Eating healthy can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are some tips to help you stay motivated. Your future self will thank you.

If you’re like me, you know that it’s difficult to stay motivated to eating healthy. In fact, there are so many temptations around us that it sometimes seem virtually impossible. 

The key is not to get discouraged by these challenges. But, to find helpful strategies that work for YOU.

According to research, weight gain during adulthood is associated with many negative consequences including the development of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea and other conditions related to obesity (Gill, 2002).

This is because, as an adult, any weight gain usually translates to increases in fat stores (Gill, 2002).

Unfortunately, it is even more challenging to control weight gain as you get older. But, even if you can’t prevent weight gain entirely, exercise and a healthy diet will offer lots of protection against declining health.

To do this, setting wellness goals is important. But that’s the easy part. Staying motivated is much much harder.

In this blog post you’ll discover 21 simple, actionable tips to help you stay motivated to healthy eating.

Here are some tips to stay motivated to eating healthy

Some of the things that contribute to how well or poorly you make your diet and lifestyle decisions are your knowledge, motivation, confidence level and ability to understand who you are making the decision for.

In fact, these factors are much more influential  than you think.

Here are some of the best tips to help you stay motivated to eating healthy:

• Increasing your knowledge.
• Getting prepared beforehand. 
• Knowing your WHY.
• Identifying your triggers. 
• Knowing the costs of making bad food choices.  
• Controlling your emotions. 
• Shopping intentionally. 
• Avoiding temptations. 
• Holding yourself accountable. 
• Being aware of your wellness goals. 
• Realizing that perfection isn’t necessary. 
• Being cautious with decision making. 
• Being aware of portion sizes. 
• Knowing your strengths.
• Using food labels. 
• Being vigilant. 
• Acknowledging the power of small decisions. 
• Seeking professional help.
• Not giving up.

(1) Get informed to stay motivated to eat healthy

Firstly, to stay motivate to eat healthy, it’s important to know the basic details about what are healthy and unhealthy habits. Undoubtedly, it’s easier to make a better food decision knowing that an apple or carrot would be a healthier choice than French fries.

I know that’s a pretty obvious example. But my point is,  you need to continually work on getting informed about good health choices. You can’t do better if you don’t know better.

 Read more: Ultimate guide to overcome limited health literacy.

(2) Be prepared to make healthier food choices

To make healthier food choices, think in advance about the situations that have led to poor decisions in the past.

For example, consider how you felt when you ate a lot of junk food when watching movies, when you drank too much during happy hour last Friday or when you didn’t get enough sleep after staying out late on Saturday night.

Chance are that if you are aware of the feelings that led you to make poor decisions in the past, you can avoid them in the future by planning ahead.

Read also: How to create a personal wellness plan 

"Eating healthy food fills your body with energy and nutrients. Imagine your cells smiling back at you and saying thank you." - Karen Salmansohn

(3) Know your WHY to stay motivated to healthy eating

Stay motivated to eating healthier by deciding who your decision is for.

This may seem simple, but it’s important to know whether the decision is for yourself or someone else.  

I’m sure you would admit that making healthy food choices for your kids is completely different than making those choices for yourself.

(4) Self-confidence will help improve your food choices

To remain motivated to making healthier choices, build up your confidence by taking small steps towards your goal.

For example, if you want to lose weight, decide that you will walk around the block tomorrow morning at a slow pace.

Then you can slowly increase the duration and intensity. These little successes will give you the motivation you need to keep going.

(5) Identify your triggers to stay motivated to eating healthy

Know what obstacles and environmental triggers you might face when making healthier food choices.

For example, when trying to lose weight, you may be tempted to eat fast food for dinner only because your friends want to go there after work.

Once you’ve identified your triggers, you can work on taking steps to control or eliminate them.

(6) Know the costs of making bad food choices

Think about the negative consequences that would arise t if you made the decision to eat unhealthy food.

For example, if you decide to overeat or drink lots of soda, picture yourself feeling bloated and lethargic at work tomorrow morning.

This will make it a bit easier to stay on track. 

(8) Control your emotions to make healthier food choices

Use your emotions as you make the decision instead of letting them use you.  

For instance, if you are upset it may be much easier to make an unhealthy choice. That’s why being fully present in the moment and mindfulness are important to help you stick to your wellness goals.

At least, you should think about the domino effects of these emotional decisions and try to find a healthy alternative.

Read also: Discover the pros & cons of health incentives.

(9) Shop intentionally to stay motivated to healthy eating

To stay motivated to healthy eating, be intentional with your shopping.  Having healthy ingredients will increase your chances of actually using them. 

If you take just five minutes to plan your meals before shopping, write down what ingredients you need and prioritize them in order of importance.  

Explaining your wellness goals to other family members will help them understand the reasons for any changes in food habits.

They may also provide support to keep you motivated or even decide to join you on the journey.

(10) Avoid temptation to improve food choices

To stay motivated to making healthier eating choices, avoid temptation as much as possible. As such, keep junk food or other items that tempt you out of your house  or at least out of sight so that you don’t eat them.

Plus, try leaving a note nearby to remind yourself of the foods that are currently off limits.

"I can't control everything in my life, but I can control what I put in my body." - Unknown

(11) Hold yourself accountable to stay motivated to eating healthy

Learn to ask yourself questions when you are making a decision about healthy eating.

For example, when choosing between getting takeout for dinner or cooking at home, ask yourself what would be better in the long run?

This is particularly important if these unhealthy behaviors are becoming more customary. 

(12) Know your goals to improve your food choices

To stay motivated to healthy eating, review your goals and plan out what you will eat beforehand.

For example, before going to a dinner party, visit the restaurant’s website and look at their menu. Review your goals for this meal and choose something that will fit into them from the menu.

Additionally, if you tend to make poor choices because of pressure from friends or family members, try to plan ahead for these scenarios.

(13) You don’t need to be perfect to stay motivated to eating healthy

When it comes to healthy eating, remember that you don’t need to do things perfectly all the time.

It’s inevitable for you to never make a poor choice or spoil yourself a bit. But, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, choose to stay committed to the journey.

(14) Be cautious with decision making

When possible, try not to make important decisions when you are hungry.

For example, if you are job searching and hungry, your emotions may be heightened and you might make a bad choice about the location and content of your next meal instead of thinking rationally.

Read also: How to break bad habits that affect your life?

(15) Portion sizes will help you stay motivated to eating healthy

When you are making a food choice, try to look at the portion size of what you will be eating.

Being intentional regarding the amount you eat will help prevent overeating. Another trick is to purchase smaller dishes to eat in.

Also, when eating out, don’t be shy about asking for a doggie bag or bringing home half of your meal instead of eating it all.

"Eating crappy foods isn't a reward, it's a punishment." - Drew Carey

(16) Know your strengths to make healthier food choices

To make healthier food choices, identify what you can do well. And, remind yourself of this when faced with the temptation to make a poor food choice.

This will help boost your self-esteem and make you feel like you have the capacity to stay committed to healthier eating.

(17) Food labels help you stay motivated to eating healthy

Reading food labels is also another way to help you eat healthier.

If you realize that a food is high in fat or sugar, don’t be afraid to put it back on the shelf and opt for a healthier alternative.

Many foods will have sugar free or low-fat versions of the same product so you don’t have to feel guilty about eating them. Don’t worry, your taste buds will adjust soon enough.

Related: List of the best foods to eat for a healthy diet.

(18) Vigilance will help you stay motivated to eating healthier

Remember that just because something is advertised as healthy, it doesn’t mean that it really is. There are lots of enticing tactics that are implemented to deceive you.

For example, fruit snacks may sound healthy but oftentimes they have added sugar or artificial sweeteners to enhance the flavor.

Another example is that fruit-flavored drinks are usually just juice, water and sugar with little to no nutritional value.

(19) Everything matters when it comes to healthy choices

Realize that every decision – even small ones – matters in the long run.

Even if you don’t always make the healthiest choices, taking steps to improve your eating habits can help you feel better about yourself and achieve your goals over time.

If you cannot resist the urge to eat something unhealthy, try to think of ways of avoiding the mistakes in the future.

It is important to remember that your eating style today won’t be the same in five years. So, allow yourself room for improvement.

Read also: Why are habits more important than inspiration?

"The food you eat can be  either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison." - Ann Wigmore

(20) Professional help can keep you motivated to healthy eating

Staying committed to healthy eating is not an easy thing to do. But, there are many things that can help you along the way. Identifying these strategies and using them when needed will make maintaining a healthy lifestyle much easier.

If you have an addiction to eating unhealthy foods or find it difficult to control the amount you eat, try to see a doctor or therapist about these issues.

You may have a medical condition that contributes to these problems. Even if you don’t have a medical condition, a health and wellness coach may help keep you motivated.

Always remember that your health is important and deserves time and attention.

Read also: Considering health and wellness coaching?! Read this

(21) Keep going when it comes to improving food choices

Healthy eating is a lifestyle choice that needs to be embraced every day.  

Thus, don’t get discouraged when faced with temptation and remember that there are ways to help prevent overeating and poor food choices from ruining all of your hard work.

Identify what makes you vulnerable to making unhealthy food choices and find out what you can do to help yourself stay on track.

Final words on staying motivated to healthy eating

Eating healthy is a lifestyle choice that can be difficult. The key to staying motivated to eating healthy is finding ways that you can enjoy and find value in making this adjustment. 

It can be difficult at first, but with time, patience and implementing the tips mentioned in this article, it will become second nature.

I hope that these ideas have been helpful. Do you have any other thoughts about staying motivated to healthy eating? Share them in the comment section below!

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Reference

Gill T. Importance of preventing weight gain in adulthood. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2002;11 Suppl 3:S632-6.