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By BRENDA It’s one thing to have a healthy meal plan.
It’s another to add tweaks to make it more grounding, intentional and nutritious.
Over time — through practice, mistakes, and paying attention to my body — I’ve found simple tweaks that make my eating routine smarter and more supportive of my lifestyle.
In this blog, I share five habits I’ve embraced that help me eat in a way that feels good, balanced, and sustainable.
Taking Milk With My Coffee 1 Hour Before I Work Out
I do love my morning cup of coffee — especially when served black.
It’s how I love to greet the day and wake up my mind.
But something I’ve learned from fitness gurus is this: female bodies respond differently to workouts after consuming caffeine.
When women consume caffeine on an empty stomach and go straight into exercise, the body often interprets it as stress, which increases cortisol (the stress hormone).
A spike in cortisol can push the body into “starvation mode,” making it hold onto energy — including fat.
This makes intermittent fasting and your workout work against you and your fitness goals.
On the other hand, drinking coffee that has protein in it before you work out, tells your body that you’re not in starvation mode and therefore it’s safe to use energy reserves like body fat to support the workout.
For me, the simplest protein source is milk, and as long as you’re getting around 32 g of protein in that morning coffee drink or zero-calorie drink, your body will thank you.
And no — this doesn’t ruin your intermittent fast if you’re working out.
It actually supports it.
Breaking My 16:8 Fast With a Salad
One thing I’ve learned over time as a practitioner of intermittent fasting, is to break my fast with a very nutritious meal.
And that’s a salad.
In the past, how I broke my fast didn’t really matter because I was simply hungry.
And being a newbie to this lifestyle made it worse.
Longing for food after 16 hours of fasting would make me eat anything my hands could reach.
But the more consistent I’ve become with intermittent fasting, the more I’ve realized the importance of what first enters my stomach.
My go-to, easy-to-make salad is smashed Avocado, chopped onions, tomatoes, cilantro and salt to taste.
And the nutritious bit:
Avocado gives healthy fats which is slow, steady energy; tomatoes, onions and cilantro give fiber, vitamins, and hydration; and salt helps restore electrolytes, on top of adding taste.
It’s light but nutrient-dense, gentle on digestion and great for stabilizing blood sugar after fasting.
It’s surprisingly filling and helps me tame cravings throughout the day.
Having Tea 1 Hour After Two Meals — and Before 4 PM
You know that drowsy feeling after eating food?
I’ve found my cure.
The first one: eating small portions of food during the day and maximizing dinner.
The second one, tea!
Tea contains a small amount of caffeine — enough to keep me alert but not enough to disturb my system.
It also has tannins that support digestion.
I like to take it before 4pm, so it doesn’t interfere with my sleep cycle and about 45 minutes – 1 hour after my meals(especially protein dense meals) as tea contains tannic acid that interferes with the absorption of iron and proteins.
Keeping it spiced with ginger or lemon grass is another way to add flavor and keep those nutrients coming in.
Pairing Salad or Healthy Fats With White Carbohydrates
My go-to source of carbohydrates is starch and whole-grain carbohydrates.
I do my best to prioritize them when making my meals.
But some days, the only accessible option is a white carbohydrate — bread, rice, or something similar.
Instead of avoiding it, I balance it.
I add healthy fat or vegetables to make it more nourishing.
Healthy fats and vegetables help slow digestion and reduce the glycemic impact of white carbs.
For example: If all I have is white bread, I’ll add olive oil.
If I’m eating white rice, I’ll mix in vegetables like peas, carrots, or peppers to increase the fiber content of that meal.
This simple adjustment helps to keep my blood sugar stable.
Eating Until 80% Full (Hara Hachi Bu)
As a self-proclaimed foodie, overeating used to be my normal.
I would wait until I feel full to stop eating — and it didn’t feel good afterwards.
Then I learnt about the Japanese concept, “hara hachi bu” that translates to “eat until you’re 80% full.”
According to this concept, it’s advisable to eat less than 100% of what you would normally eat that makes you feel full.
At first, that was hard especially when the mouth, for some reason, wants to eat endlessly.
The trick I’ve learned is to define my portion ahead of time and stick with that.
And the other thing is to eat slowly and in a mindful manner that keeps me present — no screens or anything work related to distract me.
Plus, patience and really savouring that moment I have with my food.
Over time, my body adjusted.
Eating became less about pleasure and more about nourishment — a practice of care.
Final Thoughts
I’ve learnt that healthy eating isn’t about perfection or strict rules.
It’s about creating small, meaningful habits that support your body and lifestyle.
These five habits have grounded me, nourished me, and helped me maintain a healthier relationship with food.
I hope one or two resonate with the healthier version of you that you’re becoming.