March is National Nutrition Month. A month set aside to remind us about the importance of eating nutritious foods and developing healthy eating habits. So, this month on the blog, we are offering a few of our best pro tips for making small changes toward healthier eating.

1. Eat your veggies first – they are full of fiber, vitamins, and nutrients that your body needs.
2. Eat plenty of protein – it is filling and gives your body the energy it needs to build and maintain muscle.
3. Reduce the portion size of carbs at meals – contrary to what many of us were taught when we were young, carbohydrates should be the smallest portion on our plates at each meal.
4. Eat fruit before 3 PM – while fruit is a healthy kind of sugar, it is still sugar and should be limited later in the day.
5. Drink plenty of water – often, when we think we are hungry, we are actually thirsty, so stay hydrated.
6. Don’t eat at least 3 hours before you go to bed – give your body the time it needs to process your last meal so that when you go to bed, your body can focus just on “cleaning the brain,” which should be its main focus while you sleep.
7. Eat healthy fats – such as grass-fed butter, coconut oil, olive oil, avocado, and avocado oil – because they are important for brain health. Be sure to have the appropriate serving size of one of these items every day.
8. Be mindful of your portion sizes – remember that what you get served at most restaurants is about twice what you should eat in one meal.
9. Chew your food – that’s right, chew your food between 20-30 times per bite. Chewing helps process food so the rest of the digestive system can do its job more effectively and efficiently. It also helps you slow down and notice when you become full, lessening the likelihood that you will overeat.
10. Just eat – relax and enjoy your meals, focusing on nothing more than just eating in order to help your body relax and digest (parasympathetic nervous system).

While there are so many things we could list here, these are 10 big hitters – things that, when practiced, can make a significant difference. So go ahead and pick one thing from the list above and implement it. Once it becomes a habit, pick another from the list, and so on. Slowly build up your healthy eating habits, one new habit at a time! And feel free to have some fun with it, making it a friendly challenge in your family or among a group of friends. Namaste.