New Year’s was three weeks ago and undoubtedly one of the main resolutions made by many was to lose weight. It’s understandable, weight-related health concerns are a major source of death and healthcare costs in the country. Exercise alone will do a lot of work, but the main source of weight loss is done in the kitchen. Eating healthy is commonly seen as being bland, tasteless and a light form of torture. But in reality, healthy eating is as simple as altering a few behaviors in the kitchen. Here are some that are easy, quick and, most importantly, tasty.

Illustration by Brandon Wilburn | Student Life

Cut Portions

More than anything, the problem with losing weight is keeping your portions the same size. Cutting down on the amount of food you eat will be the easiest way to help with weight loss. This can be achieved by using smaller plates, buying and cooking less food, and eating slower to feel full before overeating.

Eating more vegetables

Vegetables can be very filling, which stops you from feeling hungry throughout the day. Broccoli, potatoes, leafy greens, carrots, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower and others like those will keep you fueled throughout the day. I’ve found roasting vegetables with some garlic and oil can let you cook a lot for meal prepping while staying healthy.
Drink more water and chew more gum

A lot of time when you feel hungry, you are just thirsty. Drink a glass of water and wait a few minutes to see if you are still hungry. Chewing gum also helps satisfy the need for snacking, as it mimics the chewing part of food without actually eating. Sometimes, you just want to chew something, and gum is a great thing to fill that void.

Eat way less sugar

Sugar is the villain in any weight loss journey. It can be as addictive as drugs since it lights up the pleasure centers of your brain in the same way. Cutting sugar, both organic and artificial, will be indispensable in losing weight.

Cook more

You ever notice how restaurant food tastes so much better than what you cook at home? I’ll give you the secret ingredients that make it so good. Salt and butter. Excess amounts of salt and butter. So many things are cooked in butter or salted at multiple stages in cooking that you don’t know how much you’re putting in your body. Cooking more of your own food allows you to see just how much of every ingredient goes in your food. Plus, it’ll save you a lot of money.

Don’t beat yourself up

Weight loss is a journey. Along this journey you will slip up and have bad days or months or years. It’s okay, as there is never a bad time to get back on your plan and continue towards the lifestyle that you want. It can be so easy to fall off and beat yourself up to the point where you don’t ever want to try again. Give yourself some slack; and instead of counting something as the last time doing something, think of it as the first time doing the new behavior.