Generally, all of us have developed certain eating habits, that is, conscious behaviors that are repeated when consuming certain foods, according to the social or cultural influences of our environment.
According to the Communicable Disease Center (CDC), an organization belonging to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to improve eating habits on a permanent basis, it is recommended to follow an approach based on reflection, substitution and reinforcement.
Tips for adopting good healthy habits
- List your eating habits
Write down moments, food consumed, quantities and even feelings or emotional state. This will allow you to detect bad habits such as skipping meals or eating without hunger.
- Detects unhealthy eating patterns
Once unhealthy habits have been detected, identify the factors that trigger them in order to eliminate or replace them. For example, these can be environmental, emotional or even not having a meal plan.
- Replacing unhealthy habits
Being aware of your habits will make it much easier to take action to change them. It will also help to have a good meal plan to make sure your meals are healthy and balanced.
- Reinforce new healthy habits
Habits are acquired over time. So be patient and don’t be in a hurry to take them on from one day to the next. Every small change is beneficial to your health.
