Five Ways to Help Form Healthier Eating Habits
Here are five ways to help form better eating habits as we navigate our way through the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Shop Less. Plan meals for at least the next two weeks. Before you make a list, check what you’ve got on hand. Then you can stock up on everything with just one trip. Limiting store runs means less exposure to COVID-19. It also gives structure to your shopping routing. Going in with a clear list helps you make healthy home-cooked meals and you’ll buy less junk food too!
- Prep More. Find cooking hard these days? You can cut up your fruits and vegetables for cooking ahead of time. To save money and time, try frozen fruits and veggies. They provide the same nutritional benefits, but last longer and are available no matter the season. Everything you can do to make healthy eating easier helps. If cooking takes one less step, you’re that much more likely to do it!
- Drink Water. After breakfast, put a full bottle of water where you can see it. Continue to fill it throughout the day. Your water bottle can be a reminder to drink more H20 throughout the day.
- Limit Caffeine. Choose a specific cut-off time in the afternoon that after, you won’t drink anything with caffeine. Try replacing afternoon coffee or tea with decaf. We all know not to drink coffee at night if we want to sleep. Caffeine in the afternoon also can make it hard to fall asleep. But habits are hard to break. It’s easier to replace your afternoon coffee than to stop drinking it cold turkey.
- Be Together. Set the table each evening for a family dinner and don’t turn on the TV! Without distractions you’ll be able to pay more attention to your dinner. This means quality time with your family. But it also means you’re less likely to overeat! Focusing on your food stops mindless eating and your food might even taste better too!
About The Centene Center for Health Transformation
The Centene Center for Health Transformation™ is a community-corporate-academic healthcare partnership that advances life-centric health research to improve lives so that communities can thrive. For more information regarding the Centene Center for Health Transformation, visit https://www.centenecenter.wustl.edu.