Yes, it can be hard to start eating healthy, so lean on your faith for strength to stay consistent. Five of these ten strategies help make the new habit easier for believers.
Are you taking the right steps to help you and your family start and continue eating healthy? Read through the list to find out. Whether you use one or all of the tips, keep working on eating healthy!
(If you’re in a hurry, look for ‘the key’ in the yellow box of each section.)
(Christians – tips #5, #6, #8, #9, and #10 are especially for you!)
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Use Tools
One of the very first things to do to help your family start eating healthy is to set up an online diet tracker tool.
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Free online tools like Lose It! or My Fitness Pal provide compelling information to help make better food choices.
Scientific research has shown that using dietary counsel to make lifestyle changes is more likely to bring success. Based on that research, you should want to use it!
Now, it is a tool for individuals, so ideally, each person in your family should have an account. However, a committed adult can successfully use the tool to represent the whole family.
The key initially is to eat as you have in the past. Continue your food habits (and any exercise) for 5-7 days. Don’t change anything yet.
At the end of that short phase, look at your caloric intake and compare it to the App’s recommended amount.
You will very likely have room for improvement!
The beauty of the tool comes from using it.
Over a reasonably short time, you will see how many calories are in the foods you eat (or serve) now. By using the tool, you quickly begin to learn options that will work better for you (and your family) so you can start substituting these foods into your family’s diet.
The key to making things easy is to make substitutions as you go along rather than starting eating new foods all at once.
Use Convenience Apps
Most people use a grocery list to save money on groceries.
Did you know it’s also one of the first steps to help your family start eating healthy?
Yes! I like List Eaze. It has an excellent free option, but there are many other good ones, too.
The key is to go through your pantry and refrigerator before you make a meal plan and grocery list.
First, you can blend less healthy options with more healthy options in your meal planning. Then, you can stop buying less healthy foods and choose better options at the grocery store.
Some experts suggest throwing out all of your unhealthy food when you first begin. I disagree, especially when you have a family. It doesn’t make sense to expect an entire family to change 100% of their eating habits overnight.
If you’re like me, you have a limited food budget.
So, it makes more sense to start incorporating a few substitutions into your family’s diet every week rather than starting all over with new food.
Start Eating Healthy – Use a Menu Plan
Menu planning is not just a way to save money at the grocery store.
It helps keep your pantry items rotated and is the key to boosting the success of eating healthy.
One of the most straightforward strategies for avoiding poor food choices is to have a plan before you are hungry.
A meal plan allows you to do this for all meals and snacks.
Use the menu plan with the tips in the next section to make this even greater success.
When working with patients and clients, I hear the same reasons for not eating healthy food.
I provide these three strategies to help them overcome their barriers and start eating healthy.
- Prep your meals in your downtime (on the weekend or one day during the week, mornings or evenings). Wash and cut up some veggies (and applicable fruits) and put them into snack-size containers. Place the containers and other fruits in easy-to-see areas in the frig. Make fruits part of your meal plan instead of an ‘afterthought.’
- Serve the proper portion size. You can greatly impact your family’s daily caloric intake by changing HOW MUCH everyone eats, even before changing WHAT everyone eats.
- Take lunch to work. To make this more accessible, prepare a meal plan and include leftovers for lunch.
The key here is working towards cooking once and eating twice. We use these lunch containers
to help with portion sizes and flexibility.
![Freshware Meal Prep Containers [50 Pack] 1 Compartment with Lids, Food Storage Containers, Bento Box, BPA Free, Stackable, Microwave/Dishwasher/Freezer Safe (24 oz)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51FxPtHv2gL._SL160_.jpg)
- Save Time & Money – 50-Pack of Bento Boxes features 1 compartment plastic containers. Each meal prep container can store a total of 24 oz which are the perfectly portion controlled to stay full, yet fit and healthy!
How God Sees Self-Care
The Lord gave you a purpose, spiritual gifts, and body.
Have you ever considered their synergy? How do they all work together, especially when you are doing service or sharing the Gospel (or in your ministry work) for the Lord?
Scripture shows that God is the wise creator of your body (See Psalm 100:3). But He created it in a way that requires you to provide the needed support.
God’s design for your body is NOT a maintenance-free form.
Have you considered why He chose this method? When you take care of your body, you use your gifts for your calling at your highest ability. The Lord fully expects you to do the proper self-care.
The key is understanding that self-care is a way to show obedience and honor to God. A form of worship.
Looking for a way to stay motivated to take better care of yourself? Click my affiliate link to check out my Bible study.
Check Your Self-Talk
Your self-talk affects your self-care.
Telling yourself that you can’t do something is a surefire way to avoid doing it. It’s defeating because it causes fear and doubt.
So, consider what you say to yourself if you’re not providing Lord-honoring self-care.
How do you begin changing your self-talk?
Look upward instead.
Pray, ask for wisdom, and listen to the Lord!
Change your mindset by reading scripture. Bring Christ into the process. Say grace at meals. Pray while meal planning or grocery shopping.
The key is to stay in His will, pray about your struggles with your eating choices, and ask the Lord for His wisdom and strength to continue to improve your self-care during your quiet time with Him.
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.” (1 John 5:14-15).
Inexpensive Must-Have Products For Success
Our eyes trick us, especially when we’re hungry!
Portions are typically higher when not measured. (Do your experimenting! The next time you eat a meal, measure your serving after you put it on your plate.)
As I stated above, serving the proper portion size is the key: you need a way to accurately measure the portions, weight, and temperature of food.
We use these tools regularly and love them. You need a reliable meat thermometer because leaner meats dry out when overcooked.
- A winner of awards from the Food Network, New York Magazine’s The Strategist, The New York Times’ Wirecutter, CNN Underscored, and selected by the Dana Farber Cancer Institute for a study on weight loss and the prevention of breast cancer.
- 【21 Day Fix Portion Control Containers Kit】This 21 day portion control container beachbody kit provides you with meal portion control support for breakfast, lunch and dinner, allowing you to organize your fitness workouts and implement an effective weight loss diet plan.
- 【Ultra Fast & Accurate Reading】 The meat thermometer’s probe head measures only 1.7mm in diameter, making it easy to introduce it into meats. Keeping it in food for 2-4 seconds, you’ll get the accurate temperature (±1°C/2°F). Whether to fry beef steaks, grill pork, deep fry fish/potatoes, or for an outdoor BBQ, this thermometer gives you accurate temp reference.
-Not required (but super convenient for very busy people):
- 7 Cooking Functions: Pressure cook, slow cook, sauté, steam, make rice, yogurt, or simply keep your meal warm—all in one appliance
- Family Cooking – 6 Qt Capacity Digital Air Fryer : Serves 3–4 people with ease, from weeknight meals to weekend snacks.
Do not be ashamed to use tools to help you!
Start Eating Healthy, Even With Picky Eaters
Picky eaters—I think all of us are picky eaters on some level, but a few of us have kids (or spouses) who would probably be at the top of the list!
Don’t force new entrees on picky eaters.
Instead, offer new options as a side dish and provide it often. Encourage picky eaters to take one bite. They don’t have to eat it if they don’t like it.
Many times, it takes more than seven tastings to change a palate, so picky eaters will require even more tastings.
The key – don’t get mad, and don’t give up!
They aren’t trying to be difficult. Don’t get discouraged. Over time, and with many tastings, they may learn to like new, healthy options. Some people have trouble trying new vegetables, and you must be creative.
Consider praying for the picky eater, involving them in meal planning and substitution options, and grocery shopping for fresh produce.
Start Eating Healthy Even When You’re Busy
A quick win for busy people – keep it simple! And give yourself plenty of time.
Start your journey with easy-to-follow recipes.
I recommend online recipe sites because they are inexpensive and provide various seasonal recipes. The recipes typically have ‘lightened’ versions of your favorite comfort foods and everyday ingredients, and they are pretty easy for even a novice to prepare.
If you have extra money in your food budget to pay for convenience, buy pre-cut fresh or frozen produce (diced onions, peppers, and celery add flavor with few calories) or subscribe to a meal delivery service.
Set Christian-grounded priorities (your health is a priority). Be prayerful about your schedule and make hard decisions.
The key is to remember God’s grace and forgiveness you have been given through the blood, death, and resurrection of Christ. Your and your family’s health, wellness, and self-care are priorities as Christians.
Keep Going After You Start
With prayer, confidence replaces doubt, and courage replaces fear.
You are blessed with the power to start doing the things your body needs for Kingdom work—even when it’s hard to do!
But here is the key and the very best thing: Centering on the Lord moves you away from the desire to use your body for your pleasure and purposes and towards the desire and willingness to use your body for God’s glory.
Your desire to please God transforms into a steady source of motivation to start and continue doing God-honoring self-care! And, yes, it is another way of worship.
Yes, it can be hard to start eating healthy. But as a Christian, you have a unique resource!
When you know that self-care is a way to show obedience to the Lord, decisions become more transparent.
Bringing your self-care needs into your prayers stops negative self-talk.
Centering on the Lord strengthens and motivates you to continue your healthy eating journey.
Don’t forget your FREE Self-care Starter Guide! Get it HERE.
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Post originally published on 7/5/2018
Be sure to grab your FREE Self-care Starter Guide! Lisa Kimrey is a 33-year veteran registered nurse (RN), speaker, and author of the Bible study, The Self-care Impact: Motivation and Inspiration for Wellness. At Mylifenurse, Lisa combines her nursing expertise with Scripture-based encouragement to show readers who serve and care for others how to begin and maintain their self-care journey – without feeling guilty or overwhelmed – to feel happy, healthy, and rejuvenated.