12 Healthy Eating Habits to Start Today

Whether your goal is weight loss, weight gain, or fueling your body, here are some healthy eating habits you can start today, and maintain for the long term, that will help to improve your health.

Nutrition can get confusing. From how much protein you should eat, to the best sources of fiber, and what oils to avoid, it can be difficult to determine the best way to eat for your body and metabolism. However, certain eating habits are beneficial regardless of your personal health goals.

Tips for Healthy Eating

Here are 12 healthy eating habits you can start today.

1. Prioritize whole foods.

One of the easiest and most effective ways to ensure you are eating a healthy diet is to focus on consuming whole foods. Whole foods are single ingredients that come from a plant or an animal and include fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, whole grains, nuts, seeds, milk, poultry, meat, and seafood.

Whole foods are real food and real food is healthy food as these foods are rich in the macronutrients and micronutrients required to support optimal health. By prioritizing whole foods in your diet, you can ensure you are consuming nutrient-dense foods and reduce your consumption of processed food at the same time.

2. Learn to read food labels.

In addition to eating whole foods, learning how to read food labels is one of the best ways to develop healthier eating habits. Although whole, unprocessed foods are generally considered the healthiest foods, processed foods can be included in a healthy diet, and the ingredients list is the most valuable part of a food label as it tells how exactly what is in the product and in what proportions.

Reading the ingredients list and facts label on a food label can help you better understand what you are eating, how many calories it contains, and its density of micronutrients and macronutrients. For instance, there are many brands of jarred tomato sauce, hummus, granola, and soup that are healthy store-bought foods that can make creating and adhering to healthy eating habits much easier.

3. Eat balanced meals.

Consuming balanced meals is integral to ensuring you are eating a healthy diet. While consuming healthy foods is important, if you are not consuming an optimal balance of macronutrients, it will be more difficult to maintain a healthy diet and healthy weight. By creating balanced meals, complete with a source of protein, carbohydrate, fiber, and fat, at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you can help to ensure that are consuming adequate protein, fiber, healthy fats, and calories.

Moreover, consuming balanced meals can help to balance blood sugar, increase satiety levels, eat fewer calories, optimize performance, and support body composition goals (1, 2, 3).

4. Cook your meals.

Cooking is one of the simplest and most effective ways to eat a healthy diet. Not only does cooking meals at home allow you to focus on whole foods and create balanced meals, but it is also a simple way to reduce your intake of unhealthy fats, added sugars, unnecessary additives, and preservatives.

In fact, studies have shown that people who frequently cook meals at home eat healthier and consume fewer calories than those who cook less (4). On average, homemade meals contain fewer calories and are more nutrient-dense than prepared foods and restaurant meals.

5. Enjoy a variety of foods.

Not only does eating a variety of foods help to ensure you are consuming a variety of nutrients, but enjoying a variety of foods helps to increase long-term healthy eating habits. With the exception of food allergies and food intolerances, excluding food groups from your diet or marking certain foods as “off limits” can limit your intake of important nutrients and encourage an “all-or-nothing” mentality.

In fact, the consequences of excluding major food groups are not merely physical, as studies have shown that individuals who utilize a rigid dieting strategy are more likely to exhibit symptoms of eating disorders, overeating, and mood disturbances (5, 6). So instead of identifying foods as “good” or “bad”, focus on creating balanced meals with whole foods while including your favorite foods.

6. Stay hydrated.

The importance of drinking plenty of water cannot be understated and is one of the most important healthy eating habits you can do. As a general rule, it’s best to consume 1 liter of water per 75 pounds of body weight, however, an individual may require more or less water depending on where they live, their activity level, health, environment, and personal health conditions (7). While coffee, tea, smoothies, fresh fruit juices, and other beverages can certainly be consumed as part of a healthy diet, it’s best to drink plain water and limit beverages with added sugars such as fruit juice, soda, and alcohol.

7. Eat slowly and chew your food.

You might be surprised to learn that digestion begins in the mouth, which is why eating slowly and fully chewing your food is so important. The enzymes present in our saliva not only stimulate the digestive process but also attack the bacteria in our food, therefore, not chewing our food thoroughly can lead to digestive issues such as gas, bloating, and indigestion.

Moreover, eating slowly has been shown to provide greater food satisfaction and reduce calorie intake, it gives your body time to recognize that you’re full, which is helpful for weight loss goals (8, 9). Slowing down to savor your food is a very impactful healthy eating habit you can implement.

8. Eat without digital distraction.

Not only can eating without digital distraction help you practice mindful eating but ensure that you are not eating more than you need. Studies have shown that being distracted by digital devices or not paying attention to a meal can prompt you to eat more than intended at that meal and eat more throughout the day (10). Making mealtime “electronic-free” is another healthy eating habit that can help you control your food intake.

9. Practice intuitive eating with the hunger-fullness scale.

In addition to eating slowly, chewing, and avoiding digital devices while eating, you can create healthier eating habits by using the hunger-fullness scale. This intuitive eating tool is a scale designed to help you reconnect with your body and your hunger cues. By ranking your level of hunger and fullness on a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 represents being ravenous and 10 represents being painfully full, you can become more in tune with your body’s natural cues.

10. Pay attention to portion size.

While you don’t need to count calories to eat a healthy diet, it’s important to be mindful of portion sizes to ensure you’re not eating too much or too little. Although hand portion sizes are often considered a weight loss tool to eat smaller meals, and are very helpful for it, using portion sizes can help to ensure that you are eating enough protein and fiber, and creating well-balanced meals. Portion sizes, not to be confused with serving sizes, are a great tool to ensure you’re eating a healthier diet, eating enough to fuel your day, and supporting your goals.

11. Aim for consistency, not perfection.

When working to create healthy eating habits, it’s important to remember that the goal is consistency, not perfection. A healthy diet can (and should) include “junk” food, it simply needs to be the exception, not the rule. If you prioritize whole foods, create balanced meals, and cook your meals most of the time, you can create a flexible dieting plan and indulge in treats and sweets from time to time without concern.

12. Ask for help.

If you’re struggling to implement healthy eating habits or need help eating for a health condition, it’s best to work with a registered dietician to develop a personalized nutrition plan. Working with a qualified nutrition professional is the best way to determine the dietary guidelines that will support your personal health goals.

The Bottom Line

Creating healthy eating habits is the simplest way to improve your diet, maintain a healthy weight, and achieve your health goals. To create a healthy and balanced diet, prioritize whole foods, build balanced meals, cook at home, drink water, pay attention to portion sizes, eat slowly without digital distractions, and indulge in treats occasionally. For personalized dietary guidelines, it is best to work with a qualified health professional or registered dietician.