A lot of people tend to think about health as a short-term strategy. Eat a single salad, stop eating chocolate for a week, and you’ll become a superhuman – right? The truth is a lot more complicated, and a lot slower as well.
It tends to take months or even years of consistently healthy habits to see real change. In this context, the question starts to revolve around how you can implement healthy eating habits that you can actually stick to in the long term – here’s how to make that happen.
Be consistent & flexible
If this sounds like a bit of a contradiction, then let me explain for a moment. What actually matters when it comes to healthy eating is how you maintain a habit over long periods of time – months and years.
In order to achieve that level of consistency, you also have to be flexible. What that means is that you should aim for the majority of your food to be healthy, and accept that a minority won’t be.
If you really crave a chocolate bar or burger every now and then – go for it. Giving in on the odd occasion often makes it much more likely that you’ll succeed in your goals in the long run, and that’s always going to be worth it.
Make it convenient
If you only get your protein from wagyu beef tartar, which is both expensive and takes ages to prepare, you’re not going to get very far. For your healthy eating goals to be achievable in the long run, you need to make your healthy foods accessible.
For protein, then, go for something like tinned tuna from John West. It’s affordable, you can keep cans of it in your cupboard for years, and it’s incredibly simple to prepare and put it into a nice, tasty dish.
Make it fun
What’s the point of living a healthy life if you’re not also enjoying it? This might seem like a simple, throwaway statement, but it’s true, and it can also have a big impact on how well you’re able to stick to a diet.
If you dread each of your healthy meals, you’ll likely start an internal clock that ticks away until you finally quit and go back to something more enjoyable. If, however, you’re able to make your healthy diet enjoyable and fun, then you’re setting yourself up for an enjoyable and sustainable routine.
Mix it up
Lastly, to achieve all of the above, you need to continually mix things up. Don’t stick with a single routine of dishes month in, month out – try out new ingredients, new cookbooks, and new cuisines, to make sure that you remain engaged and inquisitive in your eating habits.
Eating healthy is only truly healthy if you’re able to keep it up in the long run and also enjoy it. By sticking to the tips listed above, you should be able to achieve this, setting yourself up for culinary enjoyment and health for years to come.
