Easy Way to Eat Better as a Teenager

Hello friends! As of now, I have three passions: blogging, running, and nutrition. I figured it was time to share my love of nutrition with you! I got really into nutrition in March, and the time in lockdown/quarantine has really allowed me to focus on it. A while back, I did a “What I Eat In A Day” post, that was my baseline diet. Now, in addition to those foods, I eat more vegetables and less processed foods. I learned to listen to my body and what I need to feel myself as an athlete. Today, I would like to share with you how I got to eating better. Also, please note that I am not a professional and this is just my personal experience. If you have a rough relationship with food, please seek help, and do what’s best for yourself in the long run.

Try new things

A big “hello” to all of my picky eaters, I see you, and I get you. I was such a picky eater, but I’m really not now. One super easy way to eat better is to add nutrient rich foods into your diet.  I always steered clear of beans, but now they’re one of my favorite foods! They are great to toss into a smoothie because you can’t taste them and gives it such a dreamy texture. Don’t be afraid to try new things that diversify your diet… what’s the worst that can happen?

Add, don’t substitute

This is more specific to athletes, but it applies to everyone. Instead of cutting out foods that you think shouldn’t be in your diet, but you love, try simply adding different foods in when you enjoy them! For example, if I really want pizza, I’m going to have pizza with sautéed kale and  baby carrots just to get some more vitamins and such. Once you start adding in healthier foods, you might find that the foods you thought you really loved, like Oreos, aren’t really that good. Therefore you don’t eat them as much and increase your intake of more natural foods.

Follow foodstagrams

Foodstagramers, like @Amberunz really jump started my new lifestyle. They show you some gorgeous and mouthwatering food that also happen to be nutritious. They are really inspiring and help motivate you to make the changes you want to make. I mostly follower runners with food accounts, but there are some non-sport focused accounts like @upbeetandkaleingit that are awesome and have AMAZING recipes.

Start cooking

Cooking doesn’t have to be anything fancy. It can be making rice for yourself.  I personally found that cooking my own food made it easier for me to eat healthier because I knew what was going into my food. I spend an hour every week prepping produce and such, like sweet potatoes and beans, so I can grab them from the fridge and eat them when I want. If I didn’t have them, I would probably go for a less nutrisious option. Remember that the little things add up, and having staples ready to go in your fridge will make it really easy to consistently eat what and how you want

Change your mindset

There are so many things to remember on your food journey, many of which probably coincide with your standing food beliefs. Before you make decisions, it’s important to know and change your relationship and view with/on food. For example: do you classify foods as good and bad? This is something that’s hard to break, but can be done with practice. Remember that all food serves you and provides you with energy, but at the same time, you should be weary of how much you consume certain foods. I know this is confusing, but I think it will make more sense when you internalize it…

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY

This one was the game changer for me. If you get anything from this post, I hope that it’s that your body is smart and you should listen to it! Once you figure out what your body needs and wants every day, you’ll be better off. This is also known as ‘intuitive eating,’ there are some great resources about it. It’s actually kind of funny that we all need to be taught to listen to our bodies, but it’s really not that hard once you commit to it.

There are so many more things that I want to share with you, but it’s hard to put them into words. I love talking about nutrition and my food journey, so if you want to hear anything from me, let me know! Also, please remember that this is a life long process. It doesn’t happen overnight. We want to make sustainable changes, so be patient with yourself! I hope this helped you and I wish you all of the best on your food journey.

I am participating in a walkathon to benefit Yemen. Along with four other content creators, I will be walking 10,000 steps everyday and donating $5 for every day that miss. The funds raised will go to Islamic Relief to provide the people of Yemen with food and other necessities. It would mean the world to me if you would take the time to check out our donation page. Please share with your friends and family and consider donating! Even the smallest bit makes a difference! Thank you in advance for your support!