Eat to feel your best: 5 Simple Strategies

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re stuck at home during this COVID-19 shut-down and you’re feeling pretty stressed out. Being stressed out doesn’t feel good mentally or physically — it’s incredibly uncomfortable — and it’s likely that you want to soothe that discomfort as quickly as possible. There are plenty of ways to ease discomfort, but especially when we’re stuck at home with our racing thoughts for company, we tend to turn to certain foods and beverages to quickly feel better. Those foods and beverages tend to be (surprise, surprise) refined carbs (crackers, bread, pasta, sugary treats) and alcohol.

Now, to be clear, this is not going to be the kind of article where I make refined carbs and alcohol the enemy. Bread and pasta are delicious (as are sugary treats). Wine is delicious. And both can certainly be enjoyed in moderation. The problem comes in when we begin to use them as means of coping with our uncomfortable feelings. Here’s why it’s a problem:

They don’t actually make us feel better.

What?! Yes! Think about it. Let’s say you’re feeling anxious, so you pour yourself a nice big glass of wine (or two — let’s be honest) in the evening. Your rationale is that you had a crazy day. You earned this. You deserve this to help you unwind. But really what you want to do is take the edge off, and find some way to help your body relax so that you can let go of all this tension you feel. So you have your wine, and for an hour or two, you do feel a little better. But what happens when the wine wears off? You need more of it to get the same feeling of relief. Or when you eat those cookies — you feel better for about 10 minutes. And then an hour later when your brain is foggy and you feel lethargic and tired, you’re reaching for more sugar for another boost.

Those are quick fix solutions, but they don’t solve the problem and…

They ultimately leave us feeling worse.

Now, I don’t know about you, but if I’m already feeling crappy, the last thing I want to do is put something in my body that’s going to make me feel worse. What will help you feel the best in the long run is to learn constructive ways to cope with your uncomfortable feelings (conveniently enough, there’s a workshop for that!), but in the meantime, it’s also helpful to establish healthy eating habits so that even if you’re feeling crappy because you’re stressed, you’re not doing anything that’s going to make you feel worse. In fact, you may find that these healthy eating habits help your body (and eventually your mind) feel a lot better! Keep reading to learn 5 simple strategies you can use to help your body feel its best.

1. Stay Hydrated

It’s not lost on me that this is called “Eat to Feel Your Best” and the first strategy I’m proposing is drinking. Here’s the thing — hydration is the low-hanging fruit! Staying hydrated helps your brain stay sharp and your body feel and function well. Drinking lots of water also helps to flush toxins out of your body, prevents bloating, and keeps you feeling full. Drink at least 64 ounces per day or half your body weight in ounces of water, whichever is greater. I personally aim for 100-120 ounces per day.

2. Eat Mindfully

I’ve written about mindful eating before, and it is especially important now. Simply put, mindfulness is the conscious practice of paying attention. Before you eat, pay attention to whether or not you’re actually hungry. While you’re eating, pay attention to how your food tastes. Do you actually like it? Is it pleasing or enjoyable? You may be surprised to find that cookie you’re craving is actually a little disappointing after the first bite. Also while you’re eating, pay attention to whether or not you’re still hungry. Stop eating when you’re no longer hungry — not when you’re full. After you eat, pay attention to how your body feels. Are you satisfied? Do you have energy? Or do you find yourself feeling uncomfortably full? Are you suddenly feeling tired and foggy? All of these are important data to collect and act on in the future. If you recognize a certain food doesn’t make your body feel good, don’t eat it!

3. Love Your Veggies

Full confession here: I’m not a veggie lover, but I make myself eat them every day. Here’s why: my body feels so good when I eat a lot of veggies. When I have lots of veggies along with some lean protein and some healthy carbs, like roasted sweet potato and a healthy fat, I feel alert, clear, and full of energy that lasts for several hours. So even though they’re not my favorite thing to eat, I welcome them because I don’t want to feel like crap. If you’re not a veggie lover either, try them in different preparations. Maybe try the steam-in-bag kind and add some spices to them before serving, or maybe try roasting or grilling. Maybe try some new veggies you haven’t tried before. Veggies are very nutrient dense, which means they are low on calories but full of tons of good stuff your body needs, so stock up and enjoy! There’s also literally no cap on how many veggies you should eat in a day, so you can snack away without worrying about packing on the pounds.

4. It’s All About Balance!

My body feels really good when I eat a lot of veggies, but my experience of feeling alert, clear, and full of energy for several hours is not just due to the veggies — it’s due to the way I balance my meal. Every food group has its place. The carbs I eat give me pretty immediate energy, and the lean protein I eat with that helps sustain that energy for a longer period of time by preventing a sugar crash. The healthy fat helps me feel full (as does the protein) and provides a longer-lasting source of energy. The veggies give me tons of nutrients and help to fill me up, not just because of their volume, but also because of their fiber content. If you’re scared about putting on weight during the quarantine, the best thing you can do for yourself is focus on eating healthy, well-balanced meals and avoid drastic measures like cutting out entire food groups. Taking drastic measures like eliminating entire food groups is unhealthy for your body and mind and is not sustainable.

5. Make it Easy

Another confession: despite having ample time on my hands to cook, I really don’t feel like it. I’ve taken to prepping for the week so that I can just throw something in the microwave. I roast a bunch of sweet potatoes all at once, grill a bunch of chicken breasts at once, make a huge pot of chili full of veggies, beans, and lean ground beef and turkey. When I make my veggies, I usually just toss a bag of steam-in-bag veggies in the microwave. Eating healthy does not have to be some huge laborious process. Cut up some fresh veggies and put them in snack bags so you can just grab them to munch on. Get little snack packs of nuts and seeds so you don’t have to dig around for them or measure anything out. Healthy eating is going to be a lot easier if you make it as easy on yourself as possible.

Do you need some help building healthy eating habits, or figuring out what the right balance is for you? Let’s talk!