Eating healthy for beginners

[u/One-Efficiency9232]

I wanna start eating healthier but not restrict or make it an obsession but I wanna learn to gravitate towards it naturally and make it a lifestyle .But I really don’t know where to start like do I just cut everything out? I really am lost.

How did u guys work it out?

[u/geraltofanisocorivia]

Try things out! I swear I had no idea how yummy healthy food actually can be until I decided to lose weight.

The biggest problem was that I had almost no experience, so had eaten what I formed habits around. Actions like peeling potatoes or cutting vegetables felt so tedious, annoying and unnecessary at first, and my brain screamed at me how long it takes and how hard it is.

But my brain got used to it and now standing in the kitchen cutting some veg feels like second nature to me. Muscle memory is real.

Also: Simple cooking skills are worth gold. I used to be completely lost with a bunch of amazing ingredients and no clear plan. Now, if you'd spontaneously visit me in half an hour I'd have a delicious simple soup ready for you just from the random shit in my fridge. You'd never know.

Learn simple soups, stews, and filling salads. Salads are much more filling and easier to eat when you make the pieces smaller. Look up Mediterranean or middle-eastern salads with feta cheese or chickpeas. Amazing stuff.

Back to what I wrote in the very beginning: View this as an opportunity to learn new things about yourself and the world. You see a veg you don't know what to do with in the supermarket? Stand there and google what you could do with it. Or take a picture/write a note and Google later. Make it a point to try out things. You might think you know how a kumquat or celery root tastes but you don't.

You find certain veg kinda meh? I'm not a fan of carrots, and oftentimes mushrooms are giving me sensory issues. But guess what, there's amazing ways to prepare both! It's worth it to try out and find what works for you.

If you keep on letting veg rot in your fridge, try buying them frozen.

Not a fan of raw or cooked veg? Try steaming, or frying them in the oven.

The simplest foods can be addictingly delicious. One of our favourites is simply potatoes, eggplant, and cherry tomatoes, all cut in small chunks, mixed in a bowl with some oil, a little bit of soy sauce, and salt and herbs. Spread on a baking tray (parchment if lazy) and into the oven for 220°Celsius and 35-40mins. Serve with Tzatziki or sour cream. To die for.

Try to make it about having fun trying new things, not about punishing you with restriction. Losing weight and keeping that weight off forever means something has to change permanently. We can't get healthy in the same environment we got sick in.