Nibbling at Healthy Eating
Whether you’re striving for a healthy weight or just eating for wellness, try a technique called habit stacking.
What is habit stacking?
Habit stacking involves regularly linking new positive actions to other parts of your current routine. Think of it like flossing before brushing your teeth or stretching before exercising.
To create your own habit stacking, try this 1-2-3 approach.
- Think of ways you could eat healthier. Consider:
- Adding more vegetables or fruit to your eating plan
- Reducing the sodium in your diet
- Cooking more at home to have better control over the foods you eat
- Avoiding added sugar in your drinks and foods
- Ask yourself what small steps you can take to work toward these goals.
- Think about how you can tie those small steps to things you already do.
Check out these suggestions.
| When you … | Try this … |
|---|---|
| Check your email or texts | Before you start, watch a short video on how to cut, slice, dice or cook a healthy food. |
| Heat water for coffee or tea | Wash and prepare a vegetable or fruit for snacking later. |
| Get impatient while waiting in line | Use your phone to look up a healthier recipe for one of your favorite dishes. Then, start shopping lists for bookmarked recipes. |
| Microwave a meal, side dish or snack | Prepare a pitcher of water add fruit slices to replace sugary beverages for you and your family. |
| Unload the dishwasher | In your head, imagine a dinner plate divided in half. Think about what fruits and veggies you already have on hand that could fill half your plate for your next lunch and dinner. Later, think about what healthy foods could fill your plates for other meals this week. |
| Open a can, bottle, box or other food package | Read the Nutrition Facts label. Note how many servings the item contains, whether there are added sugars and how much of the day's recommended sodium is in one serving. Start a list tracking your sodium intake from packaged foods and gradually swap high-sodium items for lower-sodium alternatives. |
| Finish using your phone or computer for the evening | Bookmark an online reference on healthy eating, such as healthy substitutions, serving sizes or making your own condiments. |
