Three Life-Changing Nutritional Practices to Try Immediately

by Bobby Rock


As you might imagine, I believe that having a daily superfood smoothie as one of your meals is the single most important thing you can do for your nutritional well-being. But what else might I recommend for overall health and wellness? I’m glad you asked. Here are three simple (but not always easy) nutritional practices that, over time, will change your life if you consistently integrate them into your regimen.

Drink More Water: Proper hydration is foundational to every system in the body functioning optimally. Yet most of us are chronically dehydrated to some degree. Solution? Simply drink more water every day. 

  • Bring a bottle of water to your nightstand before bed every night, then drink as much as you comfortably can just as your feet hit the floor in the AM. No better way to kick-off your morning.
  • Sip away throughout the day, refilling the bottle as necessary. Make this a new habit.
  • Drink enough so that 1) you never get too thirsty, and 2) your pee never gets too yellow!

Eat More Legumes - Legumes include beans, peas, and lentils and are among the most underrated and overlooked superfoods around. They are high in protein and healthy carbs and have tons of fiber, which most folks need way more of. Here are a few ideas:

  • Add a half-a-can of garbanzos or kidney beans to a large salad for a quick, complete meal.
  • Make a big batch of something like three-bean veggie soup or black bean chili, then enjoy it over multiple meals. You can even freeze some for weeks down the road.
  • For incredible variety, work a legume-based ethnic-style meal into your weekly rotation: a bean burrito (instead of beef or chicken); a lentil curry dish over rice; an Asian stir-fry with edamame (or tofu), etc.
While this might be a gorgeous photo, it’s way more practical to use canned beans!

Note: If you find that legumes don’t agree with you, it’s likely because you aren’t used to eating them and the ultra-high fiber content can “mix things up” in your belly. If this is the case, try starting out with smaller serving sizes to let your body acclimate. It’s worth it!

Eat Less Food - Confucius says, “Hara Hachi Bu,” which basically means, “Eat until you are 80% full.” This is a directive followed by some of the most long-lived cultures of humans on the planet, perhaps most notably, the Okinawans. When we overeat—which happens multiple times a day for many of us—we place a tremendous burden on our digestive system and compromise our assimilation of the nutrients… among a host of many other health catastrophes. Try this:

  • Sit down for your meals, relax, take your time, chew your food into a “paste” texture before swallowing, tune into your stomach, and simply eat until your hunger is satiated. (Easier said than done, I know.)
  • When you are most likely to overeat, take 1/3 or 1/4 of the food on your plate and put it into a container before you start eating. This will ensure that you won’t keep shoveling it in beyond the “point of no return.”
  • If you want to binge out for a special meal here and there, be mindful about it. Plan for it in advance. Look forward to it. Then go back to your new routine of “less is more."

Remember: You are ultimately not denying yourself that delicious food… you are merely prolonging your enjoyment of it by dividing it up into either two meals or a meal and a snack for later. Win/Win!


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