How to eat healthy food without getting bored

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In order to live a long as possible healthy free of diseases kind of life, it is necessary that we live a healthy lifestyle and in order for us to live a healthy lifestyle, we must consume healthy foods. The problem with healthy foods is that we tend to get easily bored of eating them. Have you been eating healthy foods and after a while you get bored of eating them? As a matter of fact, it can happen to all of us because any food whether healthy or not can get boring hence we can get bored of eating our favorite foods. However, more people tend to find healthy foods boring rather than unhealthy foods.

Chances are if your bored of eating healthy foods then most likely you'll stop eating healthy foods. Lots of times the people who find healthy food boring are the ones that know the taste and love the taste of unhealthy foods or they may have started eating healthy foods and just eat it as it is without being creative and sticking to the same foods.

What if I tell you that there are ways to make healthy food taste delicious and so on which will, in turn, prevent you from getting bored. There are and continue reading if you would like to know of these ways.







1. Try new recipes

I personally think that it's more exciting to eat different foods because don't we all get bored of the same things over and over?

New recipes are the best advice that I can give to someone who gets bored of eating healthy foods. The reason is very simple. There are so many healthy recipes out there to try that are so delicious that you wouldn't believe that you're eating healthy.

Where to find new recipes?
You can find new recipes on blogs, cook books, TV cooking shows, Pinterest, Facebook and even from family members. My favorite place to find new recipes is on Pinterest and I tend to make new healthy recipes often because it keeps food from getting boring.




2. Season your food/change up your seasonings





You can add different seasonings, more seasonings or less seasonings to your food. So instead of adding just salt and pepper try adding some other seasonings like herbs, spices and seasoning blends. Why should you add these seasonings? Well, seasonings enhance the flavor of foods thus food taste better and smell amazing.

Examples of some seasonings (herbs, spices and seasoning blends) other than salt and pepper

• parsley                             
• cilantro
• oregano
• coriander
• rosemary
• basil
• dill
• thyme
• saffron
• fennel
• turmeric
• cumin
• paprika
• cinnamon 
• jalapeno pepper
• chili pepper
• habanero pepper
• cayenne pepper
• white pepper
• Cajun seasoning
• BBQ seasoning
• Mediterranean spice blend
• chili powder
• chili flakes
• lemon pepper seasoning
• Garam masala
• Jamaican jerk seasoning
• Zaatar
• Chinese five spice
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• garlic salt

3. Let other people cook your food

Sometimes you can get bored of your own cooking and so why not eat food from other people once in a while. Other people have different recipes and methods of cooking that might be different from yours.

You can achieve this by:
- eating out at healthy restaurants or order healthy food at a restaurant.
- eating other family members or friends food.
- trying healthy ready-made meals. You can find healthy ones at your supermarkets and you can even have them delivered to your home (There are various companies/food delivery services that do this. There are even places that send the ingredients and recipes with instructions to your home).

Sometime you might not like a particular let's say vegetable but when you eat it from someone else you love it or you might not have never tried a particular again let's say vegetable and you go over to a friend's house they cook it and you love it.



4. Try different cooking methods

Cooking the same food the same way every time can make you get bored but cooking the same food different ways can prevent that.
 
For example, you might only be eating steamed carrots. So next time why not try sauteing them in a pan with some olive oil and seasonings and another time you can even add it to smoothies or in omelets, sandwiches, burgers and so on. You could even juice it.

Another example with sweet potatoes. You could make sweet potato chips in the oven, baked whole sweet potatoes and cut them in the middle and stuff them with whatever you like. You could make a sweet potato hummus, saute them in a pan with seasonings, you could steam them, etc.



Different cooking methods to try

• steaming
• baking
• roasting
• grilling
• boiling
• stewing
• You could stir-fry, saute, cook in a slow cooker, crock-pot, air fryer, use a food processor
  

Related post: 4 tips on how to get the most nutrients from the vegetables that you boil



5. Try hiding/masking the taste of foods (it could be a vegetable, fruit and so on) that you're bored of in other foods

So you might find a particular vegetable boring. Instead of eating it as it is why not add it to smoothies or a little in other foods where the food will mask the taste.

For example, let's say that I'm bored of eating spinach. What I will do is I'm going add it to my smoothies where I won't taste it and a next time I can even add it to omelets and so on.



6. Add the zest and/or juice and/or the peel of lemons, limes and oranges to your food

These citrus fruits provide great flavor to foods. Try using the zest and/or juice of these fruits to season/marinate and cook foods. You can also squeeze the juice of these fruits on your food when it's finished cooking.

Tip: Use a grater to zest the fruit and don't use the white part because its bitter.







7. Try different salad dressings and dips
Trying different salad dressings and dips has made eating healthy so much easier for me.


Salad dressings
Eating the same salad dressings every time with your salads can be very boring. Why not try changing it up. You can also buy healthy salad dressings from the store.



Dips
Examples of some dips are:


- Hummus
Hummus is a healthy dip that is very delicious and its great for dipping vegetables in. Also, if your tired of the same kind of hummus then try another.

Other hummus to try aside from the traditional version

• roasted red pepper hummus
• sun-dried tomato hummus
• avocado hummus 
• carrot hummus
• smoky eggplant hummus
• roasted beet hummus
• sweet potato hummus 

- Guacamole

Guacamole variations

• mango guacamole
• black been and corn guacamole
• roasted tomato guacamole
  

- Salsa


- Bean dips

• Black bean dip
• White bean and artichoke dip

- Yogurt dips

• cucumber yogurt dip
• lemon cumin yogurt dip
• Greek yogurt onion dip

- Vegetable dips
This may sound like it's not going to taste good but give it a try. Some are:

• roasted red pepper dip
• pea dip
• roasted eggplant dip (one of my favorite dip in the world)

- Nuts dips

• cashew dip
• peanut butter

- Other dips

• Barbecue sauce - This is one of my favorite dip to dip my fries in. I love to add hot peppers to my barbecue sauce.
• Ketchup - Try and find healthy ones
• Light ranch dressing
• Hot sauce

I also like to mix barbecue sauce, ketchup and hot sauce together to make a dip.



8. Jazz up your food by adding additional ingredients to it (add more flavors)

The addition of additional ingredients to your food will add more flavors and can make food look more appealing or interesting.


Examples of how this can be done

Yogurt
Instead of eating plain yogurt try adding fruits, honey and so on to your yogurt. You can also try other flavors of healthy yogurt.


Sandwiches and burgers
You can add hummus and avocados (slices or mashed) to your sandwiches and burgers.


Oatmeal
You can do so many variations from the plain old oatmeal.

Things that you can add to your oatmeal to change it up

• fruits like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, slices of apple, banana
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• honey
• peanut butter
• raisins
• cocoa nibs
• nuts
• chia seeds 
• vanilla extract

Smoothie
You can make smoothie bowls and eat your smoothies with a spoon instead of drinking them.

Toppings that you can add to your smoothie bowl:

• fruits (whole berries and other fruits like sliced banana and strawberries)
• shredded coconut
• cacao nibs
• nuts like almonds, hazelnuts
• chia seeds
• hemp hearts
• pumpkin seeds
• sunflower seeds
• flax seeds
• hemp seeds
• drizzle honey
• granola
• dark chocolate

9. Try new ingredients

Try new ingredients that you never eat before. This may be fruits, vegetables, beans, etc. New ingredients will provide a different taste that you might very well like.



10. Try to make a healthier version of the unhealthy foods that you crave 

There are plant-based steaks that you can make if you are cutting out meat or reducing the amount that you consume. These plant-based steaks are made with beans and so on. You can also make vegan and vegetarian burgers and pizzas.You can cook your sweet potato and potato chips in the oven instead of frying them in oil.

Related post: How to make healthy fried chicken


11. Have a cheat meal/cheat day once in a while

Telling someone that you can never have your favorite unhealthy foods again vs telling someone that you can once in a while. Which one seems doable/achievable for the individual? For me the second option. We are all humans and sometimes the majority of us will want to indulge in cheese, fatty foods, etc. If we eat healthy most of the time then why not? This is where cheat meals come in.


So, what's a cheat meal and when can I have a cheat meal?
A cheat meal is a guilt-free meal that you have once in a while as a reward for eating healthy. When we have a cheat meal to look forward to we tend to/most likely stick to eating healthy foods. Cheat meals can motivate you to eat healthy because you know you're going to have that treat or reward.


You can have this meal once a week or so, it's totally up to you! For example you can eat healthy the entire week and have your cheat meal on Sunday.

The bottom line is that cheat meals will keep you satisfy and sane. If I eat healthy now then I have this meal to look forward to. The anticipation is amazing and what's better I won't feel guilty because I know that it's my reward and that I deserve it.


Important note: Don't overdo it with cheat meals.






12. Keep eating it for a while


You know sometimes we try a new food and we mightn't like it the first time but after a couple of tries we do. Well keep an open mind and do the same with healthy foods because if you keep eating it for a while it can make you like and even love it.



Concluding remarks

It can be concluded that what really makes you bored of a food is cooking it the same way with the same seasonings or cooking the same food all the time. In these causes variety is the key. Also when food is boring you have to make it more appealing in taste and how it looks. Additionally, people might find healthy food boring because they are always eating the plain vegetables.

These tips that I have shared with you are the tips that I have used myself. When it comes to eating healthy all you have to do is think of healthy ways that will make you want to eat your healthy food and remember that every day is different and so what you might like yesterday or the past few days you might not like another day.


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• How to eat more vegetables
• DIY healthy flavored water
• How to make a healthy grocery list  
• 20 motivational quotes that will inspire you to live healthy  

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