HEALTHY EATING HABITS for weight loss | a diet-free approach!

as a weight loss and eating psychology coach who's had my own Journey with food body and weight I have found that building healthy eating habits is way more about focusing on what you can add into your kitchen and into your lifestyle than it is about focusing on what you need to take away I've always loved the saying that energy flows where attention goes so if you're constantly focused on what you need to remove from your diet you're going to constantly feel restricted and deprived this is why I prefer a much more additive approach to eating

and to nutrition it just allows us to keep our attention on everything that we get to add into our diet which I think just feels a lot better and when you feel better it becomes a lot easier to make choices that support feeling good so I'm going to share 10 healthy eating habits to help support your health and weight loss goals but first I just want to thank element for sponsoring this video and I'm going to share a bit more on them in just a bit so tip number one and this was a big one

for me stop focusing on calories and start to focus on the quality of the food that you eat a really simple way to think about this is to focus on real Whole Foods as close to their natural state as possible most of the time the reason I found this to be so effective is because it made eating well feel fun and enjoyable and even like a little bit adventurous when I was super calorie focused what I noticed is that I was always thinking about what I needed to not eat and in doing that I constantly

felt restricted and I constantly felt deprived and this emotional state for me and I know for many others can actually drive a lot of overeating and sometimes even binge eating on the flip side when I began to focus on Quality Foods right it had me looking for all of the different types of foods that I wanted to add into my diet so this felt a lot more abundant it felt a lot lighter and it made eating well feel fun so for example if I wanted to eat some pasta instead of telling myself that it was

too many calories or it had too many carbohydrates I would simply ask myself how could I enjoy pasta and level it up a bit how could I increase the quality of the pasta meal that I wanted to eat so this could look a lot of different ways right this could look simply like adding some protein and some vegetables to the dish right so that's going to add more nutrient density and it's going to create a more balanced meal this could look like using a lentil pasta or a chickpea pasta which again is going to have

more protein and it's going to have more fiber so it's going to be more of a blood sugar balancing meal it's going to be more nutrient dense and it's going to be less likely to create more Cravings later in the day or it might be looking for a way to just lighten up a more traditional dish my cottage cheese Alfreda pasta sauce is a perfect example of this instead of using heavy cream and butter to make the sauce I use um cottage cheese and parmesan cheese and it blend Blends into this beautiful creamy delicious alfredo

sauce that is mind blowingly good and it's more aligned with the goals that I'm working towards so shifting my attention from calories to Quality really made a big difference for me tip number two coming off the heels of quality is to prioritize protein at all of your meals and most of your snacks and this is for several reasons number one um protein has been shown to be the most satisfying macronutrient right so what this means is when you have protein at meal time it can really help you to feel satiated and satisfied after eating and

this is specifically important for anybody who's trying to work on weight loss goals because if you are constantly feeling hungry and unsatisfied after a meal it's going to be a lot harder to stay within the caloric range needed to begin to lose some weight but aside from weight loss protein also helps to support lean muscle mass specifically when it's paired with any type of strength exercise and this is also going to support a healthy strong metabolism so that you have the ability to maintain energy and vitality as you grow older wiser and more fabulous and

as I've shared before I've been on my own fitness journey over the last year and a half and I've really been working to increase my protein intake I aim for about 30 gram of protein per meal but honestly depending on where you are I would say anywhere between 20 and 35 G is a great go goal and if you're somebody who is working to do this yourself I have lots of videos that I will link for you down in the description box below I know a couple popular ones were how to eat more protein with

ease and uh I didn't what I eat in a day as a 48 now 49-year-old woman who is working to build more strength so we've got Whole Foods we've got protein now tip number three is to increase your fiber intake fiber is a type of carbohydrate that your body cannot Digest and it is found in whole plant-based foods like fruits vegetables beans nuts seeds and whole grains and when it comes to weight loss fiber can be your best friend number one fiber helps to keep you feeling full longer fiber takes a long time for your

body to digest so it can really help in feeling satisfied and satiated after eating fiber also supports a healthy digestion it feeds the good bacteria in your gut and most importantly high-fiber foods t to be lower in calories while being higher in volume so what this means is that if you don't want to feel like you're eating like a bird all of the time you want to focus on high-fiber foods so you can have nice big meals that satisfy you and still align with your goals so think like big colorful salads hearty soups made with

vegetables lentils and or beans roasted vegetables or snacks like fruits nuts seeds and even high-fiber cereals can really be a great option sometimes if I'm having having a low fiber day and I want to get a little boost of fiber I will make a meal well where I will take some Greek yogurt I'll mix in a little bit of protein powder and then I'll top it with a high fiber cereal like a fiber one and some fresh berries and boom just like that you've got a delicious bite that has 30 g of protein and 15

G of fiber tip number four is to hydrate when you are working on weight loss goals it's super important to stay hydrated because being hydrated it's going to help to support your metabolism is M it helps your body to mobilize and use fat as energy and it helps you to manage your hunger cues I don't know if you can relate but I am the queen of eating when I am thirsty which is why I need to really think about staying hydrated a good general rule of thumb is to aim for half of your body weight

in ounces of water per day but of course this is going to vary depending on your lifestyle your activity levels your climate and your personal needs now as I've shared before I've personally can find it a little bit tricky to get enough water in throughout the day so I'm always looking for tips and tricks to just make it a little more enjoyable so things like adding fresh lemon or electrolytes to my water I find to be really helpful and that of course brings me to today's sponsor element element is my absolute favorite electrolyte company and

is definitely a product that I lean on to help myself feel energized and hydrated throughout the day it contains a science-based balance of sodium magnesium and potassium that can help you to balance the electrolyte levels in your body now a lot of people don't realize this but common signs of electrolyte imbalances can be muscle cramps headaches sleeplessness and fatigue and if you're someone who's trying to drink more water you may also need more electrolytes because electrolytes help your body to absorb and use the water that you're drinking personally I feel a big difference between just

drinking plain water and drinking water with electrolytes in it it's like when I drink the electrolytes I feel like I can feel my cells absorbing the water I know that sounds crazy but I just feel more hydrated when I include electrolytes throughout the day um and I'm really curious for those of you who have tried them I'm curious if you've had this experience as well and now that the colder weather is here element has released their limited time chocolate metal which offers a combination of some of their most delicious chocolate flavors and it includes 10

packs of chocolate mint 10 packs of chocolate chai and 10 packs of chocolate raspberries and these are intended to be added to hot water just like a hot chocolate it makes the most delicious hot chocy drink that contains no sugar and no artificial flavors it is so good sometimes I even add it to my coffee and right now element is offering everybody in the clean and delicious Community a free sample pack with any order so that's eight single serving packets for free with any element order and this is a really great way to test out

all eight flavors all you have to do is visit drink element.com dannyp that's d i n k l m nt.com d ni s p IES and I'm going to leave that link for you down in the description box below and keep in mind that element offers a no questions asked refund on any order so if you're curious to check it out but you're not sure that you're going to love it you really have nothing to lose tip number five do not be afraid of fats specifically of healthy fats like olive oil nuts seeds and avocados

if you are anything like me and you grew up in like the 80s you grew up with this fat-free mentality but it is not the way to go while fat is an energy dense macronutrient it can really help you to feel satisfied and satiated after you're done eating are you starting to see like a little bit of a pattern here the more we can enjoy our meals the more satisfied we are when we eat the more satiated we feel when we're done eating the less likely you're going to be to reach for seconds or to

snack between meals and that can be a really big game Cher when you're working on weight loss goals so you can do little things like sprinkling some walnuts or peans on your morning oatmeal you could throw some hemp seeds or chia seeds into your favorite breakfast smoothie or maybe you just add a half avocado to your favorite egg scramble just look for ways to add those healthy fats at Meal Time and see if it doesn't make a difference and how satisfied and satiated you feel after eating healthy eating tip number six is to create a

supportive external environment now what I mean by that is that you want to have the foods that you're trying to prioritize front and center in your kitchen right keeping fresh fruits on the counter having cut up veggies things that you want to be eating ready to grab and go um and easy to access the more you can create an environment that aligns with the goals and the lifestyle that you're trying to create for yourself the easier it's going to be for you now I'm not a big fan of eliminating entire food groups but I also

do not keep like extremely tempting or high trigger foods on hand either and there's no like right or wrong way to do this it's more a matter of knowing yourself I know for myself there are just certain foods that I will turn to more for emotional reasons or for Comfort comfort food types of reasons and it's like when I'm reaching for these Foods I don't want one right I want the whole bag I don't want a bite I want the whole pint that type of experience and so I find that not keeping them in the

house can make it easier for me this way I'm less likely to make an impulsive decision and I really have to pause and ask myself is this something that I really want and if I do want it enough I'll either go out and get it or I will make a leveled up version of it right I'll give it a little clean and delicious spin so let me give you an example ice cream for me is a comfort food right very rarely do I want like just a bite of ice cream if I find myself wanting

ice cream it's like I want to sit down I want the pine I don't want a bowl that's the way I like to eat ice cream so it's something that I find it's better just to not keep on hand and if it's something I'm really wanting then I will make it a point to go out and get it right it invites me to be a little bit more Mindful and more intentional now with that being said what I have found over the years is that I can take Frozen strawberries a scoop of protein powder and

some almond mil milk throw that all in the blender make this thick creamy ice cream like smoothie that absolutely hits the spot it totally does the job for me and it's much more aligned with my goals right now what I'm not saying eat around your Cravings or be unsatisfied with your choices for me when I eat this I'm actually so happy that I can have something that is a leveled up version that I really enjoy that really keeps me satisfied and kind of gives me the best of both worlds so again you want to keep

the foods that you're prioritizing front and center and you want to create an external environment that is aligned with your go goals because it's going to make your journey feel a lot easier tip number seven is just as important as creating an external environment and this is making sure that you are creating a supportive internal environment now when I say an internal environment what I'm talking about is the dial that you have with yourself about yourself all day long and truly this topic deserves a video all on its own because healthy eating habits and mindset

truly go hand inand you cannot outwork your belief systems and if it's something that you guys want to talk more about please let me know down in the comment section below and I will be sure to elaborate on this topic But ultimately I just want you to realize that you cannot have a harsh critical judgmental voice inside of your head all day long creating an unhealthy internal landscape and then think that you're going to be able to make uh you know healthy sustainable choices all day long it's very difficult to take healthy sustainable actions day

after day when they're being driven by a harsh critical internal dialogue and don't get me wrong like we all have our moments but you really have to work on creating a kind loving supportive internal environment for yourself and this is something that I spent a lot of time on I do a deep dive inside my signature program the don't diet because it's that important when it comes to health and weight loss so if that's something you're interested in I do have a free three-part mindbody weight loss series that you can access right down in the

comment section below and again if you want to hear more on this topic let me know and I will do a deeper dive in a different video tip number eight when you're working to build healthier eating habits is definitely Ely meal prep now you do not need to have Pinterest worthy perfectly prepared meals in your refrigerator but I do think it's really important that you prepare at least a handful of ingredients that you can build off of to make healthy meals throughout the week when you have the foods that you want to be prioritizing front

and center prepared in a beautiful way you will be a lot more likely to reach for them throughout the week now I use a meal prep blueprint right this is what I call in my mind and I've shared it with you guys before six to start it's just an easy way to think about preparing foods for the week and what I'll do is I will prepare two vegetables two proteins one flavor booster like some type of dip or salad dressing and then I'll do either a healthy start like a breakfast idea or a sweet treat

right so just preparing these six different items and then building off them throughout the week makes it so much easier to stay aligned with my healthy eating abits especially when life gets busy and I know everybody's busy if you're looking for some more meal prep inspiration I'm going to link some videos that I've shared in the past again down in the description box below so you can check those out as well healthy eating tip number nine and this is what I like to call the 2-minute meal Arsenal aside from meal prep you want to keep

ingredients in your house that allow you to create a two-minute meal at the drop of a hat right so some of my go-to favorites are things like sprouted bread Greek yogurt cottage cheese fresh berries Nut Butter avocados eggs I know that if I have these Foods on hand I can build some really simple two-minute meals when I'm in a pinch and these are meals that I really enjoy and they align with my health and lifestyle goals so a couple examples right whipping together a quick smoothie making my go-to oatmeal putting together some cottage cheese toast

right you're barely cooking here assembly only but so delicious making a yogurt and granola Bowl these are all meals that can be made with just ingredients that you're just grabbing at the grocery store and again these are the type of things that can stop you from running to the drive-thru or just defaulting to some type of fast food because you feel like you don't have time to make a meal having a handful of these 2-minute meals in Your Arsenal that you love and that you can lean on can make a huge difference with your healthy

eating int because even when you feel like there's nothing to eat there's always something to eat and while I could have this conversation with you all day long we're going to wrap it up with healthy eating tip number 10 and that is to be more mindful to slow down when you are eating right how often are you eating on the go eating at the counter eating without your own attention this definitely makes eating well a lot harder or should I say it makes not oving a lot harder often times when we're eating in a hurry

we tend to eat more than we need or than we really want and this is because we're just not paying attention and a lot of people think that they have a challenge with overeating when really the challenge is that we are eating without attention right we're eating without awareness and so when you do that you have to remember that a big part of being nourished by your meal it's not just the food on your plate but it is the Taste of the food right the pleasure of the meal all of these pieces are what I

would call a part of the nourishment puzzle it's what makes the body and the mind feel nourished by a meal and so if you're not paying attention when you are eating it's very likely that you'll finish and your mind will still say hungry because you didn't even notice you were eating in the first place and again a lot of people will think oo I have to control my food or I don't know how to um stop overeating when really it's not so much about what we need to stop doing and what we need to do

is just invite a little bit more attention and a little bit of more awareness and a little bit of more pleasure at meal time so simple ways to do this are to a sit down when you eat right maybe light a candle put some music on and try to challenge yourself if you're a fast eater to take 15 to 20 minutes to finish a meal right to really slow down when you are eating and if you find that you eat all of your meals quickly just pick one meal to practice with just pick one meal

a day and see if you can't slow the whole experience down and just notice if that affects how much food you actually eat when you're finished so there you have it 10 healthy eating habits to help support your health and weight loss goals and remember creating healthy eating habits is really about doing things in a way that you enjoy and that you can work into your lifestyle so choose one or two of the habits that I mentioned today and just practice them until they become a habit right until they become just that be kind be

easy be gentle with yourself on the journey as you put these things into play and then you will notice that as things get easier the momentum starts to build so I hope this was helpful I'd love to hear which of these tips you found to be the most insightful or if you have a healthy eating tip of your own come on down to the comment section below and please do share and I want to give one more thanks to today's sponsor element and remember they're offering anybody in the clean and delicious Community a free sample

pack with any order so all you have to do is visit drink element.com dannyp and once again that link is down in the description box below as always thank you so much for watching I appreciate you being here I am Danny spe and I'll see you back here next time with some more food for thought cheers