Day 56: The Minimalist Guide To Eating Well

Eating like a minimalist is a simple way of eating for a low maintenance life style. This choice will help you find balance, energy, and a new joy when preparing your food.

Here are 8 ways to eat like a minimalist.

Eliminate prep time. Identifying those ingredients that save you time and energy doesn’t mean using prepackaged foods or processed drive-thru. The fewer the ingredients the better. Finding recipes that requires three to four ingredients will help you spend less money and eat healthier (as long as you choose the right three ingredients).

Go for simple presentation. Eliminate the hassle of a sink filled with dirty dishes. The simplicity of your food will minimize the time and energy required to wash dishes. Look at cultures all around the world that eat beautiful meals in a simple bowl.

Use live ingredients. If you’d like to feel a dramatic increase in your energy, choose live foods such as vegetables, fruits and fish. People with diets made up of 80% live foods feel more energetic and have better moods overall. Shopping the perimeters of your grocery store will also ensure you are not purchasing foods with preservatives or excess packaging.

Eat sustainably. Buy organic food that is unfrozen, unprocessed, seasonal and based primarily on vegetables and grain. Food that is healthy for the plane is the same food nutritionists have been encouraging us to eat all long. God bless the chick pea!

Eat mindfully. In our fast-paced society it’s easy to get caught up in mindless eating by frequenting drive-thru, eating while standing (or in front of the TV). When you are unaware of what you’re eating, there will be negative consequences for your health. Pay attention to the food you eat and savor each bite.

Inhale breath, not your food. Focus on the sensation of taste, temperature, and texture of the food you are eating. Inhale deeply so you appreciate the flavors that have come together. Listen to classical music and have quality conversation in between bites to make the whole eating experience relaxing and enjoyable.

Experiment globally. Evolving your diet with a multicultural flair can broaden your taste buds and give your stomach a reason to celebrate diversity. Check out recipes from Australia to Vietnam and savor the new spices and ingredients that will add flavor to your simple life style.

Eat at home. Preparing food in your home helps your wallet and your relationship with people and food. Cooking at home is less expensive, there aren’t any hidden ingredients, and you can have left overs for the next day. All of this adds up to more time with family and friends and being frugally minded in the preparation of your meals.

Eating like a minimalist requires simplicity in preparation, quantity, and consumption.

Creating a minimalist diet is about paring food quantity and preparation to the essential and experimenting with different types of food to create a simple culinary delight.

Cindy Platt is a parenting specialist who writes at Your Life’s Blueprint. Follow her on Twitter.