Good eating habits

• Have vegetables in every meal (or fresh fruit, if it’s breakfast).
• Postpone eating until I’m hungry (when possible).
• Drink a full 12 ounces of water before eating every meal.
• Plate up my food a little at a time (prevents me from eating past fullness, just to finish the plate).
• Eat my salad/veggies first, before eating the rest of my meal.
• Eat slowly. Savor each bite.
• Avoid adding unnecessary sweetener/toppings to things (sugar on toast, butter on a muffin, honey on oats, toppings on treats). The food usually tastes fine without it.
• Stop eating when I’m full. Take a moment to sit and ask myself, “do I feel full? Is my body telling me that I’ve eaten enough?”
• If I’m feeling snacky, go to town on celery, have a mint, chew gum, or drink water (sometimes you think you’re hungry but you’re actually just thirsty).
• Brush my teeth shortly after dinner (to discourage snacking in the evening).
• Drink water throughout the day.

Context: I’ve been paying a lot of attention to how I eat this year (as part of some recent fitness goals) and these are some of the habits that seemed to help me the most. Your milage may vary!