Recently, many friends have been asking me about healthy eating. Everyone seems eager to develop healthy eating habits but gets overwhelmed by the various advice online. One friend complained to me: "Last week I watched a video about healthy eating, immediately threw away all my snacks, and decided to go completely vegetarian. I only lasted three days before breaking down and now I'm binge-eating junk food again." Actually, this is super normal! As an expert who deals with nutrition daily, I really want to say: truly effective dietary improvement isn't achieved overnight - it needs to happen gradually.
When it comes to healthy eating, many people's first reactions are: "Doesn't that mean I have to be vegetarian?" "Do I need to give up all snacks?" "Does this mean no more hotpot or barbecue?" Honestly, these comments always make me smile. Healthy eating isn't like that at all! I had a student, Xiao Zhang, who watched a "7-day Rapid Healthy Eating Plan" on a short video platform, then came home and threw away all his snacks and drinks, filling his fridge with lettuce and broccoli. Guess what? After just three days, he couldn't take it anymore and secretly went out at midnight to buy a bunch of junk food, ending up eating even less healthily than before.
This reminds me of another student, Xiao Li, a programmer who used to eat takeout for all three meals. One day he suddenly decided to eat healthy, immediately uninstalled all his food delivery apps, and planned to cook at home. The result? Too busy to cook, too hungry but too embarrassed to reinstall the delivery apps, he ended up surviving on instant noodles - isn't that even less healthy?
That's why I now strongly recommend a gradual transformation approach. Take increasing fruit intake for example - nutrition research shows we should eat at least 300-500 grams of fruit daily. But what's the reality? The average Chinese resident only eats 40.7 grams of fruit per day - this number really scared me!
But there's no need to rush. We can take it slow. For instance, you can start by eating an apple after lunch every day. You might forget at first - that's okay, set a reminder on your phone. Once you get used to eating an apple after lunch, you'll find it's not a big deal at all, and you might even notice you get sleepy more easily in the afternoon without it. Once this habit is fully formed, you can add another one, like having a banana after waking up or eating some strawberries while watching TV at night.
I've seen an interesting example. There was a girl called Xiao Mei who really disliked eating fruit, thinking it was troublesome and unsatisfying. I suggested she start with something simple, like bringing an orange to the office every day. At first, she often forgot, so I told her to put the orange in the most visible place in her bag. Gradually, she discovered that eating fruit was actually quite nice - not only quenching her thirst but also relieving work stress. Now she prepares several types of fruit every day, eating an apple after lunch, some grapes during afternoon tea, and some strawberries while watching TV at night, unconsciously reaching over 300 grams.
When it comes to breakfast, I really need to talk about this. The story of that office worker Xiao Wang I met before is particularly typical. He used to just have a cup of instant coffee every morning, feeling drowsy all morning and often having stomach pain. I told him this wasn't good, but we couldn't make him eat too much at once or he definitely wouldn't stick to it.
So we made a gradual plan: in the first week, we just added a slice of whole wheat bread to his usual coffee. At first, he found it hard to eat, feeling he couldn't finish it, so I suggested he wake up ten minutes earlier to eat slowly. Once he adapted to this rhythm, we added a boiled egg. Later, we added a small bowl of oatmeal, and finally a banana.
This process took two whole months, but the results were excellent. Now Xiao Wang is energetic every morning, and his stomach doesn't hurt anymore. He told me: "Looking back at the days when I only drank coffee, I don't know how I managed." Actually, this was a natural process - if we had made him eat this much from the beginning, he probably would have given up long ago.
I also remember a graduate student who always slept until the last minute and had no time for breakfast. I suggested she prepare breakfast the night before, like soaking oatmeal that just needs to be heated the next day. Also prepare some fruit, cut it and store it in containers. This way, even if she wakes up late, she can grab something to eat on the go. Now she not only eats breakfast every day but has also developed a habit of waking up early.
Lunch is a headache for many office workers. Either they're too busy and just eat whatever's convenient, or they order takeout for convenience, resulting in food that's either too oily or too salty. Actually, the simplest way to improve lunch is to increase the proportion of vegetables. The Chinese Nutrition Society recommends eating 300-500 grams of vegetables daily, but in reality, many people probably don't even eat 100 grams.
I had a particularly interesting case before. There was a girl called Xiao Lin who really disliked eating vegetables, always just picking at them a bit. I told her, let's take it slow, starting with the vegetables you can accept best. She said she quite liked lettuce, so okay, we started with lettuce. We added an extra serving of lettuce at each meal, and once she was completely used to it, we tried other vegetables.
Now Xiao Lin can not only eat all kinds of vegetables but has learned many ways to cook them. For example, she recently loves cutting broccoli into small florets, adding some olive oil and salt, and roasting them - she says they're even better than chips. Scrambled eggs with tomatoes has become her signature dish, and sometimes she makes cold cucumber salad or stir-fried lettuce. Most amazingly, she now feels uncomfortable if she hasn't eaten enough vegetables in a day.
Oh, here's a particularly useful tip. If you often order takeout, try this: when ordering, select the vegetables first, then choose other dishes. This way you'll unconsciously eat more vegetables. One of my students does this, and he discovered that many takeout restaurants actually make quite tasty stir-fried vegetables. Now he always orders a portion of vegetables, and gradually came to love eating them.
Speaking of dinner, it's really a big problem. I've found that many people have very irregular eating patterns at night, either eating whatever's convenient because they work late, or eating and drinking heavily after social events. Actually, the most important things about dinner are timing and portion size. Research shows that eating within 3 hours before sleep significantly increases the risk of obesity, not only making it easy to gain weight but also affecting sleep quality.
I have a friend, Xiao Chen, who used to eat dinner at nine or ten o'clock, often going to sleep right after eating. As a result, he was always tired and gradually gaining weight. I suggested he start by adjusting his dinner time. In the first week, he moved dinner to 8:30; after adapting, he moved it to 8:00; finally, he adjusted to before 7:00. This process took almost a month, but the effects were very obvious. He says now he sleeps much better at night and feels more energetic the next day.
Another very important point is dinner portion size. I often encounter this situation: some people don't eat much during the day, then eat a lot at night. This is actually a very unhealthy habit. I suggest following the principle of "eating 70% full at dinner," specifically: reduce carbohydrates by one-third compared to lunch, keep protein portions the same, and eat more vegetables.
I remember one student who was a night owl, often working late and ordering takeout when hungry at midnight. I suggested he keep some healthy snacks in the office, like nuts or dried fruit. If he really feels hungry, he can drink some milk or yogurt. Gradually, he stopped ordering midnight takeout, and his overall condition improved a lot.
When it comes to nutritional balance, many people think it's very complicated and requires calculating the intake of each nutrient carefully. Actually, it doesn't need to be this troublesome! I really like using a very simple method: imagine your plate as a circle, and divide it into four parts in your mind. Fill half with vegetables, a quarter with whole grains, and the remaining quarter with protein. This method was developed by Harvard School of Public Health - simple and practical.
One of my students particularly likes this method. She said she used to think nutritional balance was very difficult, having to remember the proportions of various nutrients, but now she just needs to remember this simple plate distribution. Now she unconsciously follows this ratio when eating, and gradually it became a habit.
Speaking of protein, this is a big issue. Many people feel they don't get enough protein, especially those who exercise. Data shows that the average daily protein intake of Chinese residents is only 58.1 grams, which is indeed low. According to World Health Organization recommendations, we need to consume 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily.
For example, a 60-kg adult needs 48 grams of protein daily. This number might seem scary, but breaking it down, it's not hard to achieve: two eggs in the morning provide 12 grams of protein, a piece of lean meat at lunch provides 15 grams, a bowl of tofu at dinner has 10 grams, add a glass of milk for 8 grams, plus protein from other foods, and you're about there.
I had a particularly interesting case. There was a girl who was very health-conscious but didn't like meat and worried about getting enough protein. I taught her some ways to get plant protein: she could drink soy milk with whole wheat bread for breakfast, eat more soy products at lunch, and have some nuts in the evening. Now she not only meets her protein requirements but finds this way of eating very comfortable.
Speaking of carbohydrates, this is a particularly easily misunderstood nutrient. "No-carb diets" are very popular online now, with people often saying carbs are the enemy. Actually, this view is incorrect - the key isn't whether to eat carbs, but what kind of carbs to choose.
Research shows that people who consume 3 servings of whole grains daily have a 20% lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those who don't eat whole grains. This statistic really makes the point, right? So I particularly recommend choosing whole grains, like brown rice, oats, whole wheat bread, etc.
I had an interesting student who really disliked brown rice before, thinking it didn't taste good. I suggested he try mixing brown rice with white rice when cooking, starting with a small proportion of brown rice and gradually increasing it. Now he's completely adapted to brown rice and says white rice feels too bland.
During holidays, many people are particularly conflicted: should they indulge a bit, or continue to strictly control their diet? Actually, my suggestion is that holidays are for enjoying yourself, you don't need to be too strict. But you can use some small tricks to enjoy food without going overboard.
For example, you can choose smaller plates. This is particularly useful because the same amount of food looks like more on a small plate, making it psychologically more satisfying. You can try a bit of each dish, but don't take too much. When drinking, drink more water - this way you can participate in the atmosphere without drinking too much.
I remember a student who really loved sweets and couldn't control herself during holidays. I suggested she try this: when she wants to eat dessert, first drink a glass of water, then wait five minutes before deciding whether to eat. If she still wants it, eat a small piece and savor it slowly. She said after using this method, she often forgot about her desire for sweets during the five-minute wait.
Work-related social dining is really a pain point for many people. You can't not go, but going might disrupt your healthy eating plan. In such situations, you can use the "30% full" principle.
How to implement this? First, you can eat something before going to the dinner, like an apple or a glass of milk. This way you won't be too hungry at the dinner and won't lose control. When eating, chew slowly and maintain a state of being 30% full. If there are some dishes you really can't refuse, try a small amount - the key is controlling the total quantity.
I have a friend who's very good at this. Before every social dinner, he drinks a yogurt, then actively pours tea and serves dishes for others at the dinner, so he doesn't eat too much himself. By the time others notice, he's already almost full. This trick works particularly well, maintaining the atmosphere while protecting yourself.
Through this progressive change, I've seen many people successfully improve their eating habits. One student's story particularly impressed me. She was a young mother who used to eat fast food with her child, and her own health wasn't good. We made a six-month transformation plan, changing just one small habit each week.
The first week, we started with drinking an extra glass of water daily; the second week, began preparing a healthy breakfast at home; the third week, added one portion of vegetables to lunch... Changing bit by bit like this, after six months, she not only lost 10 kilograms, more importantly, all her health indicators improved significantly. Now she's passed these good habits on to her child, and the whole family has become healthier.
Actually, change isn't about speed, but about sustainability. If you want to improve your eating habits now, why not start with the simplest habit, like eating a piece of fruit after lunch tomorrow? Remember, every small change is an important step toward a healthy life.
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