The one thing you need to do to eat healthier, every time

by Mamamia Team September 29, 2014

Images: Thinkstock

People are creatures of habit. We try and avoid thinking too much or trying too hard whenever possible. After all, thinking too much or making too many choices uses up an enormous amount of energy, energy that could be better spent doing all sorts of other things.

Fortunately, we can use our natural inclination to be lazy to our advantage when it comes to making the right choices about what we eat.

When you’re heading to your fridge for a snack, or to you pantry to figure out what to cook, there’s one thing you can do that will help you make the healthiest choice every single time.

Just put the healthy food where you can see it.

It might sound obvious, but think about the way your fridge is laid out. There’s probably a veggie crisper at the bottom, right? While that crisper means your veggies stay a little fresher, a little longer, it also means that vegetables are the last thing you see when you open the fridge. Rather than having a bag of carrots or a bunch of celery in your face screaming ‘Eat me! Eat me!’ the first thing you’re likely to see are leftovers, lunch meats or bottles of beer and soft drink.

If you have a few very healthy, easy snacks right at eye level in your fridge, those will be the things you eat first. This isn’t just common sense either, there’s evidence for it. A Cornell University study found that people were three times more likely to eat the first item of food they saw in their house.

The same goes for your pantry. Keep the nuts, brown rice, tinned veggies, wholegrain biscuits, and other low GI, not-too-processed foods right up the front, at eye level, and you’re more likely to reach for them first.

Perhaps your best step towards healthy snacking is to invest in a very pretty fruit bowl, and keep it very visible and well stocked with healthy things. That way, you don’t even have to open the fridge or pantry to see something good to eat.

Of course, if you really want to force yourself to eat well, just don’t have junk food in the house to begin with.

Which isn’t to say you can’t have any treats. For example, these 10 foods have a bad reputation, but they can actually be great for you.

10 foods you never knew were healthy

Bread

KATIE THOMSITT, Dieticians Australia spokesperson says: "Lots of people shy away from bread to achieve weight loss. But bread is such an important source of fibre, and plays such a helpful role in weight loss and preventing bowel cancer. A couple of slices of a dark, seedy bread per day is absolutely fine."

Cheese

KATIE SAYS: "Cheese is definitely a higher fat source of dairy, but still a good dairy fat. Choose low-fat options if you have it regularly, otherwise consume it in moderation. One serve of dairy is 30g, so a couple of slices is absolutely fine."

Chocolate

KARA LANDAU, The Travelling Dietician says: "Studies have been able to show that dark chocolate can improve insulin sensitivity, reduce blood pressure in healthy individuals, protect against heart disease, and improve HDL good cholesterol (not a bad start for such a tasty food!). Dark chocolate also contains polyphenols, whilst white chocolate does not. These polyphenolic compounds are able to relax blood vessels allowing for better blood circulation, and thereby assisting with the maintenance of healthy blood pressure levels."

Coffee

KATIE SAYS: "Coffee is a really good snack, in particular if its milk-based to get the dairy in - for example, a skim latte. As long as its in moderation - daily guidelines say a maximum of three per day! And you want lots of water on top of that."

Eggs

KARA SAYS: "Yes, even the yolks are good for you! Healthy fat soluble vitamins, as well as half the protein found in an egg, are all found in the yolk!"

Avocado

KATIE SAYS: "Avocado is a healthy fat. Lots of people think its high-fat and not good for you, but its rich in mono unsaturated fats, which give you protection against heart disease. It also helps with controlling lower cholesterol levels."

nuts

KATIE SAYS: "Nuts fall into the same category as avocado - they have lots of healthy oils and fibre."

dairy

KARA SAYS: "Often milk and yoghurts are fortified with Vitamin D (a fat soluble vitamin) which requires a small amount of fat to be present in order for the body to absorb it, therefore having the full fat variety can be of value to enhance the nutritional benefits from the products' consumption. The fat in the dairy also aids with satiety, which could prevent unhealthy snacking at a later point in the day."

Potato

KATIE SAYS: "Potato always gets a bad rap as a starchy vegetable, but it's an excellent source of fibre. Sweet potato in particular is great for weight management and sugar level control. Potatoes are also really rich in potassium."

Red meat

KARA SAYS: People tend to restrict red meat unnecessarily, thinking that its high in saturated fat. "But lean red meat is high in protein, CLA (which has been found to be associated with lower body fat percentages), B12, iron and zinc. These are all nutrients we want to get into our body!"

What makes you fall off the healthy eating bandwagon?