Health Hacks: 5 Simple Ways to Make Better Food Choices

Eating healthy is increasingly important as more and more foods are manufactured with questionable labels or fewer good qualities. But making a change doesn’t have to be complicated! It can be as simple as choosing the best induction frying pan or buying higher quality, fresh ingredients.  

Here are five simple ways to make better food choices that you can start incorporating today:

• Don’t Shop for Groceries Without Your List

It may seem obvious, but this is one of the simplest ways to make an immediate change. Writing your shopping list ahead of your trip to the store is an easy way to feel prepared and to take better control of your meal planning choices. If you forget your list, no worries! You can easily make a list on your phone using a free app or even an email draft.

• Shop the Outer Ring of the Grocery Store

The outer ring of most grocery stores is where all the fresh food is waiting to be found. Fresh meat, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and baked goods are all located on the perimeter, and these nutrient-rich foods are where your healthy meal options should begin. The greener, the better!

The center of the store is where the highly processed and pre-packaged foods live. These pre-made meals are typically void of significant nutrients, as this is what allows them to remain shelf-stable. If you can’t avoid the center entirely, at least steer clear of those trigger aisles with the particularly tempting junk food. 

• Prepare and Pre-Portion Snacks in Advance

When the munchies hit, your decision-making skills are at their weakest. You want to eat now, and whether or not it’s good for you is incidental.

Unfortunately, rinsing, chopping, and cooking healthy snacks can be time-consuming. This is why it’s so important to prepare nutritious snacks ahead of time. Doing so will give you a much stronger chance of resisting the temptation to eat whatever junk is easily available.

• Eat More Home Cooked Meals

Even if you’re not motivated to become a skilled home chef, eating at home doesn’t have to be complicated and is almost always healthier than eating out. 

To successfully switch to home cooking, create a reasonable meal plan, get your hands on the best induction frying pan set, and remove eating out as an option in your mind. Do your prep work well before everyone is starving and begging for fast food over healthy food. 

Put your fancy appliances to work for you! Slow-cookers and pressure cookers can make meal prep a breeze and allow you to whip up enough for leftovers, making tomorrow’s lunch a snap. 

To get the family excited and onboard, take suggestions for home-cooked meals everyone will love. Be adventurous and try new things! Opt for baked and grilled options instead of microwaved or fried foods. 

• Purge and Donate From Your Pantry

If junk food isn’t there for you to eat, you can’t succumb to the temptation. Take stock of your pantry items and purge what you shouldn’t be eating. Of course, there’s no need to be wasteful! Items that aren’t expired can be donated to a homeless shelter or food pantry to help feed hungry children and families in your community. 

Making a healthy change to your dietary habits is a worthy effort that will pay off for years to come. We hope these five simple tips will make that effort a little easier. Tell us which one you’ll try first!