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No matter how you want to improve your health, use our healthy habits to help you on your path to living a healthier, better life through exceptional food. Plug these habits into our tried & true goal-setting process to help you achieve your long-term goals!
Feeling your best starts with what you eat. What you eat is usually determined by what you have on hand in your kitchen, pantry or workplace. If the food is there, you are likely to eat it. The habit “Stock for Success” is about creating an environment that makes it easy to choose foods that support your health goals.
How do you do that? By stocking up on items that deliver on both flavor and health. Fill your kitchen with foods like fruits & veggies (fresh, frozen or canned), beans, and whole grain foods like brown rice & whole wheat pasta. Keeping these foods on hand makes it easy to prepare your favorite meals in a way that helps you reach your health goals.
Make your kitchen work for you in ways that set you up for delicious & nutritious success! To help you get started, we’ve created a Kitchen Essentials collection you can use to build your shopping list!
Healthy eating includes balance and moderation. But what does that mean? It simply means getting enough of what you need without too much of what you don’t and allowing yourself the freedom to enjoy all foods. We believe in focusing first on foods we need more of to support health (it’s way more fun to think about what to eat rather than what not to eat).
A great place to start is practice Half-Plate Healthy. Simply fill half your plate with fruits and veggies and half with anything else. It’s a simple, visual way to get enough of the good stuff (fruits and veggies) while keeping portions of everything else in check – an easy way to practice balance and moderation.
If you want more guidance on which foods support overall health and reduce risk for disease, check out our Healthy Eating Guidelines.
It’s about slowing down, experiencing food with all your senses, and listening to your body.
Paying attention to your food and eating in a non-judgmental way may decrease the likelihood of overeating, connect us with others, and reduce stress! It’s a simple way to get more out of mealtime whether you’re alone, with friends or at the family dinner table. The beauty of this approach is that it works for any food that’s on your plate—a dinner chock full of veggies and whole grains, or a wonderfully indulgent dessert.
Practice any or all of the 4 steps to Mindful Eating below to promote a positive relationship with food
1. BREATHE
Take a few deep breaths and relax. This brings your awareness to the moment and helps get rid of other distractions competing for your attention.
2. CHECK-IN
Ask yourself how you are feeling. Sad? Excited? Worried? Happy? Bored? Hungry? Do not judge—just be aware. Over time, this awareness may impact your food choices, but start by simply acknowledging your feelings.
3. DESCRIBE
Use your senses! Notice the colors, textures, shapes, aromas—even the feel and sound of your food. You might also describe the story of your food; do you know who made it? Where it was grown? This opens you up to a deeper connection with your food.
4. ENJOY
Chew slowly, paying attention to how the food feels and tastes. Crunchy? Salty? Sweet? Enjoy how you feel while eating something delicious. Food is meant to be savored! Slow down and truly experience it.
Written by Wegmans Nutritionist, Kirby Branciforte, RDN
Most people judge their food in some way. Broccoli is so healthy! I should only have a small bite of this brownie. While this may seem harmless, consider this:
This tension causes stress around food, which research suggests may promote the production of certain hormones that can have negative effects on health. Not to mention, it isn’t fun!
While it’s true that there are nutritional differences in food that matter for health, this is only one piece of how food nourishes us. Food freedom is about letting go of judgment and viewing food as food—not good or bad.
Food Freedom creates space for you to pay attention to how each food makes you feel and helps you develop resilience as you discover the foods that make you feel your best.
Get started on your path to Food Freedom with 3 simple steps:
1. SAY
“YES”
If something looks good to you, eat it! Rather than spending energy deciding whether you should eat something, simply consider whether you want to. If you do, say yes!
2. GET
CURIOUS
When you choose to eat a food, try bringing more attention to the whole eating experience. Consider following the steps to eating mindfully (see above) to practice non-judgmental curiosity.
3. LISTEN
& LEARN
Tune in to what your body is telling you, paying close attention to physical sensations. Set aside previous judgments, and instead trust the messages you receive from your own experience. Learn what feels right for you so you can start making choices that honor this.
Letting go of judgement may be the key to developing a healthy relationship with food. Your food should not be a source of stress—you are free to find and enjoy the foods that support your physical and emotional well-being!
Setting a goal to support or improve your health can be achieved with the right motivation and framework for success.
Effective goal setting is not a difficult process! It works like this: identify why you want to change, what you want to change (long-term result), and how you will do it (short-term actions). Then, each week take small steps that remove any barriers in your way.
Check out our Meal Planning & Shopping Guide for tips on how to easily stock your kitchen with healthy, affordable options that support your goals.
Our Goal Setting Worksheet is a fantastic tool to help you set your goal, hold yourself accountable, learn what does and doesn’t work for you, and measure your progress.
Find all our best health-related tips and inspiration to help you live a healthier, better life through food.