Micro habits as a strategy to combat overweight and obesity
Currently, one in three Poles is dealing with overweight, and one in four is obese. OECD projections indicate that by 2050, the average lifespan of a Pole is expected to decrease by about four years due to obesity. Weight gain does not occur overnight or even from month to month. While a few stressful months or a sudden lifestyle change – such as taking on an extra job – can lead to short-term weight gain, these situations are exceptions rather than the norm.
To maintain a healthy body weight, a well-balanced lifestyle is essential. Healthy habits are invaluable; some individuals acquire them during childhood at home, while others develop them later in life. However, there’s no need to completely overhaul your diet or resort to a restrictive eating plan. Instead, consider making gradual changes, such as embracing the micro habit method.
The concept involves creating lasting positive changes in your life by focusing on small, manageable actions that gradually lead to more significant results and cumulative benefits. Their strength lies not in drastic changes but in consistency and a gradual increase in difficulty. It's a good idea to build these habits around existing routines, integrating them into your lifestyle and daily schedule.
In the context of nutrition, proper micro habits will help you maintain a healthy body shape for years to come. Their implementation is crucial. While they may require some effort initially, these habits will become ‘second nature’ after about 30 days, bringing tangible benefits. Here are 12 simple yet significant changes you can make. Make your first micro step toward better health today!
- Have a vegetable before every main meal
Beginning meals with vegetables is an excellent habit for several reasons. Firstly, vegetables have a high nutrient density (meaning they are rich in health-promoting compounds relative to their calorie content) and add valuable components to the diet. Secondly, vegetables are a great source of dietary fiber, which enhances the feeling of fullness after meals. Research shows that vegetables stimulate the secretion of GLP-1 – often referred to as the ‘satiety hormone’ – which is produced in the intestines in response to food intake.
Foods rich in fiber are most beneficial when consumed before other components of a meal. This provides a third good reason to enjoy ‘vegetable appetizers’. Vegetables slow down the stomach’s emptying rate, prolonging digestion and reducing glucose spikes after meals. Thus, eating vegetable appetizers can help control glucose levels, which is particularly important for individuals with diabetes and insulin resistance, but can be beneficial for everyone.
Practical tip: The portion of vegetables doesn’t need to be large to be effective. Both raw and cooked or roasted vegetables can be beneficial (fiber content remains intact even after heat treatment). This tip is particularly valuable when your meal is high in carbohydrates.
- Incorporate a vegetable or fruit into each meal
Eating vegetables and fruit regularly is a crucial habit that greatly supports maintaining a healthy body weight. Vegetables and fruit are rich in water, increase meal volume, and provide essential vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. Official recommendations suggest a minimum daily serving of 400 g to maintain health, with an optimal daily serving of 800 g or more.
How can you turn these recommendations into a practical micro habit? Simply add a vegetable or fruit to every meal. For example, you can add frozen berries to your oatmeal, include a handful of cherry tomatoes in your lunch box, prepare a large salad for lunch, or enjoy a vegetable soup for dinner. You don’t have to specifically incorporate fruit and vegetables into your dishes, although that is often a good option. You can enjoy vegetables as an appetizer (see the previous habit) and fruit as a dessert. It’s beneficial to include a wide range of different types and varieties, as diversity is crucial for intestinal health.
- Eat until you feel satisfied, not until your plate is empty
Another valuable habit to develop (or nurture if you already have it!) is letting go of the belief that you must finish everything on your plate. Whenever possible, serve yourself smaller portions with the option to refill. If food is served to you, eat only as much as you truly want. Just because food is on your plate or within sight doesn’t mean you have to eat it. Overcoming this habit may require practicing intuitive eating, but it’s definitely worth the effort, as it’s the most beneficial approach to eating in the long run.
- Drink water on a regular basis.
Staying properly hydrated is crucial not just for those on a diet, but for everyone. Water is vital for all organs, including the digestive system. It’s actually common to confuse being thirsty with being hungry! Studies show that up to 37% of people may mistake thirst for hunger.
As a result, you might reach for snacks, believing your body is signaling hunger, when it’s a sign of mild dehydration. This can lead to consuming more calories than needed, resulting in weight gain. In adults, the sensation of thirst is often poorly communicated and may diminish with age. Therefore, it’s crucial to develop the habit of drinking water before feeling thirsty.
Read on: 8 essential habits for a healthy lifestyle – are you aware of them all?
What’s the best way to develop the habit of drinking water regularly using the concept of micro habits? Try connecting the formation of a new habit to an existing one that you already practice regularly. Drink a serving of water (a glass or a few sips – whatever you prefer) before or after your daily activities.
For example, you can drink water:
- after getting up in the morning,
- after brushing your teeth,
- after getting into the car,
- before starting work,
- during each short work break,
- while preparing dinner.
Consider these suggestions as inspiration. Habits are most effectively built and reinforced when tailored to your individual schedule – only then will they truly be effective.
- Establish small rituals for enjoying healthy beverages
In addition to water, it’s beneficial to incorporate other healthy, calorie-free liquids into your diet. These can provide additional support for the body due to their antioxidant content. Your new healthy micro habit could be drinking:
- tea,
- matcha (a type of natural energy drink),
- herbal infusions,
- sugar-free fruit-based drinks,
- natural coffee without unnecessary additives.
These beverages offer a low-calorie but delicious way to enhance your menu.
- No snacking
Snacking is a habit to combat, not cultivate. While it’s not directly aligned with the concept of ‘building small habits’ discussed in this article, it’s an important topic to explore.
Snacking between meals is a major contributor to caloric excess, leading to overweight and obesity. Eliminating this habit can significantly reduce the risk of weight gain. Plan a suitable number of daily meals to prevent snacking driven by physical hunger. For some individuals, five meals a day may be ideal, while others may find that three meals are sufficient.
Snacking can also stem from emotional eating. If this is the case, it's important to explore the underlying issues and address the beliefs that contribute to this behavior.
- Incorporate protein into every meal
Make it a practice to include protein sources in every meal. However, you don’t need to meticulously count macronutrients in apps or strictly control protein intake in your diet. Be mindful of the foods in your meals that contribute protein. If you don’t find a protein source in your meal, consider adding one – options include yogurt, meat, or legumes. They don’t need to be ‘high-protein’ products – it’s sufficient that they simply contain protein. Meals with at least 15–20 grams of protein are much more filling, reduce the urge to snack, and fulfill the body’s need for protein, one of the key macronutrients.
How to put this tip into practice?
- Add yogurt or skyr to your sweet dishes. They pair perfectly with oatmeal, serve as a topping for pancakes and omelets, or can be the main component of a meal when combined with granola and fruit.
- Include a protein source in salads, such as poultry, fish, shrimp, mozzarella, tofu, or legumes.
- If you’re having soup as your main meal, enhance it with yogurt, chickpeas, beans, peas, lentils, or even the meat used to make the broth.
- Discover the benefits of legumes. Incorporate portions of legumes (in any form) into your daily diet, and you’ll increase your intake of protein, minerals, and fiber, all of which contribute positively to your health.
- Opt for cottage cheese as an affordable and versatile source of protein. If you don’t follow a dairy-free diet, it pairs well with a variety of both sweet and savory dishes.
Ensuring the right portion of protein in your diet (especially in main meals) helps improve appetite control and regulate the feeling of satiety.
- Get ready for weekend meal prep
Not every micro habit needs to be a daily activity. You only need to practice meal prep once a week, but it’s worth setting aside 2–3 hours for it. Meal prep, or preparing meals in advance, will greatly enhance your ability to eat healthier during the week.
Meal prep involves preparing ingredients and meal components in one session, so you can quickly assemble balanced meals throughout the week. This may include tasks such as chopping vegetables, preparing a large batch of soup, mixing cereals, or freezing portions of prepared meals.
What can you do in 2–3 hours? You can roast pumpkin in the oven (for soups, curries, salads, or spreads for sandwiches and other dishes with pumpkin), while simultaneously preparing tomato sauce for pasta on the cooktop. Meanwhile, marinate the tofu and let it rest in the refrigerator. You can also portion vegetables and fruit for smoothies (and freeze them for convenience), chop vegetables for stir-fries, or even bake a quick batch of bean brownies while the oven’s already heated.
Spending 2–3 hours on meal prep during the weekend may feel like a considerable commitment, but it’ll save you significant time in the long run. This way, your fridge, freezer, and pantry will be stocked with healthy, homemade quick meals, minimizing the temptation to grab low-nutritional snacks on the go or to order calorie-laden takeouts. A key aspect of meal prep is understanding how to store food safely and healthily. Try using this sample meal prep plan for a week to see if this solution suits you.
- Prepare shopping lists
Always shop for groceries using a pre-prepared shopping list. Making these lists may seem like a minor habit, but it effectively prevents impulsive purchases. Sticking to a shopping list reduces the risk of buying items like chocolate, ice cream, or chips.
It’s best to create shopping lists by product groups: vegetables, fruits, baked goods, dairy products, and frozen foods. This helps you steer clear of the aisles filled with sweets and salty snacks at the supermarket. Shopping with a list doesn’t require you to meticulously plan every meal. Allow yourself some culinary creativity but always try to choose minimally processed products.
- Take a stroll after a big meal
Regular physical activity is one of the best things you can do for your body. While building activity-related micro habits is a separate topic, scheduling light physical activity right after a meal is definitely a good idea. Make time for a walk after lunch, dinner, or supper to enhance digestion, lower glucose spikes, and help reduce the accumulation of excess calories.
While intense exercise isn’t advisable after a meal, lounging on the couch isn’t a great option either. Incorporating a post-meal walk into your daily routine can be a simple yet effective habit.
- Have a salad or a nourishing bowl of fruit or veg every day
Occasional sweets – or even fast foods – won’t adversely impact your nutrition as long as your daily diet remains healthy and nutritious. One way to easily add valuable ingredients to your diet is preparing salads and fruit or veggie bowls.
Opt for vegetables, fruit, nutritious nuts, seeds, grains, superfoods, and healthy oils to blend the healthiest ingredients into salads and smoothie bowls, resulting in delicious combinations. It’s helpful to make this type of meal a regular part of your daily diet.
Read on: Smoothie bowl – recipes from a dietitian
- Eat natural probiotics for better gut health
Include at least one probiotic product in your diet each day to promote gut health. The condition of the gut and microbiome significantly impacts mood, immunity, and weight maintenance, and helps prevent obesity.
Foods that promote intestinal health should be diverse and high in fiber. To support gut health, natural fermented products are also an excellent choice. There are plenty of ways to add probiotic foods to your diet, such as pickled cucumbers, sauerkraut, beet kvass, or kefir.
Read on: The gut is your second brain. How does microbiome affect your well-being?
References:
- McKiernan F., Houchins J. A., Mattes R. D., Relationships between human thirst, hunger, drinking, and feeding, Physiol Behav., 2008 Aug 6;94(5):700-8, doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2008.04.007, Epub 2008 Apr 13, PMID: 18499200; PMCID: PMC2467458.
- Soemarie Y. B., Milanda T., Barliana M. I., Fermented Foods as Probiotics: A Review, J Adv Pharm Technol Res., 2021 Oct-Dec;12(4):335-339, doi: 10.4103/japtr.japtr_116_21, Epub 2021 Oct 20, PMID: 34820306; PMCID: PMC8588917.
- Clear J., Atomic habits: tiny changes, remarkable results: an easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones, New York, New York, Avery, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2018