Where to Start When You Want to Eat Healthier (Without Getting Overwhelmed)

Dec 17

What Does “Eating Healthier” Actually Mean?

When people talk about eating better or healthier, they may be referring to any number of ways they want to improve their nutrition. For some, it’s about improving energy; for others, managing weight, supporting health conditions, or just feeling better day to day.

Before you overhaul your diet, it helps to know what you mean by eating better.

Step One: Get Clear About Your Goal

With that in mind, your true first step to improving your nutrition is to get specific about your goals. From there, you can determine what will actually help you make the progress you are most interested in.

Ask yourself: What am I hoping to improve?

For example: If you have a fat loss goal, your priority will be eating a calorie deficit (or eating fewer calories than you’re burning on average). It sounds simple to just eat less calories than you expend, but doing so often requires you to learn what “less” actually looks like and to make sure you have good hunger management strategies (things like eating enough protein and fiber and prioritizing high volume foods can help). Maybe it’s noticing portion sizes, or realizing your morning latte adds 300 calories without much protein. Those small moments of awareness help us build habits that support our goals.

Most traditional diets create a calorie deficit by cutting out specific foods or food groups (think: Keto, Paleo, low-fat, carnivore, vegan, etc.), which isn’t necessary but can feel easier than tracking your food. Just know that restricting whole foods or food groups is not a necessary path to meeting your fat loss goal.

Step Two: Choose One Thing to Focus On

See? That already got a little complicated pretty quickly. So after getting specific about your goals, your first step is simply to choose one thing to focus on instead of trying to master everything at once. Whether you choose to track your food intake, increase your protein, add some volume to your meals, etc. is up to you. Choosing a specific behavior or strategy that feels possible for you to start implementing is the best place to start.

After the first thing you choose feels like it’s becoming a firm habit, then you can add the next thing. Then the next. Because the real key to not getting overwhelmed is to not try to overhaul your entire nutritional life all at once.

You don’t need to change everything at once. Pick one habit that feels doable: maybe tracking your meals, adding protein, or simply cooking more often.

Step Three: Build from There with Sustainable Habits

While different goals will require different strategies, there are a handful of principles and ideas that can be helpful for most nutrition-related goals. These can help you build a good basic foundation for general health and any one of them might be a good first behavior to focus on:

Simple Nutrition Habits That Work for Almost Everyone

Drink enough water – this includes plain water and water-based beverages you drink regularly. Start by drinking more water. Aim for 80–100 ounces per day, but if that feels like a lot, begin with 50 and work your way up.

Include an identifiable protein source with each meal. Protein is helpful for hunger management and for gaining and maintaining lean mass.
Eat 3-5 servings of fruits/vegetables per day. If this is a big increase from where you’re currently at, try starting with just one per day.
Get enough fiber, aiming for ~25 grams per day. Fiber is supportive of heart health and digestive health, and is associated with maintaining a healthy body weight. It is also helpful for hunger management.
Focus on what you want to add rather than what you want to exclude or limit. If you want to reduce your sugar or alcohol intake, having an idea of what you can add can make it easier to not feel restricted. Plan to have an intentional snack when you might usually reach for candy, or have a cup of tea or another alternative non-alcoholic drink in place of a habitual glass of wine or cocktail.
Pay attention to your hunger and fullness cues. Eat when you’re hungry, be present and enjoy your food while you eat it, and stop eating when you’re feeling about 80% full. Responding to hunger cues appropriately can help you support your relationship with food which is important no matter what your goals are.

Step Four: Give Yourself Time

Don’t expect yourself to be perfect at it immediately; you just have to start somewhere.. Building intentional nutrition habits is a skill, and all skills take practice. The best thing you can do is to start with something that feels important to you, and to allow yourself to do things imperfectly until that practice creates a habit. Pick one small thing - maybe it’s adding a vegetable to lunch or swapping soda for water - and give yourself time to practice it.

Then choose the next thing and the next until you reach those nutrition-related goals.

Need more no-nonsense nutrition information in your life? Sign up for my weekly email each Friday. Get nutritional nuggets, recipes, troubleshooting, and more reasons to ditch restrictive diets and find a flexible (and enjoyable) approach to your nutrition.

Whitney Landon-Berg

Strength enthusiast and behavior change nerd who helps clients navigate significant weight loss goals with compassion and a no-shame, real-life approach to nutrition.

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