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The Secret to Healthy Habits

The secret to healthy habits? Master one thing at a time!

​A little while ago I decided to subscribe to a veg box scheme. You know the ones. You sign up for the size veg box you think you want and once a week fresh, seasonal, organic fruit and veg get delivered to your doorstep. Just think of the possibilities to experiment. It’s bound to encourage you to eat a variety of meals. To try new things. Right? WRONG.

My veg box was delivered every Monday. I didn’t have a choice in that, it was when the delivery service was in my area. So my veg box arrived right at the start of my working week. Right when I had plenty of tasty leftovers from my weekend. Right when Glutenfree Man was away for three nights with work.

Once my leftovers had ran out I would reach into my veg box and pick out all of the vegetables that were familiar to me and whip up a quick, easy, familiar tea. The woody, stick-like salsify that I had no clue about would lurk in the corner of the box for another day. Except often that day never came because by the time I had the time and enthusiasm to experiment my unfamiliar veg were looking decidedly less fresh.

Needless to say I cancelled the veg box.

Can you relate?

If the above sounds all too familiar then this one is for you!

Change can be hard.

We are creatures of habit and if we are tired or busy then we gravitate towards those habits even more. That’s great but when it comes to healthy eating variety is where it’s at.

Trying one new thing a week helps us get that variety without making it unmanageable. If you try one new recipe a week that’s 52 new meals in your repertoire by the end of the year. OK, you may not like all of them, you may not manage it every week but even if you have a 50% success rate that’s 26 new meals. How many different meals are you eating now? How often do you feel like you are in a bit of a food rut?

Cooking one new thing a week makes it easy to develop a new habit. You can choose the day and time to suit yourself. Maybe a Saturday is a good day for experimenting? Maybe you want to try a quick and easy recipe every Tuesday to get a greater variety of easy midweek meals. Picking a specific day and meal can help the habit stick.


There’s a good argument for making small changes from a nutrition perspective too. Your gut bacteria are used to your diet. Making lots of dramatic change at once can upset your microbes. They’re not set up to deal with this and that can lead to a whole lot of digestive discomfort for you. Easing them in gently is definitely the way to go.

If you want some help and inspiration along the way why not join my community in The Plant Plan? Monthly meal plans give inspiration and the community Facebook group helps you share tips and tricks with likeminded individuals.

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