Published to Newsletter on Jan 26, 2022
If you want to be a better piano player, you’ll have to practice playing. If you want to be a better swimmer, you’ll have to practice swimming. If you want to learn a new language, you’ll have to practice speaking it.
Your practice will need to be focused and deliberate. Take swimming, for example – if you want to improve, you can’t just go splashing around in the water. Instead, you’ll implement specific drills to improve your technique.
Eating isn’t any different. If you want to be a healthier eater, it helps to practice. But practice isn’t just mindlessly having another meal; that would be the same as splashing around in the water. Healthy eating improves by having a plan and practicing specific techniques to build new habits.
So, what could this practice look like? Just as there are many ways to eat, there are many ways to practice (which is partly what makes it so difficult!), but here are a few healthy eating “drills” to get you started:
Count the colors on your plate: Variety, especially with fruits and vegetables, helps ensure we get all the nutrition we need. How many colors can you include? Practice adding one more than you typically have.
Practice your knife skills: One struggle with including more vegetables is that they often require chopping. Improving your knife skills will make this less of a burden over time.
Make the same vegetable using three different preparation methods: Often, when people don’t like a vegetable, they actually just don’t like how it was prepared (think mushy boiled carrots vs. cumin roasted carrots). Experimenting with different cooking options will help you find what you like best.
Pre-portion snacks and treats: If you struggle with portions sizes, determine what you’ll eat ahead of time by using single-serving packages. Over time, you’ll retrain your brain to recognize appropriate portions.
Use a food tracking app: Similarly, try using a food tracking app if you struggle with calories. It will help you recognize the calorie amounts of foods you commonly eat.
These are just a few ideas. If you change your mindset and view healthy eating as a skill that needs practice, it can make it easier to see your progress by focusing on the small steps you take every day. Keep practicing, and little by little you’ll become the eater you want to be.
And if you’d like help building your practice routine, check out our individual nutrition counseling, free for all faculty and staff.
Tags: EmployeeWellness, Nutrition, Wellness
