So plan your meals.

9. Cut Out Processed Sugars

Number nine, cut out processed sugars. I know it’s fine to have a little bit around holidays and special occasions, but having them daily actually makes you crave more. It makes you hungrier. And for people who have sensitive blood sugars like I do, it makes your blood sugars really go up and down. So cut out the processed sugar. Natural sugars like honey are fine and you can find some recipes online for really healthy desserts. But things like candy bars and soda pop are not a great idea.

10. Find a Support System

The last thing, number ten, is to find a support buddy or support system. You can help support each other. Having somebody to eat healthier with or to follow a certain diet together goes miles. There’s a lot of nutrition groups and a lot of support groups online you can tap into. Even places like your local gym might have a nutrition support group. A lot of times there are groups you can participate in online, on Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms. I really believe (and tell my clients all the time) we get better together. We don’t get better in isolation. We get better when we have other people to support us.

So there you have  it. Ten things you can do today. Start eating healthier now. See my article How Hypnotherapy Can Help You Create a Healthy Way of Eating for information on how hypnotherapy can support you in developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Please call me or text me if you have any questions or if I can support you on your journey to the healthiest version of yourself.