10 Healthy Lifestyle Changes Tips For Every Body To Accomplish

Updated 2021.

 

Healthy lifestyle changes have been accomplished by reducing certain foods and incorporating vegetables and a fitness routine in recent years and my goal is an 80/20 plant-based nutrition henceforth. The first step for me is switching from tap and bottle water to alkaline water and I document here why I begin drinking alkaline water.

I know that we cannot escape chemicals in food but we can minimize inorganic chemicals in our foods to cultivate a more healthy nutritional lifestyle. This is not a health preach and I am just listing some of the healthy lifestyle changes tips I have incorporated with alternatives.

 

 

 #Healthy Lifestyle Changes: No, no sodium!

Salt in the right quantities is beneficial for healthy body functions but too much sodium is detrimental. That said, Himalayan salt is better than table salt because the latter is highly processed with anti-clumping chemicals while high-grade Himalayan salt is unrefined with no additives.

I stop cooking with processed salt and replace it with Himalayan salt and when I have layovers in Iceland and spy volcanic salt, I buy some to try. Volcanic salt is very different and it takes some getting used to as it is not as salty as conventional salt.

#Healthy Lifestyle Changes: No Red Meat

I stopped eating beef years ago but still ate goat and lamb but my meat consumption finally ends 3 years ago and it is not easy. I have to trick my brain into this decision and I honestly thought there would be withdrawal symptoms but it was all good.

I  started by limiting meat on weekends, then every other day and finally, for a full month before progressing to meatless months. It says somewhere that once you’ve gone 21 days on a practice, it becomes a lifestyle and this is now my healthy lifestyle change.

Am I vegetarian or vegan?

No…I sometimes eat chicken but I love seafood. Will I ever be vegan? No way. Again, I love seafood but this healthy lifestyle change introduces me to plant-based nutrition and recipes, such as healthy and easy plant-based cooking courses.

Does my no-meat lifestyle mean that I've forsaken asun and suya? Absolutely not. I haven't had any in a while but if that opportunity comes, I will take moderate bites for my culture. Click To Tweet

*Asun is peppered and spiced fried goat meat and suya is peppered, barbecued meat strips on skewers. Both are very popular Nigerian delicacies or “small chops” that evoke songs of praises from your lips as you bite into them. Google them at your own peril.*

Sodium-free vegetable and chicken stock are staples in my pantry to make soups as meat stock is traditionally used for its richness, but I sometimes make my own chicken and vegetable broth if I’m not too lazy.

 

#Healthy Lifestyle Changes: Non-dairy

I swap cow’s milk for nut milk and use coconut milk for sauces since becoming somewhat lactose intolerant years ago. Eggs have been wholly eliminated but my stomach prefers feta to cow cheese, apparently, so feta it is now. There are great vegan and plant-based dairy alternatives on the market but if you’re keen on making some at home, there is an online recipe course on Vegan Cheese Made Easy.

I must confess that apart from my lactose-intolerance causing me to eliminate dairy, I watch What the Health and other nutritional lifestyle documentaries. Those programs open my eyes to the dangers of dairy and their high-risk link to breast cancer. Calm down; I don’t think What the Health is gospel, but these documentaries connect the dots regarding plant-based nutrition and health.

Instagram is my main resource in seeking dairy alternatives for cooking and baking, and it is really fun experimenting with alternative plant-based ingredients. E.g. I learn that mashed banana is a substitute for eggs in pancake mix. Another vegan and plant-based platform I use for recipes is Veecoco, with their plethora of online recipe courses from Vegan Italian Classics to Vegan Vietnamese.

As a bonafide sweet tooth, I find alternatives to cow’s milk and cheese. I eat dairy-free, nut milk, and Van Leeuwen vegan ice cream, but I must confess that I crave a pizza every quarter and indulge in just one slice. I’m caught between YOLO and lactose-intolerance. Sigh.

Living in NYC has its perks because you find plant-based, meatless and non-dairy cuisine for your healthy lifestyle changes.

 

#Healthy Lifestyle Changes: Grains and pasta.

White rice has been banished to the netherworld and it’s now brown rice, couscous, quinoa and wild rice for me. Funny thing is, I never liked couscous as a child but when I make the switch, I put my spin on it. I boil it in stock, add shrimp, mixed veg, seasoning, and garnish with fried plantains and red beans.

Alternatively, if you are a visual learner on a newbie vegan or plant-based journey, grab a vegan courses free trial and browse through delicious recipes like authentic Vegan Thai and Raw Food Fundamentals.

 

#Healthy Lifestyle Changes: Bread

I cut out white bread six years ago and eat wholegrain loaves but I love and still indulge in chunky French brioche.

Imagine my pantry: packets of Near East couscous, jasmine brown rice and brown pasta and no, they’re not expensive, unless you shop exclusively at high-end organic stores. These healthy options are all sold at my local supermarket and make my transition to healthy nutrition much easier.

If you used lock down 2020 to perfect your bread making skills, how about Baking with Sourdough using vegan and plant-based ingredients? Many of us used this period for healthy lifestyle changes around nutrition and exercise.

 

#Healthy Lifestyle Changes: Processed Sugars

This is a hard one, I tell ya.

I’m a sweet tooth and my cravings increase when I go meatless. I’m not sure if it’s my body compensating for no meat or I am just more conscious of my sweet toothiness. Either way, I struggle.

I cut out white sugars and now take my tea with lemon, honey and cinnamon. I’m not perfect and indulge in fresh pastries as #selfcare. I’m combating this sweet affliction with more nice cream bowls and smoothies from Instagram too good to eat. If you’re a home baker and prefer making your pastries yourself, check out Vegan Italian Pastries and Desserts using fresh and healthy ingredients for delicious recipes.

#Healthy Lifestyle Changes: Junk foods

I eliminate fast food a decade before embarking on my healthy lifestyle changes overhaul although I have to say that I do not classify Shake Shack as fast food and still indulge in their chicken burger once in a blue moon. I do not eat frozen, prepared foods and frankly, I have never liked them so that is no loss to me. The only frozen products I buy are mixed vegetables and spinach.

I discover low sodium vegetable chips and I am ecstatic. Everything from cassava, coconut, beets…name any veg and it probably has a chip bag to its name in all stores.

 

#Healthy Lifestyle Changes: Carbonated Beverages

I stop drinking sodas a full decade ago and only drink alkaline water, coconut water, tea, zobo, smoothies and juices.

Zobo is a Northern Nigerian drink made by steeping hibiscus leaves, cooling and straining the liquid. Drink it straight, make a smoothie or mix with fruit juices. It is naturally tart so the blend helps with satisfying my sweet tooth. Click To Tweet

 

#Healthy Lifestyle Changes: Fruits & Greens

I eat greens as a regular part of my Nigerian diet but I incorporate them into other dishes.

Kale, arugula and spinach are my go-to faves and it’s fun discovering new ways to jazz them up. Broccoli is a staple in my fridge and stir-fry dishes but for the life of me, I still cannot make great Brussel sprouts.

To save on grocery trips, I subscribe to Misfits Market, a fruit and veg delivery service that aims to reduce food waste in landfill by rescuing ugly fruit from farms. Misfits introduces me to new produce with recipe cards in each box. Again, see IG feed for Misfits food I make.

Get 25% off your first Misfits order by using code COOKWME-RU2WOU to experience organic produce less than grocery store prices.

With fruits, I am now a bona fide nice cream and smoothie maker with nut milk, frozen fruit and melted chocolate and these concoctions help curb my sweet addiction while keeping me full between meals. I love that even with healthy lifestyle changes, I can still indulge in healthy vegan and plant-based desserts.

 

#Healthy Lifestyle Changes: Fish

Since eliminating red meat and limiting chicken, seafood is my preferred protein. Hey! I don’t say that I’m vegan or considering it. As stated earlier, I am 80/20 plant-based.

 

Fish is expensive, brethren, but I buy it. I don’t eat predator fish because of the risk of bio-accumulation from their consumption of heavy-metal contaminated prey. Think of why pregnant women do not eat tuna because of mercurial risk to the foetus.

I eat red and white snapper, perch, shrimp, and occasionally, I buy wild salmon. I always make fish stew to go with everything and as any Nigerian will tell you, stew goes with rice, plantains, bread, spuds, or even “swallow” on a rough day. Lol.

“Swallow’ is a Nigerian slang for pounded yam, cassava, fufu and other similar type food eaten with vegetable soups.

Bonus

A bonus lifestyle change is my exercise routine of Zumba, and for a full month, I dabble in Bikram yoga in a 103F room. My body shrieks for a full week before becoming accustomed to the poses. I have not returned to yoga since then as the trauma is still fresh. Lol.

Again, my intent with these healthy lifestyle changes is to eat healthy with the elimination of harmful substances from my diet. I get a wake-up call with my mum’s diagnosis and that prompts me to read up on plant-based foods and healthy eating. Best believe that I change her nutritional lifestyle too.

As for carbs, I am not cutting it at all. I am 128 pounds soaking wet and I NEED the carbs. The first time I go meatless, I subsist on grains and my body responds with lethargy. My brain tells me what it needs: hot eba and Egusi soup, and I rush to the kitchen for sustenance. Never again.

The main nutritional tip is not to do everything all at once like I do above. Start the nutritional changes small and as you accustom to one, see how you feel, and begin another. With all changes, consult your doctor for your particular needs.

****************************************************

Thank you for reading and don’t forget to comment with your favourite meatless product, fish platter or alternatives to cheese.

*Musings and Adventures is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and is a Veecoco affiliate.

Sharing is caring! xx