Layering in Healthy Snacks
Welcome to the start of our third phase in the 40FRESH Challenge: LAYER. Thus far, apart from the change to our drinking habit a few days ago, we haven’t really made a ton of changes to our diet yet. As we discussed early on, the reason for that is simple–transformation is hard. On average, it takes 66 days for a new habit to become automatic. Our program is only 40 days, so that means after you’re complete, you’ll still have 26 more days to go before your habits become ingrained. Yikes!
This is why we’ve been careful not to add too many new habits all at once. As habits expert James Clear (affiliate link) notes, if you can be 1% better every day for a whole year, you’ll end up being over 37 times better than when you started. By contrast, if you get 1% worse for a whole year, you’ll be at mere 3% of where you started. That’s the power of compounding returns. In a nutshell, your system really matters and that’s why we’ve been so heavily focused on building a new system that’s going to sustain your new habits.
Since you’re starting your healthy snacks habit today, we’re going to spend some time looking at our snacking system.
Today’s Checklist
If you’re following along with the 40FRESH Challenge, here’s your homework for today:
Read this post
Layer on your snacks habit
Solidify your system
Add to your snacks repertoire
Are Your Systems Ready?
The next few weeks are going to be tough. Ultra-processed foods are specifically engineered to be highly addictive and make you consume more. According to scientific studies, ultra-processed foods are as addictive as tobacco. While you let that stern warning sink in, let’s review some of the systems that you’ve developed thus far. These are the things that are going to sustain our healthy snacking habits in the face of those tempting processed foods.
Accountability Calendar
We printed a copy of a 365 day calendar so we could put an X over each day where we succeed with our habits. The physical act of marking that X each day is immensely satisfying. Additionally, it acts as a visual reminder of our success as well as a source of motivation. The longer our string of X’s, the more motivation we’ll have to keep the chain unbroken.
Habits Scorecard (aka our Food Journal)
Another thing we picked up on day 1 was a food journal. In order to form new habits, you must understand your current ones. Since day 3, you’ve been keeping a detailed log of everything you eat. You now have a full week of insights on when you tend to reach for food and drinks from the 40FRESH Nope list. What’s more, you can use this list to identify your cues and recognize when you might need more support in making healthy choices.
Your Health Mantra
Speaking of support for making healthy choices, you’ve been reciting and writing your health mantra. It might feel forced at times, but every time you do it you are casting a vote for the new identity that you’re forming. Habits are more likely to stick when they become a core part of your identity. The sticky notes you created yesterday are meant to be a constant visual reminder of your commitment to this new identity.
Make Healthy Choices Attractive
On day 5, you spent some time reorganizing your pantry to make your healthy food more accessible than your ultra-processed foods. When we’re tired or having a crisis of motivation, we tend to fall back into our old habits. After all, we’re used to them and it’s easy–no thinking required! The reorganization that you did helped shape a new environment where the easiest choice is also the healthiest choice. You will reap huge rewards if you increase the friction in making unhealthy choices.
Stack Your Habits
We spent a bit of time on day 6 pouring over some strategies that can help us make habits stick, including adding another action when making a healthy choice. For instance, before or after we eat a healthy snack or make a healthy drink choice, we can add on a reward that makes the act of engaging with the new habit more satisfying. We do something we want to do along with the new habit we’re trying to form.
Solidify Your System
Now is the time to go back and shore up your systems if you skipped any of the steps above. It’s also a great time to find an accountability partner if you don’t already have one. If you’re having trouble finding one, feel free to join us on Facebook and we’d be happy to hear about your journey and encourage your progress!
More Snack Inspiration
To help kick off your snacks habit, we thought it might be helpful to have a few more simple snack options for when you have a bit more time to do some prep. No limits on these snacks as they’re made entirely from 40FRESH Always and 40FRESH @Home ingredients.
Hard Boiled Eggs
It takes a bit of time to prepare hard boiled eggs, but once they’re ready, you have a nutrient-dense snack that’s . Spice them up with a bit of cracked salt and pepper and a dash of paprika.
Tomato & Cucumber Salad
Another delicious and savory snack that only takes a few minutes of prep is a tomato and cucumber salad. Dress it up with a bit of balsamic vinegar and olive oil and add red onion or avocado for some additional flavor.
Kale Chips
These kale chips are super easy to prep and are a great addition if you’re looking to add a healthy snack that has a bit of salt to it. Make sure you store them in an airtight container.
We’ll share some more snack inspiration tomorrow to help you diversify your snacks menu!
Up Next...
Good luck with your snack habit today and give yourself another X on the accountability calendar if you’ve been sticking with your 40FRESH drinks habit. Tomorrow we’re going to spend some time making it even easier to have those snacks ready to go. With a little bit of time investment every week, you can have a diverse and delicious snack menu at your disposal all week long.