Creating healthy habits for life is easier with the right perspective. Nutrition doesn’t have to be a complicated list of rules and deprivations, and in order to be sustainable, it shouldn’t be. Instead, you can focus on simple nutrition: how to fuel your mind and body every day to give you the energy you need to show up for your life.

When you start asking your body what it needs, and when you meet those needs with real foods that have grown somewhere, your body can shed excess weight. Fueling your body is about adding what you need, not about subtracting what you “can’t” or “shouldn’t” have. Try adding twenty ounces of water to break your fast in the morning, and water with every meal. You can add fresh fiber in the form of vegetables or a fruit to begin each meal. 

Planning is the key to simplifying your fuel routines—from meal planning to take the guesswork and impulse eating out of your day to making sure you take the time to move. As you plan what and when you are going to eat, you may find that choosing an eating window helps you to be mindful about what fuel you are putting in your body as well. This creates a structure that gives your digestive system a break, limits consumption, and increases mindfulness around fueling your body. You can try setting alarms on your phone as hydration and nutrition reminders, and remember that fuel is anything you PUT IN to nurture yourself, whether that is food or information. You can remind yourself to take breaks throughout the day to focus on gratitude, take ten deep breaths, and to move your body.

Pay attention to any foods that don’t make you feel good. Symptoms are the language your body uses to speak to you. What do you need? What might give you an allergic reaction, or show you a sensitivity? Some common food sensitivities are grains, dairy, eggs, nightshades (peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplant), nuts, and shellfish. 

It is also helpful to focus on gratitude. When you start by being grateful for the body you have, it is easier to make choices that nourish and care for that body. Fueling your body is about putting real food into it. That means you can also be grateful for where it was grown, for who harvested it and got it to you, and for who prepared it. Preparing food is an act of service that blesses those who partake. This is true whether you are making a meal for your family or an excellent lunch just for yourself!

Four Fueling Tips!

1. Hydrate first.

   If you’re feeling hungry, try drinking 20 ounces of water first. You may just be thirsty. 

2. Eat lots of colors.

   Vegetables come in every color of the rainbow! Adding fresh fiber to a meal, and eating it first, can help you control the portions of the other foods on your plate. 

3. Avoid eating too much protein.

   Too much protein can cause your gut microbiome to become unbalanced. If you eat more protein than your body can use, you’ll break it down and store it as fat. 

4. Cut the sugar.

   This is the number one tip to get your health moving in a positive direction! Sugar feeds the wrong things in your gut microbiome, it creates a dopamine response which can lead to addiction, it lowers your immunity, it wreaks havoc with your hormones, and it causes insulin resistance. 

The right fuel helps your body heal from the inside out. For a comprehensive look at nutrition, sleep, hydration, movement, and stress relief, check out the Lifestyle Master for Health e-course. For tips and delicious recipes to fuel your everyday life, Dr. Kiernan’s cookbook, Eating on Purpose, can be found at DrTraciKiernan.com. You can start today to choose food for fuel.