Eating healthy can often feel like a long list of don’ts – don’t eat sugar, don’t touch carbs, don’t even think about dessert… It’s really no wonder people always seem to think that healthy eating is boring, tasteless, and joyless – and something they can’t do without loads of deprivation. But the truth is, it doesn’t have to be like that when you think about things differently.
The fact is that healthy eating isn’t about forcing yourself to eat boring, plain food every day – it’s about finding good ways to eat delicious food that just happens to be good for you (meaning you won’t feel as though you’re missing out). With that in mind, here are some unexpected ways to eat healthier without feeling deprived – read on to find out more.
Improve Your Snacks
You might think you’ve got to give up on all your snacks if you want to be healthier, but in reality, snacks are actually an essential part of getting all your nutrients and energy every day, so skipping them isn’t always a great idea. So instead, why not find some better alternatives so you’re still snacking, but in a better way?
Plus, you can still get out and enjoy snacks on the go and stick to a healthy diet as long as you pick the right places to get your food from. Toastique has healthy eating options, for example, so you can find some easy, delicious food that’s actually good for you, and when you do that, you’re hardly going to worry about missing out on tasty treats!
Carbs Aren’t The Enemy
Contrary to popular belief, carbs really aren’t the enemy when you want to get healthy, but it’s still a good idea to mix things up a bit and swap them out so you’ve reduced your intake (because less is better than too much). For example, if you love pasta but you think you eat too much of it and it’s getting a bit boring, you could opt for courgette noodles instead. Or you can make pasta out of peas or chickpeas so you get a nice boost of fibre and protein and less carbs in your system.
Perhaps you love burgers, but the buns are a bit much. Okay, no worries – wrap the burger in a lettuce leaf instead! Or if you still want bread, just make sure it’s whole grain for some extra nutrition without sacrificing the point of the burger in the first place.
Rethink Dessert
Who said dessert has to be totally off limits when it comes to eating healthier? You can still have it! The key is, as we’ve said above, trying healthier versions that still taste amazing, and it’s a fantastic way to get what you want in terms of taste without all the bad things that come with your standard sweets.
You can turn blended bananas into a type of ice cream, for example, or make some homemade energy bites, or add some honey and berries to Greek yogurt. What’s even better is that you’ll make your sweet tooth happy, but you won’t end up with a sugar crash to ruin your day!