Are you interested in upgrading your eating habits but don't know where to start? Here are my top ten habits for giving both body and mind the nutrition 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 like organic protein, algae or green juice powder. They're quick to make and perfect as breakfast, snacks or post-workout fuel. One tip is to chew when you drink 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 is the Omniblend which definitely gives you the best value for money if you ask me.
2. Juice more!
Drinking fresh-pressed juice can be one of the best habits you can have in 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 get much more into your system that way. Think about how much faster you can drink 500g of carrots or celery compared to the time it takes to chew through them. There are many good juicing machines on the market that cold-press juice if you want to get started making your own juice at home.
3. Make your own plant-based milk
Homemade plant-based milk is cheap, simple and healthy. Just blend water with seeds, nuts or rice/oats and strain, and you 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, tiger nut milk and cashew milk. You just need a good blender and a nut milk bag to get started! You can find nut milk bags at specialty stores.
4. Start sprouting
Sprouts contain up to 30 times as much nutrition per gram as their fully grown relatives. They're like a natural, living supplement with loads of health benefits. Growing your own sprouts is extremely cheap compared to buying ready-made ones, but it does require some time of course – especially if you're not used to it. Our favorite sprouts right now are broccoli, sunflower and radish. What are your favorites? You can find sprouting seeds and sprouting equipment at specialty health stores if you want to stock up and get started.
5. Replace chips and candy with raw snacks
A simple tip for improving the quality of your food is to choose snacks made from healthy ingredients. For example, by replacing regular chocolate with raw chocolate or regular chips with raw chips. Both of these are easy and fun to make at home, but are also available ready-made of course. Here's a fun recipe for raw chips:
Kale Chips 2 liters washed and shredded kale
2-4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
Juice from half a lemon
Here's how: 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 shortened to about 1-2 hours. When the chips are really crispy, they're ready.
6. Eat rainbow colors
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 – feel free to eat different varieties every day! Colorful chia puddings that are colored with various antioxidant-rich powders are an excellent way to get these nutrients into your diet.
7. Clean water
We consist of about 70% water. The quality of this water therefore plays an important role in our health. A good start to the day is to drink a large glass of lemon water. It can also be a good idea to invest in a good water filter to ensure that your water doesn't contain any substances you don't want to fill up with. You can find water filters at specialty stores.
8. Enjoy and appreciate your food
Regardless of what you eat, we recommend that you enjoy it and appreciate the food. Enjoyment and gratitude have loads of health benefits. This applies especially when you occasionally treat yourself to food that might not be "optimal" from a nutritional standpoint. According to Deepak Chopra, for example, presence and gratitude for the food we eat has almost as much importance as what the food contains. Worth thinking about!
9. Breathe
Sometimes we forget that our absolutely most essential nutrient, which we can't manage without for more than a few minutes, is air. Being conscious of both how we breathe and the quality of our indoor air can therefore give us great health benefits. Practicing breathing exercises from yoga or other traditions is a good idea for most of us. Another tip is to improve the air at home with a Humio humidifier that can also lift the mood with pure essential oils in the 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 moment around your food makes a huge difference for digestion and nutrient absorption. Just think about how it feels to be relaxed when you eat compared to perhaps cramming down 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 nutrition. And remember to chew!
