If you Google this topic, there’s plenty of guides out there that give you 50+ hacks on healthy eating.
My goal is not to re-hash those or bore you with ones you already know, although you should drink more water.
So, to save you time, here are my favorite healthy eating hacks that you may not have tried yet:
Healthy Eating Hack #1: Cut Your Fruits and Veggies Like Fries As Soon as You Get Home
One of the best trends I’ve noticed on Instagram is how creative it’s made people get when it comes to plating food.
And one thing is worth noting from this growing trend.
I’ve noticed that people in the best shape always seem to have raw veggies cut into strips like french fries.
After thinking about this and trying it personally, it makes sense why it’s so effective.
When you bring home fresh produce in its whole state, such as raw peppers or cucumbers for example, most people, including me before this hack, usually just throw them in the fridge as is.
The problem is that everytime you look at that pepper or cucumber, or whatever it is, all you see is that more work needs to be done and that you can’t just pop it open and enjoy it.
While you can eat an apple as is, most people aren’t eating peppers like this.
When you compare this to junk food, that’s part of its allure. Aside from the chemically created taste that fires up your brain, it’s easy and done for you.
You just open the container and enjoy.
This is what you need to do to your fruits and veggies — cut them up into snackable sizes.
Parents do this for kids all the time but, as you get older it’s tougher to squeeze in and becomes too much effort.
If this is too much work for you — which, I totally get, spend the extra money on pre-cut options.
While these can be chemically sprayed to preserve freshness and remove dirt, sometimes it’s all you can do if your schedule is just too crazy.
For the rest of you reading this, it takes less than 10 minutes to cut up a handful of fruits and veggies.
You can zone out and do this while you watch your favorite show or, like me, listen to music to pass the time.
Slicing in silence is also a good option, especially if you can’t spare a few minutes to meditate each day.
So cut your produce up and put it into containers that are clear and place these higher up on your fridge so they’re at eye level.
Anytime you’re mindlessly wandering for a snack or you’re in between your next meal and your stomach is actually growling, you can eat these until you’re tired of chewing.
And, just to be clear, I’m not suggesting that these veggies will replace your french fry craving.
But they can help you fill up on micronutrients and fiber, along with sneaking more fruits and veggies into your day, which can all help with weight loss and improving your overall health.
I add these veggies to my breakfast, lunch, and snacks in between meals if I need something to hold me over.
The next hack has also been a recent favorite turned new obsession of mine.
Healthy Eating Hack #2: Use Romaine Boats as a Crunchy No-Bread Base
Writing for Perfect Keto, I’ve come across a ton of low-carb hacks and I have to say this is by far one of my favorites.
I’ve been a huge fan of romaine lettuce but not so much a lettuce wrap supporter.
In salads, I love the crunch that romaine offers but find that lettuce wraps are always too soggy and soft to eat without making a mess.
That was until I realized that romaine leaves in their whole form make for a much sturdier base than traditional lettuce wraps.
This makes them an incredibly crunchy and delicious vessel for piling any combination of toppings you like on them.
I’ve made buffalo chicken salad, traditional chicken and tuna salads (with a dash of mayo and lots of celery cut up into fine chunks), and even tacos and scooped these on romaine boats to create filling lunches and dinner options when I’m too tired to do anything crazy.
I also use canned tuna, sardines, and organic hormone-free canned chicken if I’m really short on time.
For an even bigger crunch, you could combine this hack with the next one.
Healthy Eating Hack #3: Add Seeds Whenever You’re Craving Some Crunch
Skip the croutons on your salad and keep the crunch by adding seeds on top.
Seeds also make for an extra flavor layer that you can sprinkle on your lunch or dinner options.
You can even snack on raw seeds as-is or sprinkle them on some unsweetened coconut yogurt for a dairy-free parfait.
Seeds are also a quick and easy way to up the nutrition and satiation factor (how full you feel) of a meal without much extra effort.
You can buy raw sunflower, pumpkin, or sesame seeds to start and as you find which ones you like.
It’s always a good idea to rotate your foods too — which I’ll dive into shortly — so you get a well-rounded and optimized nutritional balance.
The next tip is helpful if the supermarket is too overwhelming with options for you.
Healthy Eating Hack #4: Keep It Simple at the Supermarket Using This Formula
Protein + veggies + healthy fats + and, for me, low GI carbs (low glycemic carbs don’t have as much of an insulin response) in the form of whole foods — sweet potatoes, quinoa, and foods like that.
Those four categories are the top ones to focus on when shopping at the supermarket.
The rest of the items in there are just fighting for your attention.
So it’s up to you to put the blinders on and move past the heavily marketed junk foods and bakery items trying to take your money.
One way to do this, as you’ve already heard, is to not go shopping when you’re starving.
But that’s easier said than done… until now.
This is the perfect time to eat those pre-cut veggies that you prepared from your last trip (see healthy eating hack #1).
Throw these in a Ziploc baggie (*bonus* points if you use reusable ones) if you don’t have time to eat them before you go.
From there, you can either start at your proteins or veggies in the supermarket to see what looks good, what’s on sale, and what’s the highest quality (organic, free-range, grass-fed, pasture-raised, free from hormones and chemicals, wild-caught) you can get in your budget.
These items alone may be enough to decide which options are right for you.
And in the event you can’t decide, think about your rotation — chicken, turkey, red meat, seafood — fatty fish, white fish, and shellfish — and keep alternating so you don’t overeat any one group.
I’m not doing dairy — that doesn’t mean you have to follow suit — so if you are, you can consider things like Greek yogurt and full-fat cheeses as part of your protein and healthy fat options.
As you make your selections at the store, don’t just focus on calories; it’s about getting a well-rounded amount of nutrients from plenty of different whole-food sources.
So don’t be tempted by 100 calorie this and low-fat that, these items usually have chemical ingredients, hidden sugars, and additives to make them remotely palatable.
And most times, these bad knock-off versions won’t satisfy your real craving which means you’ll still be left wanting the real thing (aka more).
Speaking of that, variety also helps to keep your attention.
People who say that healthy eating is boring are usually just too limited in their selections and stick with chicken and beef for safety.
There’s plenty of other healthy options to choose from — such as bison, sardines, oysters, lamb — and none of them will break the bank.
This rotation advice holds true for your vegetables too.
I’ve mentioned some of my favorites in this guide. My aim here is to choose low-carb options that don’t spike my blood sugar and leave me crashing and craving more carbs.
What works for you may be different. You may only have a few vegetables that don’t irritate you.
If that’s the case, stick with what works for you and don’t be afraid to add one new piece of fruit or vegetable each week to see if your body or taste buds have shifted.
You don’t need to constantly reinvent your favorites, but switching it up every now and then will help you see where your body is at in this point in time.
To do this, when you’re in the store, see what looks good to you — not junk food, fresh foods.
Does the watermelon sound better than some raspberries?
Or are you feeling cucumbers over zucchini?
See what your body is drawn to and make sure it’s not for the wrong reasons, such as junk foods on end caps chiseling away at your willpower.
When it comes to choosing my healthy fats, I also load up on plenty of avocados, nuts, seeds, olives, and coconut oil.
On top of that, I’m also realistic about my level of effort.
Some weeks I have the energy to cut my own veggies and other times I’ll go for pre-cut, especially if they are on sale but I do cut my foods more often than not.
If your week ahead is crazy, it might make sense to pay a little extra for pre-cut fruits and veggies and things of that nature.
Keep in mind, some options, such as baby carrots, are chemically washed to increase efficiency so this shouldn’t be something you rely on all the time.
Don’t Make This More Difficult Than It Needs to Be
This gives you four easy strategies to start with, but, that doesn’t mean you should attempt all of them at once.
Nor should you load up on tons of veggies and fruits with the hope of stocking three levels in your fridge.
Start small and take it easy by choosing one hack at a time and keep this up until you’ve mastered it. Once you do, you can then move on to choosing another one to tackle.
If you can’t decide, my vote is to start with cutting your fruits up like fries or trying the romaine boats out. No matter which option you choose, you won’t be disappointed.
In next week’s guide, I’ll dive into my best tips for working out.
After that, I’ll share my favorite strategies for reaching your goals.
If you guys enjoy these hack guides, I’ll create more of them.
So let me know what you think or if you have any questions. I’m here for you!
Email me direct at devan@behappynothangry.com. I’d love to hear from you!
To eating healthier with less effort,
Devan