7 Easy Steps to Spring Clean Your Diet

The sun is shining more, temperatures are warming up and it’s time to start spring cleaning. But we’re not just talking about spring cleaning your home, your garage, or even your desk at work. We’re talking about spring cleaning your diet.

What we eat plays a huge role in the health of our bodies, so it’s important to occasionally flush out the bad and strengthen the good parts of our diets. Spring is a refreshing, rejuvenating time of year, so why not start now? Simply follow these steps:

Step 1 – Eliminate from your diet

Start small – instead of cutting out all processed foods, choose 3 that you know are hurting your diet. It could be potato chips, soft drinks or even cookies – whatever you know you can effectively eliminate to improve your diet. Once you’ve chosen the 3 foods, throw away any remaining in your pantry and don’t restock at the grocery store.

Step 2 – Add fruits or vegetables to your diet

You’ve eliminated 3 processed foods, so now it’s time to replace them with healthier options, like fruits and vegetables. This is the time to try something new! Browse the produce aisle at your grocery store and go out on a limb – put something completely different into your shopping cart.

Step 3 – Only shop in the perimeter

Another small change you can make to your diet involves where you’re getting your food. While out grocery shopping, try to stay out of the inner aisles at the grocery store. This is where most processed and packaged food can be found. Instead, stick to the outer edges where you can usually find healthy, vitamin-rich foods, such as produce, meats, dairy, grains, eggs and other fresh, ready-to-eat foods.

Step 4 – Read the labels

Do you even know how many calories are in the foods you’re currently eating? Be more mindful of a food’s nutritional label. Examine its fat, sugar and sodium contents – too much of these ingredients can wreak havoc on your diet.

Step 5 – Cook at home more often

Quick fixes like fast food may be convenient, but they’re not always good for you. Give your diet the spring cleaning it deserves by staying in and cooking healthier, fresh meals. You may find these foods leave you feeling less bloated and more energized than fast food does.

Step 6 – Change your portion sizes

Sometimes it’s not what you eat, but how much of it you are eating. You may think that 3 big meals per day is acceptable, but you’ll feel less hungry if you break those 3 meals into 6 smaller meals every day.

Step 7 – Think small

Remember, you don’t have to make big changes to your diet to see a positive impact. Every little change helps. Be patient and allow yourself to make small changes, one step at a time. Just like an average person’s spring cleaning takes time, so does spring cleaning your diet.

If a change to your diet results in the unexpected – like heartburn or an upset stomach – GoHealth Urgent Care will be here for you. Stop by a location nearest you and we’ll get you feeling better as quickly as possible!