How to Stop Eating Fast Food: The Best Nutrition Alternatives

Do you ever feel like leading a healthy lifestyle is just harder for you somehow?

Like your lifestyle just won’t allow you to make huge changes, no matter how great the rewards are?

You’re not alone.

Years ago...

I thought I was too busy, too far gone, and most importantly, too weak.

So, I knew I had to come up with a plan for how to stop eating fast food.

But how do you… ?

I was too impatient, and too hard on myself.

The truth is...

You’re never too busy, and it’s never too late. It takes time for the changes to really start taking effect, and you will slip up.

Stick with me here, because…

I decided to stop eating fast food for a month.

That said, anyone can stop eating fast food for good.

Anyone!

Today…

If you stay with me and keep reading…

I will show you how to stop eating junk foods!

Bold promise? Definitely.

We’re talking alternatives to foods that set us back. Alternatives that provide better nutrition, make you feel great, and are actually satisfying.

How awesome is that?

You’re about to find out how…

Let’s Begin With: Ways to Set Yourself Up for Success and Stop Cravings in Their Tracks

Knowing what to swap out is really only part of the battle.

Honestly...

... how to stop eating fast food is more than you just buying a stalk of cauliflower and call it a day.

Before, I would clean out my cupboards, replace everything with healthier options, and think that was all it took.

But, here’s the problem:

The fact of the matter is, there’s always a store open.

Your friends will always suggest a restaurant that features those foods you’re trying to avoid.

You’ll always have bad days where it doesn’t seem worth the trouble.

And then there’s your brain...

Your will power around junk food doesn’t only decrease because you become addicted to feel-good chemicals they release.

You may crave it because it weakens your ability to have willpower, period.

That is, the part of your brain that knows why you shouldn’t eat it may have become weak because of fast food.

Therefore, it’s not all about what’s in your kitchen - not by a long shot.

Not to worry.

The good news is...

For better success, make these changes as you switch to better foods.

They can help get your brain on board with the changes you want to make.

Don’t stick to your average routine. Do you have a designated snack time?

Not anymore.

For instance, if you always have a snack at 3:30 in the afternoon, move it back to 2:15.

You’re always eating at that time because that’s when the craving kicks in. If you’ve already had a snack by then, you’ll be less likely to feel like something’s missing.

Switching other aspects of your routine around can have a positive impact on your eating as well.

Have breakfast earlier, book that Pilates class right before dinner, and don’t sit down on the couch at your usual time.

This way, your brain won’t be as quick to insist that it’s time for you to eat.
Drink a lot of water. Companies engineer foods to mess with our brain signals. It has that exact amount of salt, sugar, or whatever else for very specific reasons.

Therefore, we can misinterpret what our body is trying to tell us.

Before you give in to that urge, drink at least eight ounces of water. In actuality, you may have just been thirsty.

If this is not the case, the water may at least make you eat less.
Educate yourself. Nothing out there turns me off of junk food more than reading about what’s in it.

Pink slime, for example, can turn you against beef in under a day.

As you learn about the origins of these additives, you’ll eventually make the connection between ingredients and the final product.

For instance, L-cysteine is present in breads, bagels, pastries, and cheese.

L-cysteine sounds like a supplement, doesn’t it?

But what exactly is it…?

Well, it’s made of duck feathers, pig bristles, and in some cases, human hair. They add it to improve texture, if you can believe that.

I’ll never look at a bag of bagels with the same longing again, and yeah bet you won’t, either.
Move. If eating healthy is hard, work harder.

Sometimes, this means taking a walk down the street when the cookies are calling.

Frankly, it isn’t pleasant, but what we need to do is change our reaction and detox from these habits.

However, movement and work aren’t all about actual exercise.

If you want to eat, make it so you have to spend time on preparation in order to do so. Remove the very idea of convenience in your eating plan, even if for just two days.

Chew thoroughly, slowly, and mindfully. Don’t take another bite until you swallow the one that came before it.

This drastically alters the way you receive and process food.

It serves to further disconnect you from those old patterns surrounding unhealthy foods.
Identify triggers. Is there a food you can eat a ton of, without even realizing it?

Is there a particular food you find yourself eating when you’re feeling sad?

What about foods that make you feel as much pleasure as you do shame?

These are triggers; one go-round can send you right back to square one.

For myself and others, potato chips are a good example of this. They’re salty, crunchy, and it’s easy to make a bag disappear.

These are foods that you should not have in the house under any circumstances.

It’s quite simple, really.

Do you typically find yourself eating ice cream at the counter in the middle of the night?

It’s not you... it’s the ice cream... stop buying it.
Give yourself a chance. Surely, you’ve heard that it takes at least 21 days to create a new habit that’ll really stick.

Yeah, that’s right - at least 21 days.

That means that if you haven’t totally cleaned up your act in three weeks, all is not lost.

It can take two or three months to see the progress you’re looking for.

After all, you’re building new pathways in your brain. (As I mentioned above I gave myself 30 days and it worked.)

It also takes time for your body to expel all of the effects of an unhealthy diet.

So if you’re miserable a few weeks in, it’s okay!

You’re not failing, you’re just adjusting still.
For example, hummus and whole grain crackers don’t sound so bad, but they do sound beige.

Red bell peppers and hummus?

By sticking to that color rule, we’ve cut carbs and added more antioxidants.

10 Fast Food Alternatives That Can Improve Your Health

On top of being full of added sugar and trans fats, fast food offers us no real nutrition.

If you begin phasing out these foods, and replacing them with whole foods alternatives, you’ll soon begin to feel differently.

In the end, eating foods that give you energy and life is what will help you stop for good.

Junk foods either tend to make us feel sluggish, or provoke us to keep eating.

1. French Fries

Fried in oil and coated with salt, French fries are definitely something we all crave. Because we eat a lot of them, the ingredients are usually cheap and low quality.

Baking your own potatoes or sweet potatoes into homemade, healthier French fries is really easy.

You just need to know a few tricks to making them nice and crispy.

First...

Don’t peel your potatoes.

Get gold potatoes, which usually have a much thinner skin.

After you cut them into fry shapes, toss them in a pot of cold water. Turn up the heat, and let them come to a boil.

As soon as they boil, turn off the pot and drain.

Now you can season your potatoes and bake them.

If you bake at 400 degrees Celsius for 30-40 minutes, they should be nice and crisp - no oil necessary.

2. Candy

There’s no shame in wanting something sweet.

However, you need to avoid candy bars full of corn syrup, hydrogenated oil, and monoglycerides.

Instead, try a piece of whole fruit.

If that doesn’t cut it, try dried fruits, like dates and figs. Dates in particular have a texture and taste reminiscent of nougat.

If that doesn’t work, fall back on a raw foods bar - click here for price or some chocolate-covered almonds.

Yes, you can still eat a little real, high-quality chocolate.

3. Pizza

I’m a pizza fanatic.

I still have a pie every now and then, minus the cheese.

But when you’re detoxing from junk food, most refined flours are off the table.

Yes, it’s that crust, as well as the sugary sauce and processed cheese, that won’t make the cut.

Get your pizza fix, but lighten it up. Try out a Portobello mushroom pizza, or a zucchini pizza boat - minus the processed pepperoni.

4. My Favorite Potato Chips

This one really hurts, doesn’t it?

There’s nothing like a handful of greasy, salty chips sometimes.

However, you can turn most plant foods into a chip with less (or no) oil and a higher-quality seasoning.

fresh taro and taro chips

My personal favorite would be taro chips, although you can try radish chips or even tomato chips.

You could also go for some popcorn.

Although, it can’t be just any popcorn; we’ll get to that in a moment.

5. Delicious Mac and Cheese

Pasta smothered with cheese will never be a healthy food.

But on special occasions, you can lighten things up by removing at least half of the pasta.

Replace it with cauliflower or butternut squash.

Cut the cheese in half, or do like I do and remove it altogether.

Instead, make this vegan cheese sauce with raw cashews and nutritional yeast.

6. Amazing Milkshakes

Miss getting that strawberry milkshake at the drive-thru?

In case you didn’t know, smoothies are a dead ringer for milkshakes, so make them your best friend.

Make it creamy with a little avocado, or if you need dairy creaminess, Greek yogurt.

With that, frozen banana, and a handful of strawberries, you’re good to go. Add a little extra nutrition from flax or chia seeds, too.

7. Fantastic Popcorn

Average microwave bags of popcorn contain processed - and potentially rancid - oils and artificial flavorings like diacetyl.

Your best bet is to stick to non-GMO kernels and pop them yourself on the stove.

After all, popcorn is a good, light, high-fiber snack.

If popping on the stove isn’t suitable, buy a reusable popper - click for price, for the microwave.

Just stay away from oils and high amounts of salt. Try some nutritional yeast - click for price, instead.

8. Coffee Creamer

I’ll spare you the lecture with this one and direct you to this past post on coffee creamer.

Needless to say, creamer is a hidden source of tons and tons of hydrogenated oil and added sugar.

Instead of a bottle of sugary preservatives, check out my tips for using coconut oil in coffee.

9. Awesome Nachos

Authentic queso from a taqueria is a delicious treat, but a rare one.

In any case, when people eat nacho cheese, it usually comes from fast food places, movie theaters, and gas stations.

Here, we have another food where hydrogenated oils aren’t just present, but make up huge fractions of the entire dish.

Stop making nachos all about the cheese, and have a burrito bowl instead.

It has the flavors and textures to satisfy without the bad, synthetic fat.

10. Don’t Forget the Ice Cream

What’s nicer than ice cream?

Nice cream, of course.

Nice cream is essentially a super thick smoothie made with a base of frozen bananas.

Bananas, as one of the sweetest fruits there is, make a surprisingly suitable substitute for cream and sugar.

Furthermore, there are infinite ways to customize it to your cravings.

This peanut butter version is just 150 calories per serving, while the chocolate is around 160.

You don’t need an ice cream mixer, either.

A food processor - click for price, or high speed blender is enough. If your bananas are already frozen, it takes about three minutes to make.

Here is my final word on:

How to Stop Eating Fast Food

You don’t eat fast food because you are uninformed about good nutrition. You eat junk food because it messes with your mind.

So before you try alternatives, you have to learn how to challenge your brain’s predisposition toward the unhealthy.

This includes:

Making sure you’re hydrated
Deviating from your usual schedule
Giving yourself time before expecting to see cravings disappear
Learning more about gross ingredients in junk food
Developing a few “rules” for what healthy food is
Avoiding trigger foods at all costs

Because it’s a lifestyle change and not a diet, working through this slowly is okay.

How to Stop Eating Fast Food: The Best Nutrition Alternatives

​Let’s Begin With: Ways to Set Yourself Up for Success and Stop Cravings in Their Tracks

​​​How to Stop Eating Fast Food

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Let’s Begin With: Ways to Set Yourself Up for Success and Stop Cravings in Their Tracks

How to Stop Eating Fast Food