5 Tips for Eating Healthy Without Going Hungry

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Thanks to Gina B. for submitting this post with tips on helping us eat healthy without going hungry.

You can eat healthy and lose weight without starving.  In fact, missing meals and skipping out on food will cause you to actually gain weight instead of losing.

Your body doesn’t know the difference between actual starvation and going deep into hunger. It will nourish itself with your muscle and hang on to the bad fat.  Back in my days of working in a corporate office, I didn’t know that, and took pride in the days I missed lunch or dinner!

I’ve learned a lot, though, as a mom trying to feed my kids properly.  I would never skip out a meal or snack for my child if I can help it, because I’m concerned about their nutrition.  My kids have food sensitivities – not outright allergies, mind you, but certain foods that trigger unpleasant behaviors, like acting out in school, or sleeplessness  and tantrums.  In removing foods from their diet, I’ve learned how to eat real food.  That’s helped me feel healthier, lose a little bit of weight, and has made my skin look younger – without missing a single meal.

Here are my top 5 tips for eating healthy and not going hungry.

Change your oil

You should reduce how much and how often you use oil, but eliminating soy-based oil (vegetable oil, etc) and replacing it with a healthier oil is a good idea.  Try using extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil, or almond oil instead.  Coconut oil is also very healthy for you, but it is high in saturated fats, so be careful if you use it.

Stop buying packaged foods altogether

Preservatives, flavorings, dyes, MSG, GMO, high sodium, toxic sugar substitutes, chemicals – all of these and more can be bad for you and packaged foods tend to have these things in bulk.  If you must have bread, buy a healthier version, for example, bread that’s either gluten-free, made from spelt or sprouted grains, or is at least heavy and dense.   Light, airy breads are usually filled with junk and lots of sugar.

Eliminate the white sugar and the sugar substitutes

Time and time again, we hear these things are bad for your health, but sugar also increases your middle.  If you must have a sweetener, try something natural, like Xylitol or honey.

Eat Paleo

When our family needed to go gluten-free, I started cooking  the Paleo way– and didn’t even know it.  A diet full of limited amounts of grass fed meats, cage-free poultry, pastured eggs, and safe fish, with lots of vegetables and a bit of fruit will give you all the nutrients you need.  The key is in the seasoning.  For example, I love making curry chicken sauteed in coconut oil, red curry paste, coconut milk and fresh pineapple chunks, and serve it over bean curd pasta.  Delicious and healthy.

Drink smoothies

I know a lot of people who cannot stomach vegetables, especially the green leafy ones you  need to process other foods.  The solution?  Try a green smoothie.  Simply put kale or spinach into your blender with delicious sweet fruits, like pineapple chunks, almond milk, peanut butter, berries, etc.  You can even throw flax seeds in it for some extra taste.  Blend it long enough and get the mixture right, and you won’t taste the kale, and it’s just a delicious smoothie. Like hiding veggies for your kids, you can hide your veggies in your smoothies.

If you want to lose weight, skip the idea of starving yourself or eating “low fat” foods full of filler and chemicals that don’t feed your hunger or enrich your body.  Rebuild your diet with fresh, natural foods and watch yourself grow healthier and slimmer!

What kind of foods do you eat that make you feel fuller longer?