[Article updated on 19/09/2023]
The year 2023 has just begun, the opportunity to start this new cycle by anchoring good, sustainable habits that you have decided to maintain over time.
Before reading on
I’m not an expert in this field, but I am passionate about nutrition and health.
The articles you’ll find on my site are the result of in-depth research that I’d like to share with you. However, I would like to stress that I am not a health professional and that my advice should in no way replace that of a qualified physician. I’m here to guide you, but it’s important that you consult a professional for specific questions or medical concerns. Your well-being is important. So be sure to consult the appropriate experts and take the best possible care of yourself.
These are not good resolutions with unattainable goals but rather advice and small changes to apply in your daily life in order to improve your habits and, little by little, move towards pro-health behaviors!
Forward to a new enriched year where you will gain new momentum, that of your well-being.
Hop, in the kitchen!
What if you replaced the “I don’t have time” excuse with a reorganization of your priorities?
Considering your health as a priority means that spending time in the kitchen every day is at the heart of your change.
It’s not about becoming a great cook but about taking 15 minutes to prepare a simple, easy meal that will only contain the foods you decide to put in it.
Healthy consequence for you: goodbye to hidden fats and hidden sugars, not to mention added salt!
Become the master of what you give to your body.
Are you running out of ideas? Use the internet and sites offering easy recipes for help. Ask those around you what they usually cook, this encourages your desires and your creativity.
Little tips:
- Think about spices and herbs to season your dishes. This will make them more attractive and reduce your salt intake.
- Vary the cooking methods, for a single food such as a vegetable for example: steamed, fried, pureed, mashed, in a quiche or cake, in the oven, etc. So many tasty recipes.
Useful tips for shopping
Where to shop ?
Hypermarkets and supermarkets? Local stores ? Walk ? Hard discount ? Organic shop ? There are many places we can go to do our shopping. How to choose ?
I advise you to diversify the brands in order to best respect your budget and your preferences.
For example, you can make your essential purchases in hard discount stores (where the quality of fresh products is lower but where this does not impact household products) then buy your fresh products in a supermarket or a place that offers superior quality products.
Test the places, vary the pleasures so as not to fall into a shopping routine which makes you always buy the same foods and prevents you from awakening your taste buds, from testing new tastes, new flavors.
Taste boredom will have the effect of not making you want to cook, of not enjoying your meals, of eating quickly, without paying attention.
Walk through the aisles, take the time to look at the products, be curious.
The shopping list
Essential tool for managing your inventory and respecting your budget.
You can plan meal ideas and menus for the days to come and write down all the ingredients you need.
Little tips:
- The better your organization, the easier it will be to respect.
- Remember to respect the seasonality of vegetables and fruits for superior quality and better respect for your budget.
When to do your shopping?
Avoid the time when you are hungry, otherwise you will find yourself buying foods you don’t need because you will be buying for the wrong reasons.
Try to go to stores when there are not too many people to reduce the stress it can cause. Of course depending on your availability.
It is possible to do your shopping via the drive-thru, but this increases the risk of falling into the monotony of meals.
Vary your ways of doing things!
Listen to your body’s needs
This year you decide to listen to the needs of your body since they will remain the best indicator to which you can refer. No need for applications or sophisticated calculations, you have everything you need to meet your needs.
Quantity management
What better indicator of how much to put on your plate than your hunger? Trust your feelings: small hunger = small quantity, medium hunger = medium quantity and large hunger = larger quantity.
It’s simple and very effective.
You can trust your body which signals the appearance of the need to eat thanks to the feeling of hunger.
Go beyond your standard quantities and change plates.
Meal time
Do we have to follow a strict pace? Eat at set times? No way !!
Listen to your hunger, when it manifests itself and adapt your meal intake accordingly.
Prefer to postpone meal times so that you are really hungry and have maximum pleasure.
What if I’m never hungry?
There are two hypotheses for this:
- The first is that you may be eating too much which means your body never has time to feel hungry.
- The second hypothesis is that you may need to increase your energy metabolism by moving more, this could help you regain eating sensations.
Give yourself time
It is important that you realize that any change takes time.
A game-changing wave of a magic wand only exists in the Harry Potter universe! You will never be able to sustain your behavioral changes if you are in a hurry and want things to go quickly.
It’s the same thing for weight loss. Rapid weight loss will never be stabilized over time since it will only be due to deprivation.
If you need to lose weight, this must be done gradually, following in-depth changes in your eating behavior and with the support of a nutrition professional.
I wish you an excellent and sweet new year 2023, may it be punctuated by your successes and accomplishments.
Be proud of what you have already achieved! Indulgence, kindness, self-respect are the keys.