Over the recent years in enduring my own lifestyle change, one thing that has developed as a result has been my understanding of developing a deeper relationship with nutrition and understanding how to communicate with my body. While I am certainly no dietitian, I have learned a lot about the nutrition world over the years.

Nowadays, in my eyes, social media and society in general, tend to over-complicate what it means to be a ‘healthy eater’. However, I have realized how you view your relationship with nutrition revolves almost entirely around mindset. How do you want your physical self to feel when you wake up in the morning to take on a new day? I have found that putting my energy into focusing on what enters my physical self has led me to not only better understand my body but also has allowed me to discover the best unique nutritional balance for myself to keep me consistently feeling my best.

By adopting these six habits throughout my lifestyle change, I have completely shifted my mindset to create less anxiety and more joy when it comes to meal times each day:

1) You only get one body! Treat it like a temple

Mindset is everything. It is important to understand that what you choose to eat, is how you are choosing to feel. Feeling strong, motivated, productive, and energized is a result of fueling your body with whole nutritious, vitamin and mineral-dense foods. Viewing your nutrition as fuel for your physical body rather than short-term happiness, will help you choose ways to best nourish your body.

2) develop a form of communication with your body

Eating three meals a day is simply a guideline for how much a person should be consuming in a day. However, some may only eat lunch and dinner, others, brunch and an afternoon snack, and many, four or five smaller meals throughout the day to better regulate digestion. Your meal plan is tailored uniquely to you and your needs. In order to develop an eating plan, the most important thing is to focus on communication with your body. Learn to read your hunger cues. One of my favorite nutritionists said you should go into a meal feeling excited to eat, and leave a meal feeling perfectly satisfied and not overly full or still hungry. In listening to your body, you will better be able to not only supply it with food when it needs, but also the kinds of foods it requires.

3) develop intuitive eating

Intuitive eating is the act of eating what you want, how much of it you feel you need, and when you need it. Many follow the 80/20 rule. There is 80% of the time you are making healthy choices and the other 20%, you are listening to your cravings. This method may help you be more consistent with your nutrition goals and eating habits in general. Personally, my 80% includes all non-processed, whole foods, while my 20% may be eating out.

4) Find the most nutritious ways to cook the meals you love

Start cooking from home more! The kitchen has become such a happy, peaceful place for me in the past few years. It is a place I have the power to make the most delicious, wholesome meals with some simple grocery planning and recipe hunting. One of the main ways I have stayed consistent over the past few years is taking my favorite meals and putting a healthy twist on them, whether that is baking the chicken rather than frying it or making home snickers bars with 100% cocoa and almond butter rather than the store bought bars. This not only allows you the freedom to practice intuitive eating, but it encourages you to be creative and gives you a destressing hobby.

5) Opt for foods that the earth made rather THAN what humans have produced

While starting a lifestyle change, especially a nutritional lifestyle change, I encourage you to focus less on calories and more on quality. Ingredient lists on foods have never been longer, and while they may be advertised to be healthy, the real determiner of that is what is listed on the ingredient lists of the foods you are consuming.

In opting for Whole Foods, and an anti-inflammatory diet, I have de-puffed my body, encouraged muscle growth, strengthened my immune system, cleared my skin and so much more. Eating from our earth is what we were originally given to eat. It is no secret that in focusing your nutrition on those foods, nutrition would take part in so much of your physical and mental healing.

These 5 habits have truly transformed my mindset when it comes to food and how I can better nurture and look after myself. Most importantly, in being consistent, i have reached a feeling of deep strength and contributed more love to myself than i ever have. remember, you only have one body, so treat it like so, nourish it with the intent of helping it support you in times of PHYSICAL or emotional recovery. your body is a temple, so make sure YOU ARE always looking after it.