Why is a travel blogger writing about food modifications? That delicious wine and those incredible restaurants can definitely hit your waistline. I speak from recent experience because my latest journey definitely made my jeans tighter (eek)! I had to jump into action when I got home and dieting really doesn’t work for me. Certain food modifications, however, always help me get back on track with healthy living after a great trip.
What the heck is the difference between dieting and food modification? It’s how you look at things. Dieting is all about deprivation, which personally turns me into a nut job. Food modifying is about adding healthy things.
5 Foolproof Food Modification Tips
Watch a Documentary Today
There is nothing like a food documentary to get you on the right track just like a fast food commercial can get you on the wrong track. Use the power of persuasion to keep you healthy and trim. I did this review on food documentaries so that you can pick the best one for you to watch asap.
RELATED: FOOD DOCUMENTARIES THAT WILL HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT
Fill Up on Veggies!
If you fill yourself up with a bunch of veggies, you get tons of great nutrition and there’s less room for the bad stuff. For me, the easiest way to stay trim is to have salad readily available. I keep bags of lettuce, pre-cut vegetables, and some protein readily available. That way I can throw together a salad easily. It’s hard to eat junk when you’re full of salad π
Salad Tips:
- Go big! Eat at least a few cups of lettuce and tons of veggies.
- Use low calorie dressing with little to no sugar. Even better, use lemon or lime with a few teaspoons of olive oil. 25-100 calories.
- Use protein to make your salad satisfy your hunger for longer. I like to keep some chicken or salmon in the fridge to add. 150-200 calories.
- Add 1/2 cup of a healthy carb to make your salad more substantial like quinoa, farro, bulgar or brown rice. 85-125 calories.
- Add 1 oz of a strong cheese like feta to add flavor or a few tablespoons of slivered almonds to add crunch. 75 calories.
- Choose between a carb, cheese or nuts – not all 3 at once.
I typically eat 2 big salads a day – one with just veggies and protein and the other with a carb added. For breakfast, I often make a veggie scramble with any leftover cooked veggies. Green smoothies are great too as long as you don’t use too much fruit. In winter, I make big pots of soup.
RELATED: EASY WAYS TO GET MORE FIBER
Prepping Ahead is the Key to Success
When healthy food is available right in front of me, I make better choices. Most of my bad moves involve me being super hungry and having nothing available. Here are some things that have been really helpful.
Amazon Fresh
I’m not always the best about going to the grocery store so I love shopping at places like Costco and getting stocked up. Recently I added Amazon Fresh which is another easy shopping choice. I buy organic fresh fruits and veggies, bagged salad, organic meat and chicken, and Whole Foods 365 frozen fruit. Try AmazonFresh Free Trial for a month.
Bento Box Containers
I love these BPA free, microwavable, freezer friendly Bento Box containers for prepping food ahead of time. Fill the big side with cooked veggies or salad. Use one of the smaller sections for your protein and the other one for a healthy carb or piece of fruit. On the weekend you can portion out healthy meals and make it so easy. These containers are also great for work.
Instant Pot
Are you on the Instant Pot bandwagon yet? This is the perfect appliance for easy healthy cooking. Steam vegetables, make healthy carbs and cook fall off the bone meats. I love the one pot cooking so it’s not a big mess. The best part is that it cooks everything faster – brown rice in 15 minutes, broccoli in 2 minutes and artichokes in 15 minutes. It comes in 3 sizes depending on family size and counter space.
Go Cold Turkey on Processed Foods
This is the hardest part for me because I get serious cravings. For the first few days, it’s like I’m a crack addict. The good news is that the cravings will start to subside in less than a week and get progressively better. There are major health consequences for eating processed food. Once you stop eating them, it’s easy to stay off and maintain your weight.
Shop the outside edges of the market and avoid the middle. Make substitutions for anything with flour, corn or sugar. The food modification for bread is oatmeal or one of the healthy carbs above. Whole fruit (no juice) is the modification for sweets.
RELATED: ARE YOU A SUGAR ADDICT?
Get Some Fresh Air
A change of scenery or getting out of the house is sometimes all I need to avoid eating unhealthy food. I take a bottle of water with me so I can kill 2 birds with one stone – exercise and water. I like going for a walk but you can head to the gym or do whatever relaxes you and makes you happy.
RELATED: WALKING FOR FITNESS
Make Food Modifications for the Right Reasons
If I try to go on a diet for a trip or an event, I end up gaining weight. It just messes with me and I get into this deprivation head space that is so stupid.
When you focus on your health instead of your weight or looking good, you will have a much easier time. You need to truly buy into the idea that it’s important for you to be healthy. I stopped yo-yo dieting 3 years ago and this is the first time I’ve had to correct myself because I let processed food sneak into my diet and got into the craving cycle again.
I hope these tips help you as much as they help me. A few little food modifications go a long way and they’re really simple once you get past unhealthy food cravings. These steps do the trick every time without fail. If you’ve tried and feel like you just can’t lose weight, read this.
26 Comments
Amy Kennedy
September 4, 2019 at 4:39 pmThis is a fantastic post! I am going to share it with my exercise group! Thank you for all the tips! I just got an Instant Pot so I am learning about it now. I have never tried the Amazon Fresh. I do kind of like going to the store because it gets me more exercise. Good tip about shopping the perimeter of the store! And I don’t blame you a bit for enjoying meals on your travels! I sure would! Great post!
Jenifer
September 5, 2019 at 5:52 amThanks Amy! The Instant Pot is such a great addition. It’s always a balance between delicious and healthy food π
Sherri Preston
September 4, 2019 at 3:23 pmSo many great tips in here!!! Thanks for posting, Love the salad tips as well as having a good potion of it! I am not at all familiar with Amazon Fresh but will now look into it!! And I do agree completely, the focus should be on health, not weight and that is easily forgotten sometimes!
Jenifer
September 5, 2019 at 5:58 amIf you’re short on time, Amazon Fresh is such a great resource. The focus on health is such a better way to go about feeling good and not letting those crazy diets in your life.
Jessica
August 11, 2019 at 1:11 amStaying in shape is really one of the biggest travel dilemmas. Great tips you have here dear. Thanks for sharing!
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
mercy
July 24, 2019 at 1:45 amThis sounds very sensible, I’m struggling to shake off a few kilos that I gained this winter. Thanks for the inspo dear.
http://www.busyandfab.com
Jenifer
July 24, 2019 at 2:35 pmGlad you liked it. It’s always great to add more healthful food to get back on track.
Jamila
July 22, 2019 at 12:59 amSalads are great but shopping for fresh, organic produce can get a bit pricey! Although recently, I have started going heavy on smoothies using frozen fruit and been substituting my meals with them a lot. Still struggling with starchy foods like rice and potatoes – they totally pack on the pounds and I need to avoid them at all costs! – http://www.jamilakyari.com
Jenifer
July 23, 2019 at 9:03 pmI hear you about starchy foods. I love them and I really have to keep them to a minimum. With respect to organic produce, have you heard of the Dirty Dozen? You can google the list of 12 things you always need to buy organic. If you just make those substitutions only, it wouldn’t be that expensive. Your other option is using the Clean Fifteen list because that’s the list of produce you don’t need to buy organic. Other than that, I find that Costco has great prices on organic fruits and veggies.
SundayDahlias
July 20, 2019 at 4:09 amI just came back from vacation, so there are perfect tips for me!!
http://www.sundaydahlias.com
Jenifer
July 23, 2019 at 9:07 pmHard getting back to reality after all that fun π
Julie | This Main Line Life
July 19, 2019 at 11:37 amThese are great tips. We went overboard on vacation this year and now I’m paying the price.
Jenifer
July 20, 2019 at 12:17 amIt seems worth it at the time though, right?! π
Atsuna Matsui
July 18, 2019 at 10:46 pmI agree with all of your food modification suggestions. I definitely try to increase my diet with lots of veggies for the fiber cause my digestion always feels better after eating a plate full of vegetables. Cutting back on processed food has also made my digestion feel so much better as well.
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Jenifer
July 19, 2019 at 6:06 amI feel exactly the same. Adding lots of veggies makes me feel so much better.
Michelle Tucker
July 18, 2019 at 6:10 pmAll such great tips!! Prepping helps me so much.
Jenifer
July 18, 2019 at 6:34 pmI feel the same way!
Barbie Holmes
July 18, 2019 at 5:52 pmDiets have never worked for me, either. The deprivation led to an eating disorder! I agree totally with your view of food modifications. Love the salad tips! I bought an Instant pot a few months ago and am having fun with it. Prepping ahead really makes a big difference and, of course, getting outside to move my body (good for my head, too!) I donβt do well with extreme exercise regimes. A sensible healthy approach is key! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Jenifer
July 18, 2019 at 6:34 pmGlad you liked the post. For me, I really needed to move into a space where I was more focused on health to get off the crazy ups and downs. Prepping ahead and keeping it easy makes it so doable!
Grace Louise
July 18, 2019 at 4:32 pmOhhh this is such a detailed post Hun with so many amazing tips!! x
Grace Louise || http://www.gracelouiseofficial.blogspot.co.uk/
Jenifer
July 18, 2019 at 6:35 pmSo glad you like it! Thanks for reading.
aditi oberoi malhotra
July 18, 2019 at 3:16 pmThanks for sharing this, hon! Such an informative post.
Adi xx | http://www.fancycorrectitude.com
Jenifer
July 18, 2019 at 3:39 pmThank you.
Jennifer
July 18, 2019 at 11:25 amYes I agree with all of this!
Jennifer
Effortlessly Sophisticated
Margot
July 18, 2019 at 9:38 amAmazing tips especially for making a good salad.
Thanks for sharing.
xx
Margot
https://troughthepasturesofthesky.com
Jenifer
July 18, 2019 at 3:38 pmThank you. Salads are always the ticket for me.