5 Tips for Building a Healthy Eating Plan That Works for You (Without Restrictive Diets)
You want to nourish your body well and already know how key nutrition is for your health and wellbeing. When you eat better, you feel better plain and simple. And yet, landing on a healthy eating plan you can stick with and enjoy can be challenging.
As an Intuitive Eating dietitian, I believe the key to long-term success is having a flexible, supportive structure that doesn’t center around restrictive diets or cutting out bunches and bunches of foods. Instead, the most helpful healthy eating plans will prioritize pleasurable eating and an inclusive approach to food that meets your individual nutrition needs.
Let’s dive in and I’ll share my best strategies for building a healthy eating plan that nourishes your body and supports your emotional wellbeing and relationship with food.
Tip #1: Know how to plan nutrient-dense, balanced meals
Balanced meals are important because they help meet your nutrient needs, regulate your blood sugar and energy levels, and keep you full and satisfied throughout your day.
The easiest way to balance your meals is to use the Plate Method. Aim to fill half your plate with fruits and/or veggies, ¼ with a grain or starch and ¼ with a protein. For snacks, pair two options from the of the three macronutrient groups (carbs, protein, healthy fats) and add in colorful fruits and veggies as often as you can.
Here are some examples of what this might look like in practice:
Breakfast:
Oatmeal with nuts or nut butter and berries
Avocado toast topped with an egg, greens, cherry tomatoes, and feta or goat cheese
Mid-morning snack:
Greek yogurt and fruit
Rice cake topped with cottage cheese, berries, and a drizzle of honey
Lunch:
Turkey and cheese sandwich with greens on whole grain bread and some snap peas or baby carrots and dip on the side
Bagged salad topped with tuna and a sprinkle of nuts and feta cheese
Afternoon snack:
Popcorn and berries
Trail mix
Dinner:
Grilled chicken/salmon/pork, a baked potato, grilled veggies or a side salad
Bowl with brown rice, shrimp, lots of veggies and a peanut sauce
Be sure to choose foods that sound yummy; instead of thinking about which foods you should cut out or avoid, consider which nutrient-dense options you can add in.
If you’d like more help learning how to fuel your body, along additional, detailed strategies for building healthy, balanced meals and specific recommendations for the types of nutrient-dense foods you can add to your meals, check out my pre-recorded masterclass and accompanying resources, How to Eat Healthier Without Dieting or Stressing About Food, here.
Tip #2: Vary your diet and try to make it as inclusive as possible
Don’t fall into the diet culture trap of thinking that in order to eat healthy you need to cut out bunches and bunches of foods. The most supportive nutrition plan will include as much dietary variety as possible to meet all your nutrient needs.
That said, it’s generally a good idea to emphasize nutrient-dense foods like fruits, veggies, lean proteins, grains, nuts, seeds, beans, eggs, and other whole foods as much as you’re able.
I like the word “emphasize” because that acknowledges the importance of whole foods while still allowing plenty of room for convenience items and fun foods too. One key to pleasurable, guilt-free eating is remembering that some foods do a better job of nourishing your body and some do a better job of nourishing your soul. Both are important.
I tell my clients that “for the most part” are four powerful words in nutrition: For the most part, go for whole, nutrient-dense foods and be mindful of your intake of ultra-processed foods, sugary snacks, saturated fats, and sweetened drinks. That doesn’t mean these other foods are off limits or “bad,” but when you do enjoy them be attuned to your hunger and fullness cues, try to eat mindfully, and keep this nugget of wisdom from Intuitive Eating founder Evelyn Tribole handy, “if you don’t love it, don’t eat it, and if you love it, savor it.”
Tip #3: Support your goals with a flexible but predictable routine
Eating with mindful intention is a lot easier when you have reliable routines that ensure you have food available and ready to eat each week.
I suggest setting aside a regular time to plan your weekly meals. For example, you might designate Sunday mornings as your meal planning time. Maybe even make it fun by pouring yourself a yummy drink or putting on some music you enjoy so it feels like a special ritual.
Determine how many dinners you want to make that week and decide on your recipes or meal ideas. As you build your menus and meals, remember the plate method above. Choose meal ideas or recipes that match your cooking interests or abilities as well as your schedule and time constraints for the week.
And don’t worry, eating well doesn’t have to mean making elaborate recipes or spending loads of time in the kitchen. It’s ok to fill in gaps with some ready-made options or, if you know you have a very busy week with little time ahead, these half-homemade meal ideas may come in handy.
Make your grocery list during your menu planning time and don’t forget to include some items for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Designate a regular day of the week to grocery shop or place your grocery cart delivery and try to stick with your designated shopping day as often as you can. The more routine you can make this process, the more meal ready you’ll be.
In terms of meal timing and consistency, most people need three meals per day plus a snack or two or 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day. You know your body and preferences best and can experiment with different options to see which feels the best for you. Aiming to eat your meals and snacks around the same general times each day will create a predictable rhythm to your eating that can help you avoid getting overly hungry. Since we’re far more likely to eat whatever is most palatable and in front of us and to eat very quickly and urgently when we’re overly hungry, this is a key step to making feel-good eating choices that support your healthy eating goals. If this is something you struggle with, check out how to use the Intuitive Eating hunger-fullness scale.
Tip #4: Create a positive eating environment
As much as you can, try to sit down in a chair at a table with plates and utensils. This may sound either crazy or obvious, but so many of us are used to eating while we’re running around doing a million other things.
This is ok and harmless if it happens occasionally but if you fall into this pattern for most of your meals, it makes it much harder to tune into your hunger and fullness signals and how the food is tasting or making you feel. It can also have a negative impact on digestion and will often lead to uncomfortable overeating.
If you’re an on-the-go eater, look for opportunities to purposefully slow down and allow yourself time to just… eat. Even 10-15 minutes of a dedicated time for meals can be very impactful. If that feels overwhelming or out of reach, start small by making this change for just one meal. For example, you might set aside a few minutes to sit down with your lunch even just one or two days per week, and build from there.
Tip #5: Set realistic goals
Rather than trying to make big, sweeping changes all at once, set small, simple, realistic goals you feel confident you can achieve. I help my clients do this while reminding them that any one change in and of itself may seem insignificant but when you string together a series of small, doable changes they add up to meaningful and sustainable change over time.
Small simple goals might look like:
Aiming to add a fruit or veggies into your lunch this week
Swapping out regular bread for whole grain bread or regular pasta for whole grain pasta next time you grocery shop
Choosing a balanced snack instead of grabbing chips from the vending machine during your late night at the office
Including a protein with your breakfast this week
Prioritizing time to grocery shop each week
Allow some time for self-reflection on a regular basis. For example, maybe you take 5 minutes on a Saturday morning or when you’re making your to-do list for the week and ask yourself how you’re doing with your healthy eating goals. Have your food choices been feeling good? Have you been respecting your hunger and fullness cues? For the most part, have your meals been balanced and nutrient dense?
If you’re not where you want to be, go back to the tip above and decide on one or two small simple goals you can recommit to.
Measure your progress against your starting point — not your ideal or end goal. It’s easy to get discouraged when you’re looking at the end goal you’ve not yet reached. However, when you look instead at the progress you’ve already made, it’s far more motivating and encouraging.
Lastly, remember you’re aiming for progress not perfection. Every simple win counts.
And, of course, if you’d like individualized nutrition guidance and ongoing support and accountability to change your eating patterns without rigid dieting rules, I’d love to help you and offer varying levels of support to match your needs and financial considerations. Click here to book a free strategy call and let’s chat about your goals!