Are you eager to upgrade your eating habits but don't know where to start? Here are my top ten habits to give both body and mind the nourishment they need to feel good – today, this spring, this year, and long after that.
1. Smoothies
Smoothies are a simple way to increase your nutritional intake with both fresh ingredients and selected supplements such as organic protein, algae, or grass juice powder. They're quick to make and perfect as breakfast, a snack, or post-workout refueling. A tip is to chew when drinking your smoothie to activate enzymes in your mouth that help you absorb the nutrients. A good smoothie starts with a good blender. Our most popular option is Omniblend, which clearly gives you the most blender for your money in my opinion.
2. Juice more!
Drinking freshly pressed juice can be one of the best habits to incorporate into your daily routine. You can make it yourself or buy fresh, cold-pressed juice at a juice bar or health food store near you. Vegetables are great for juicing because you can consume much more this way. Think about how much faster you can drink 500g of carrots or celery compared to the time it takes to chew them. Looking for a good juicer that cold-presses juice? Check it out here!
3. Make your own plant-based milk
Homemade plant-based milk is affordable, simple, and nutritious. Just mix water with seeds, nuts, or rice/oats and strain it, and you'll have a nutritious drink that also works well as a base in smoothies, soups, or as an accompaniment to muesli. Some of our favorites are almond milk, hemp milk, chufa milk, and cashew milk. You only need a good blender and a nut milk bag to get started! You can find nut milk bags here.
4. Start sprouting
Sprouts contain up to 30 times more nutrition per gram than their fully grown relatives. They're like a natural, living supplement with numerous health benefits. Growing your own sprouts is extremely cost-effective compared to buying them ready-made, but it naturally requires some time – especially if you're not in the habit yet. Our favorite sprouts right now are broccoli, sunflower, and radish. Which are your favorites? You can find sprouting seeds and equipment here.
5. Replace chips and candy with raw snacks
A simple tip to enhance the quality of your food is to choose snacks made from nutritious ingredients. For example, by replacing regular chocolate with raw chocolate or regular chips with raw chips. Both are easy and fun to make at home, but can of course also be purchased ready-made. Here's a fun recipe for raw chips:
Kale Chips 2 liters of washed and shredded kale
2-4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
Juice from half a lemon
Instructions:
Massage the kale with olive oil, salt, and lemon – until it becomes soft. You can also add vegan-friendly nutritional yeast if you want a "cheesy flavor." Spread the massaged kale evenly over trays. Dry in a dehydrator for about 12 hours at 42 degrees. If you use a "regular" oven, the time is reduced to about 1-2 hours. When the chips are really crispy, they're ready. You can find dehydrators in our kitchen appliances section.
6. Eat the colors of the rainbow
A simple rule of thumb when shopping for food is to try to include as many of nature's colors as possible. Green, purple, orange, red, and yellow all signal that the food is rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients. It's easy to find all these colors in the plant kingdom: in vegetables, fruits, and berries – try to eat different varieties every day! There are fun colorful chia pudding recipes colored with different powders, which are also rich in antioxidants.
7. Clean water
We consist of approximately 70% water. The quality of this water therefore plays an important role in our health. A good way to start the day is to drink a large glass of lemon water. It can also be a good idea to invest in a quality water filter to ensure that your water doesn't contain any substances you don't want to consume. You can see our water filters here.
8. Enjoy and appreciate your food
Regardless of what you eat, we recommend that you enjoy and appreciate your food. Enjoyment and gratitude have numerous health benefits. This is especially true if you occasionally treat yourself to food that may not be "optimal" from a nutritional perspective. According to Deepak Chopra, for example, presence and gratitude for the food we eat are almost as important as what the food contains. Worth thinking about!
9. Breathe
Sometimes we forget that our absolutely most essential nutrient, which we cannot survive without for more than a few minutes, is air. Being aware of both how we breathe and the quality of our indoor air can therefore provide us with significant health benefits. Practicing breathing exercises from yoga or other traditions is a good idea for most of us. Another tip is to enhance the air at home with a Humio Humidifier, which can also lift the mood with pure essential oils in your home.
10. Calm
Don't stress when you eat, be in the moment and don't do too much else. Try to just eat your food and enjoy it sometimes. Creating a calm and harmonious environment around your meals makes a significant difference for digestion and nutrient absorption. Just think about how it feels to be relaxed when eating compared to perhaps hurriedly consuming a sandwich on the go. Both your body and mind will thank you for the little extra care you give yourself when you take time and space to relax in connection with your nourishment. And remember to chew!
