You know you need to eat healthier to reach your goals. What’s getting in your way?

Time/Planning:

You’re busy, working long hours, and grabbing food on the go. Wherever you go (even convenience stores), choose the healthiest options. Instead of chips and soda, opt for water, fruit (fresh if they have it or dried), popcorn, crackers, or pretzels, and nuts or jerky (if you eat meat). Even convenience stores and some drug stores have fresh fruit, veggies and hummus, or fruit and cheese plate. You can find granola bars or protein bars anywhere (not ideal, but better than a lot of options there).

If you consistently find yourself at these stores for meals or snacks, save yourself time (and money) by buying snacks at the grocery store or ordering them online and shipping them right to work. Stock up on nut butter packs, bars, and single serving packs of crackers, pretzels, trail mix, and nuts. Can you bring a week’s supply of fruit? Do you have access to a refrigerator for perishable foods  like hard boiled eggs (buy them already cooked), single serving containers of hummus or guac, and baby carrots. If you don’t have a fridge, get a lunch bag and ice packs and bring these foods daily. If you work from home, you can also use these tips. Make the healthy stuff convenient and that’s what you’ll eat!

If you’re going to meal prep, save time by buying pre-cut veggies. Or get a meal delivery service so all you have to do is assemble and cook. If you eat out sometimes, that’s no excuse to go off the rails. Hit the salad bar, pick healthy restaurants, and order the healthiest meal you can.

Save time and decision fatigue by planning. Start with some recipes. I like to print recipes and keep them organized in folders by type. After I make a recipe, I move it to the back. Next time I open the folder, I grab the recipe on top. If you have too many recipes, clean them out every so often. Just like cleaning out your closet — if you haven’t made it over a year, you’re probably not going to. Pick out a couple of recipes for the week and add the ingredients to your shopping list. Use a sharable app so it’s always with you. Schedule a day to shop for groceries or have them delivered. Schedule a day to cook.

Snacking/Craving/Sweet-Tooth:

Snacking is a habit you’ve created and you can replace it with a different, more favorable habit. First, look at the time of day you have cravings, figure out what could be contributing to snacking, and determine what habit you want to start in its place.

Afternoon snacking: We all experience an afternoon energy lull. Make sure you’re staying hydrated throughout the day, you have a healthy lunch with slow-burning carbs, lots of protein and fiber, and some healthy fat. You’ll also need to be consistent with getting the required 7.5-9.5 hours of sleep every night. You need a snack this time of day, so you might as well pack a healthy snack like fruit and almonds.

Nighttime snacking: This is a common complaint. As with afternoon cravings, make sure you’re hydrated, rested, and getting all your macro-nutrients throughout the day. If you know you’ve going to snack anyway, make a healthier snack (like a protein smoothie).  Start an evening ritual of cleaning up the kitchen, turning off the lights, and brushing your teeth after dinner. If you tend to eat while watching TV, instead go for a walk or read and have tea. ProTip: buy the foods you want to eat and stop buying the junk you don’t want to eat. If there are other adults in the house who still eat junk food, ask them put it up on a high shelf in the pantry or way in the back of the freezer. Out of sight really is out of mind.

Boredom:

If you’ve gotten into a rut and you’re tired of eating the same foods all the time, you can add variety while staying healthy.

Eat seasonally. Just like you change up your wardrobe and home décor with the seasons, change up your diet. Use Ayurvedic recipes for inspiration. The Doshas coordinate with the seasons. In the Fall, search for Vata foods/recipes. In late Winter/early Spring, look for Kapha foods/recipes. And in Summer, search for Pitta-cooling foods/recipes.

Join a co-op and experiment with new produce.

Follow foodies on social and subscribe to their blogs. But don’t just like and keep scrolling,  print that recipe and try it!

Get a meal delivery service to get exposed to different foods, recipes, and spices.

No Control:

Establish your identity. Right now, you see yourself as having no control. Maybe you eat whatever junk is in the break room. Or you’ll get take-out anytime your colleagues ask. What if you changed your identify to someone who eats healthy or who doesn’t eat _______. You will not be tempted by things that don’t align with your vision of yourself. And other people will get the message and stop offer you foods they know you don’t eat.

Don’t know how to cook:

You can learn! Everything you know how to do now, you learned on your own or someone taught you.

Teach yourself. There are millions of FREE videos on literally everything online right now.

Attend cooking classes.

Hire someone to come to your house and teach you how to cook.

Partner up with a friend who needs some accountability and cook together.

Pressure from friends/family:

Food is more than sustenance that keeps ups alive. It’s also social, cultural, and emotional. When going to an event, like holiday dinners, manage expectations in advance. Tell your family what you’re eating or not eating and offer to bring something that aligns with your decision and that everyone can enjoy.

Prepare with “if, then” planning. If someone is pressuring you, then you will _____.

Keep it positive in your words and attitude. Instead of saying “I’m not eating turkey” or “I don’t eat dessert,” say “I’m having these veggie burgers I made” and “I’ll have fresh fruit for dessert.”

Recruit an ally. Ask your partner to chime in with something positive when the pressure is on, like “That fruit salad looks great, I’ll have some too please.”

Establish clear boundaries for yourself. Limit exposure to toxic people as much as possible. If that’s not an option, do some inner work well in advance to establish healthy boundaries internally. Remember, no one has the power to make you feel or do anything. And you have power to be a positive influence as they do to be a negative influence. Social contagions work both ways!

Be an inspiration. No need to argue, debate, or try to change anyone. Be a happy, healthy, positive example. That’s the best thing can do for your well-being (physically and emotionally) and for the world!