How to Eat Healthier in 4 Simple Steps

I came up with these ideas on how to eat healthier in 4 simple steps through years of experience (aka learning the hard way). Good always comes from trying to change and majorly failing repeatedly, but only if you spend some time in reflection about why you failed.

But before you learn how to eat healthier in 4 simple steps, here’s a little background…

I have struggled with eating healthy my entire adult life. Mainly because I am like a giant child in more ways than one…hence the name of my blog: “Mom Grows Up.” Like any self-respecting child, I love junk food. Give me all the cookies, doughnuts, McDonald’s, pizza parties, and mac and cheese! I want it all, and I want to eat it with child-like abandon and innocence. No measuring, no logging, no portion control. Straight out of the bag, box, or carton. No guilt, no shame, no worries. Just plain fun.

Unfortunately, even though I’m a child at heart (and appetite!), I’m trapped in the body of a grown up. The consequences of this kind of food fun wreak havoc on an adult body. Therefore, at some point the party must end. Eventually, childlike eating habits need to be reined in, controlled, and balanced out.

In the past, eating healthy had always COMPLETELY overwhelmed me. My repeated failures from one attempt to another sent me into a junk food frenzy free-for-all. Not good for weight loss. I always made the mistake of going all-in on my quest to eat healthy. Meaning no junk, no sugar, and no dessert besides green smoothies. Which, consequently meant my soul died and turned to dust. I couldn’t live like that, nor did I want to.

This time around I set out to accomplish “being healthy” from a different perspective.

“Healthy,” in this instance simply meant losing weight. I changed nothing about my diet and instead allowed myself to live in my junk food fantasy world a while longer. This time, I would count calories to see if I could at least make weight loss happen despite the junk. Maybe it wasn’t the best method for my overall health, but carrying around all my extra weight certainly wasn’t healthy. I needed to do something.

The weight started to come off because the amount of food I was eating decreased, but unfortunately, the junk food habit stayed put. I managed to lose the weight, steadily and sustainably, but I always knew I couldn’t continue eating the way I was eating forever. I HAD to find a way to incorporate fruits, whole grains, and veggies into my daily diet. That might seem like a small feat to some, but I’m telling you, I was eating a lot of junk. Reaching for fruits and veggies just doesn’t come naturally to me.

This time around in my quest for health, I would make small changes here and there and see if it would stick. Instead of making drastic, overnight resolutions, I would take baby steps towards health. I began to take these steps around a month ago, and I’m proud to report to you today that my strategy has been working! Mom has, in fact, grown up a smidge!

The changes I’ve wanted to make for decades were put on a more realistic timeline, and now I am successfully creating healthy eating habits. I did 4 key things explained below to begin my journey towards eating nutritious foods. My hope is that if you also struggle to “be healthy,” these tips can help you on your own health and wellness journey.

How to Eat Healthier in 4 Simple Steps

Eat healthier Step 1: Keep it simple

Just make a point to add a fruit or veggie to every meal. It can’t get any simpler than that. Back in the day, I used to complicate the heck out of the things. You should’ve seen the plans I’d create! I went from pulling through the McDonald’s drive through a couple times a week to becoming a 5-star chef.

Chopping, chopping, chopping…so much chopping. Have you ever made a vegetable broth from scratch? I have. It was for a soup that also called for almond milk…that I also made myself…. out of actual almonds. Let’s calm down on that nonsense, okay?

There is a happy medium between pretending to be Gordon Ramsay, and pretending to be a Door Dash driver just to save face when frequenting the fast food drive thru. If you want to be healthier, a good first step is to simply eat an apple at breakfast with your pancakes and bacon. Have a carrot at lunch with your salami sandwich and chips. Mix some frozen peas with your mac and cheese. It doesn’t need to be complicated.

Adding healthy food to your existing diet will make you more likely to keep eating it in the long run. Completely eliminating the foods you love, and replacing them with new, “healthy” foods will epically backfire. Restriction gets you nowhere longterm when it comes to health and weight loss. Remember, the goal here is to baby step your way to health.

Eventually you will be eating overnight oats with shredded carrots and chia seeds for breakfast, avocado tuna salad in a romaine leaf with a side of apple slices for lunch, and burst tomato lentil pasta with broccoli for dinner. You will be the epitome of health. But in the words of NF, “You gotta crawl before you get to your feet.” Start small, take it slow, keep it simple.

EAT HEALTHIER STEP 2: eat foods you enjoy

In my past attempts at “clean” eating, this was my M.O.: I made the world’s healthiest, most beautiful menu – even now, just thinking about my perfect meal plans I am beaming with pride – and ate none of it. That’s not entirely true. I did harvest the tastiest parts of each meal, and smother them with some cheese I found in the back of the fridge. The rest went straight into the trash can.

The menu may have looked pretty, in theory, but most of it was food I didn’t truly want to eat. Just the thought of having to eat it made me feel sad. So I never made it. What a waste of time and money!

Instead of doing that, build your menu around healthy foods you actually ENJOY eating. For instance, I like peas. Since I like peas they are a great food option to add into my meals. I also like carrots and now add them to the side of my sandwiches. You get what I’m saying. Find veggies and fruits you like, or at the very least don’t dislike, and incorporate them into your diet in the easiest, least fancy kind of ways.

EAT HEALTHIER STEP 3: Make it convenient

If there are ANY obstacles standing in your way to eating healthy food, and a greasy fast food cheeseburger is readily available, you will be most likely choose the cheeseburger. I know this from experience. I could labor for 20 minutes chopping and dicing ingredients for a homemade salad or wrap. Take everything I need out of the fridge and pantry, then put it all away, and clean up the mess so I can finally eat my meal…or go through a drive through. It’s a billion times faster and easier to order and eat a drive through meal in a span of 5 minutes without ever having to take off my seatbelt.

Convenience plays a huge role in the execution of healthy eating.

Luckily, with a little planning and preparation, making healthy eating convenient is actually pretty easy. For example, to start forming the habit of eating healthy, my first baby step goal was simply to start my day with a nutritious breakfast.

I knew I had to make my breakfasts foolproof and mostly ready-to-go as soon as I walked in from the gym starving. I decided to prepare overnight oats in the evenings. Having a nutritious meal just sitting there ready to be eaten made it much less tempting to reach for much less healthy options.

However, it’s a heck of a lot easier to grab the PopTarts or a pour a bowl of sugary cereal, amiright? Therefore you shouldn’t keep poptarts or cereal where they are easier to grab than that bowl of overnight oats in the fridge. I put the oats front and center, and put the junk that’s easy to grab out of sight, up high, and out of mind. Now the oats are just more convenient to grab making it foolproof.

Plus, now I’d rather eat my ready-made overnight oats than go through the trouble of making something else. That something else could very well end up being a breakfast sandwich with gobs of mayo, a thick cut of ooey, gooey cheese, and an egg fried in grease all nestled between 2 big ol’ slices of bread. When the choice is between doing work and doing no work first thing in the morning, no work is going to win. Do yourself a favor by making your convenient breakfast delicious, and it really becomes a no brainer.

Prepping healthy food ahead of time will increase the chances that you will, indeed, eat the healthy food. Batch chop onions, peppers, carrots, etc, to make the healthy choice easier to make when the time comes to eat.

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Other convenient options besides drive throughs

If you find you’re consistently pulling up to the fast food drive through, you should look into Splendid Spoon. If you work or are typically running around during the day, Splendid Spoon is a great option when you need healthy food fast. They offer a variety of healthy, delicious, and pre-made meals that are shipped right to your house.

Just open the smoothie bottle, or microwave the main dish, and enjoy! Take the guesswork out of mealtimes and you will be well on your way to a healthier you. Splendid Spoon foods are vegan, which is awesome whether or not you are vegan. Since I am not a vegan, I often sprinkle some cheese on top and add a protein. I love that their food is packed full of plants and seeds because it’s second nature for me to add protein to a meal, and very hard for me to remember to add plants and seeds.

The meals taste great and are super convenient. They come in extra handy on hectic evenings when I need something quick. I will pull out a Splendid Spoon meal after throwing sandwiches or mac and cheese together for the kids and have a nutrient-packed dinner requiring absolutely no effort on my part. Splendid Spoon is actually an easier choice for me to make now than the drive through because it takes less time. I hardly ever eat McDonald’s now.

There are plenty of healthy meal delivery options and companies out there. Explore your options and find the best fit for your family and schedule. It might be just what you need to consistently make healthy choices.

EAT HEALTHIER STEP 4: Have a plan

You need a plan if you want to succeed. Get yourself a notebook or planner – this one was tailored specifically with weight loss and fitness in mind, to help you keep every aspect of your journey streamlined, organized, and in one place. Plan your meals in advance, and come up with a plan B for if/when plan A fails. Plan, plan, plan.

I’m a bonafide non-planner type b sorta person who began looking ahead at my meals and snacks, and it has changed my life. Not only do I plan my foods ahead of time now, but I also write down my nutritional goals. Goals such as eating a fruit or vegetable with each meal from tip 1 above, and drinking 72 ounces of water per day.

Something miraculous happens in your brain when you put that pen to the paper. When it comes to reaching goals, writing them down makes it more likely that you will reach them. If you want to eat healthier, have a plan and follow it. It’s as simple as that.

Bonus Healthy Eating Tips

Now that you are well on your way to baby stepping your way to health, here are some general health and wellness tips I’ve acquired over the course of my weight loss journey. I guarantee they’ll make you feel better and healthier overall, and aid your weight loss and fitness goals.

1. Drink more water

I try to drink a full glass of water before each meal and snack. It will curb your appetite and has all kinds of health benefits. Water is amazing, cheap, and easy to add into your day. If you’re not convinced of its importance, read this.

2. Eat nutrient dense foods.

Veggies are probably the leading nutrient dense food followed closely behind by fruits. That’s why I have tip number 1. I try to choose nutrient dense foods for snacks. This helps keep you full, keeps the calories down, and is good for me.

3. Walk for 30 minutes a few times each week.

Activity can curb your appetite, and walking is my number 1 recommended form of exercise, especially when you’re just starting out. Here’s why walking is a must.

4. Eat more chia seeds.

I’m obsessed with these little guys lately. They are, by far, the easiest healthy thing to integrate into your diet. They don’t have an offensive taste, or much of a flavor at all, really. Add 1-3 tablespoons total into your meals throughout the day to increase your intake of fiber and healthy fat. If you really want to have your mind blown, read all about the health benefits of chia seeds here.

5. Eat fermented foods.

Gut health is majorly neglected, here’s why it’s important to pack in the probiotics. Here are some foods to consider for improved gut health.

For the first time in my life eating healthier seems less daunting. Shockingly, I’m actually enjoying the changes I’ve made, and I’m excited to see where I will be in a year. I’ll keep you posted, and don’t hesitate to fill me in on your own journey! Please reach out if you have any questions.

Follow me on Patreon to learn more about my life and what I eat in a day. If you are in need of an awesome weight loss community to come alongside you as you strive for your goals, check out Mom’s kids. Last, but not least, Be sure and save “How to Eat Healthier in 4 Simple Steps” to Pinterest so you can find it later.