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Wellness

5 Sustainable Eating Habits That You Should Adopt

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Elon chapter.

Now that it is March you might find yourself reaching a standstill when it comes to your New Year’s resolutions; especially when it comes to eating healthy. Most of the time people decide to fully transform their eating habits when January 1st hits but fail to make this lifestyle change last. This is because people often have no plan or enough knowledge about healthy eating to make the efforts last and become enjoyable.  Luckily, I have some sustainable tips to help you stay on track.

 

Drink More Water

Your mom has most likely nagged you to drink more water since you were a young child but she’s right. The key to maintaining a healthy body is to stay hydrated. Our bodies need water to survive and function properly. It is recommended that you drink half your body weight in water per day in order to keep up with its need (plus it can even suppress your appetite!). 

 

Incorporate Fruits and Vegetables as Much as You Can

It’s no surprise that fruits and vegetables provide us with different minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants that fuel our bodies; carrots, apples, spinach are just a few. Fruit and vegetables are a form of the Earth’s natural resources and provide our bodies with many health benefits. Incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your diet can ensure that your body is receiving the nutrients that it needs. 

 

Make Your Own Meals

While going out to eat for most of your meals sounds appealing it is not a productive way to take care of your body. Eating out is delicious and easy but oftentimes these meals lack nutrition. When ordering a meal at a restaurant it can be hard to know every single ingredient that is in the recipe which makes it hard to control what is going into your body. You can definitely still eat out every once in a while but pick up the habit of making your own meals at home – it’s cheaper and healthier. 

 

Use a Smaller Plate

Portion sizes are a struggle for many of us. It’s hard to really know how much we’re eating when we pour it all onto one big plate. To make it easier, place your food on a smaller plate so you can better see and control how much you are putting into your body. 

 

Listen to Your Body

While eating healthy can be intimidating, it’s important to remember that you should listen to yourself and your body. Everything you eat is okay in moderation and one bag of hot Cheetos every once in a while is not harmful to your body and won’t affect your healthy eating goals. Make sure to listen to your cravings and needs so you don’t overwhelm yourself with trying to stay healthy all the time. 

 

Jess Kalinowski is currently a junior enrolled at Elon University whose majoring in both Strategic Communications and Media Analytics. She is also minoring in Psychology and Business Administration. At the age of 20, she enjoys writing, reading, and volunteering. Born and raised for the first ten years of her life in Australia, she has always had a desire to better understand how the world communicates with itself. Her passion in life is to make it easier for others to understand and connect with each other and hopes to find a career that will enable her to do so.