How to create a minimalist healthy eating plan

Well, it's finally here. After researching, testing, and revising my plan over and over, my guide on how to create a minimalist healthy eating plan is finally ready. This guide is meant to help create healthy eating habits while using the minimalist concept of focusing on what's most important first while letting go of less important things. In this case, what's most important to me in this eating plan is taking care of my health, affordability, and sustainability (meaning that I can follow this plan indefinitely because it's easy to stick to--eco-friendly grocery shopping is long enough to be its own post).

I thought about sharing more specifics of my plan, but decided against it for reasons I'll explain later. However, if you really want to know the details, let me know by sending me an email or commenting on this post. For now, this is a guide on how to create your own plan, because I felt like that would be more beneficial to everyone than seeing what I eat.

Since this is a post about health, I have to throw some disclaimers in here: I'm not a medical professional or a dietitian. And even if I was, I'm not your healthcare professional and don't know anything about your personal health needs. So keep in mind that what I say in this article is my opinion based on what I've found works best for my body, is for entertainment purposes only, and is not meant to be medical advice. You should always check with your own healthcare providers when making changes to your diet. Or something like that. You get the picture.

Here's what to look forward to in this post:

1. Make your goals
2. Add in more of the good stuff
3. Stop what isn't working
4. Re-evaluate
5. Some bonus tips

Oh, and if you want to save this post for later, you can pin it with this link.

1. Make your goals

As with any minimalist transition, I think it's important to know what you're aiming for. Just saying "I want to be healthier" is vague enough that you might not even know if you reach your goals. 

Also, I kinda dislike the word goals. I feel like it puts a lot of pressure on things, which for me, means that I'm likely to revolt and go in the opposite direction because I'm just stubborn that way.

Try to lead me, I'll resist.

If this is you too, then think of it like deciding what you want out of this change and then making decisions based on your desires instead of making goals. 

Lastly, I don't consider this a diet. For me, this is a lifestyle change. So it's not about how quickly I complete the changeover.

If you care, here are my "goals" or desires with this eating plan:

• Better digestion. I know since I've been eating more take-out, it's definitely affected my stomach.
• Better energy. I have a tendency to eat a lot at once and then not eat again for a long time, which makes my energy levels uneven during the day. So this plan is not just about what I eat, but also about when/how I eat.

That's about it. I know when I mentioned creating this plan before, I talked about having gained a few pounds, but I'm not doing this to lose weight. I'm more concerned about the health implications behind weight gain--from what I've read, virtually everyone who is overweight is malnourished. Someone can eat a lot, but that doesn't mean they are getting proper nutrition. Of course, this is usually true for people who are underweight as well. 

So my goal is to eat healthfully and increase my nutrient intake. As a side effect, my weight should change, which would indicate that I'm eating what my body needs. If it still doesn't change or I don't feel any better, then I probably need to see a doctor about my digestion. Either way, I'm using my weight as an indicator of nutrient absorption. 

I purposely didn't post this in the spring or the beginning of the summer (for my hemisphere) because I didn't want to follow the trend of posts about getting ready to look good on the beach. I also didn't choose to wait until around the end of the year to follow the New Year's Resolution trends. That's because I don't want to encourage people to engage in unhealthy behaviors or do things because of peer pressure. This is not about weight loss, getting skinny, or looking good in selfies.

Also, if you're looking for a detailed meal plan, this post is not about that. Remember, this is how to create a plan, not what the plan is. I'll explain why I don't give all the details of my own plan in section 5 of this post. Now, on to how to create a minimalist healthy eating plan.

2. Add in more of the good stuff

Once you have your aspirations all lined up, the next thing to do is start changing how you eat.

The difference between my healthy eating plan and a "diet" is that this plan is mostly about adding more healthy foods, while a diet usually has you cut out foods so you can lose weight or meet some other goal.

Since I want better digestion, I slowly added in more fiber. I did this slowly, because adding too much at once usually causes more digestive problems. I generally don't count calories or check on my nutrient intake on a daily basis, but I do check in periodically. The restaurant and processed food I was eating were low in fiber. I decided on some easy, affordable ways to increase my fiber intake that I enjoy. This included eating more kale, Granny Smith apples, beans, and homemade popcorn. I also started adding more fiber to smoothies and baking. I do this by sneaking in ground flaxseed and pumpkin puree. Not only are these great binders, but they really don't change the flavor either in the correct quantities. You just have to either switch them out for another element in the recipe, adjust your ratios, or start with a recipe that already has them.

As an added bonus, adding fiber fills you up more than less fibrous foods. This helps with my second goal or aspiration, which is better energy. It helped almost by accident. Because I'm full faster, I eat smaller meals. But then I can eat another meal a while later instead of waiting for 6 or 8 hours. Eating more frequent, smaller meals give me more consistent energy than larger, fewer meals.

Meal prepping also helps with this goal. I'd get really annoyed if I had to make meals from scratch 5-6 times per day. But by prepping one dish and eating it in small amounts several times per day, I'm just reheating. I supplement the prepped dish with snacky foods like popcorn, or an apple with nut butter, alternating between snacks and "meals."

3. Stop what isn't working

The good part about adding in healthier foods first is that if you focus on eating more of them, you end up with less room for unhealthy foods. But, that doesn't mean you shouldn't consider what else you might need to remove. After paying attention to what I eat and how it affects me, I decided there are a few things I needed to stop doing.

First, eating takeout. You just never know everything that goes into a meal made in a restaurant, but it's likely to contain a lot of the following: oil/grease, sugar/sweeteners, salt, and ingredients that come from packages (processed foods with weird man-made products). None of those things make my stomach very happy.

Bloating. The struggle is real.

Second, eating frozen or prepared foods at home. Just like restaurant foods, there's a bunch of potential digestion-ruiners in prepared meals. I suspect that preservatives and other chemicals also bother my GI tract. I've taken to making my own versions of various condiments and sauces that are easy to make, cheaper than the bottled stuff, and minus all the unpronounceable ingredients.

Third, eating anything that doesn't resemble real food. My main goal at home is to eat foods that come in the most natural form possible. I'm not aiming for 100% whole foods, but relatively close. For example, of all the pastas out there, I digest the kind made only from brown rice best. So I'm not foregoing pasta, but I don't buy any kind made of wheat, corn, quinoa, beans, soy, or konjac.

4. Re-evaluate

Food is such a big deal to most people. It's a large part of social interaction, cultural identity, and also can carry a lot of stigma and shame. Any or all of these factors might be in opposition to your goals with a healthy eating plan. If you find this happening, you can decide if there are ways to compromise or do things differently. You can also ask people that you eat or buy food with to support you. Tell them you're trying to eat healthier and ask if they want to do it with you, or if they can at least help you stay on track by not tempting you with unhealthy foods.

Also, you can see if the changes you've made are helping you get to where you want to be. Keep in mind that if you've been eating a certain way for a long time, it may also take a long time to see any difference. Manage your expectations accordingly.

5. Some bonus tips

Just like everything else in this blog, this isn't a guide for making drastic changes quickly. This is about making small changes slowly so you don't get shell-shocked and give up. 

Each step listed above was a change I made and eased into gradually. I've seen videos of people who decide to quit sugar for 30 days. They take everything with sugar in it and throw it out and quit cold turkey. My plan isn't devised for a sprint, it's a marathon. So I eliminated foods I no longer wanted to eat by using them up little by little until they were gone. Then, I didn't buy anymore. This method works great for avoiding withdrawals or cravings, too.

This is of course not to say that I won't ever eat out again, or have any processed food. That's just unrealistic, considering every once in a while I'll want to take a break from cooking everything myself. I just know that eating a lot less of these foods will make me feel better, and also be more affordable. 

The reason why I didn't show my full meal plan is because what works for me is not necessarily going to work for you. Everyone's body is different, so copying everything I do isn't a blueprint for success. I think we can all agree that certain things, like processed foods, are not the healthiest. But beyond that, I think each person has to observe how what they eat affects them and react accordingly.  

Something else I read is that you shouldn't start a new diet and exercise program at the same time. If you aren't getting proper nourishment, then you'll be more prone to injury. So starting to exercise (or exercising more vigorously) while also messing with how you eat is a bad idea. I haven't stopped exercising completely, but I'm only doing some walking and very gentle strength/stabilizing exercises right now. 

That last thing I want to say is an acknowledgment that I don't think there's anything groundbreaking about this guide. It's mostly common sense. However, I think what's different is the idea that you don't change everything at once and that you're trying to live life differently for a long time, not just do a crash diet for quick results. Becoming healthier doesn't happen overnight.

5 easy frugal minimalist life hacks

I want to put more money into savings every month, so I needed to trim my expenses. I already don't spend a lot, but I still found a few ways to live more frugally without feeling like I'm sacrificing. Here are the 5 frugal life hacks I've adopted recently to save some money. As a bonus, these hacks are also eco-minimalist. 😁 I'll explain why for each item.

1. Changing phone plans without upgrading phones
2. Ditching expensive cleaning items
3. Changing where I live
4. Meal prepping
5. Quitting workouts

You can pin this for later.

1. Changing phone plans without upgrading phones

For a long time, I paid for a Verizon plan at $70 per month (plus tax and fees) for 2 GB of data, the smallest amount of data I could get.  I wouldn't even use 2 GB each month, because I was usually connected to WiFi. I was out of contract, my phone paid off long ago. Yet even in a sizeable metro area with the "largest" network, I would still hit dead spots. Verizon hinted that my phone was old and an upgrade would help (it's a 4G phone), and with 5G available, wouldn't I want a 5G-capable phone anyway?

But I'd just paid $99 for a phone repair a year ago, and I couldn't justify buying a new phone (even on a payment plan at $0 interest per month) when I'm trying to cut back on expenses. Besides, I really like my phone and didn't want a new one.

The big wireless phone companies are some of the worst offenders when it comes to child labor, dirty mining practices, and polluting manufacturing. Not to mention how they encourage upgrades far sooner than necessary by purposely slowing down their technology and shaming customers into getting something newer and fancier with sneaky marketing tactics. Meanwhile, according to the EPA's 2018 data, in the U.S. generated 2.7 million tons in new consumer electronics, but only 1.04 million tons were collected for recycling. That's a 38.5% recovery rate, with the rest of the old electronics presumably going to landfills. As those products degrade (which takes thousands of years!!), they pollute the soil, water, air, and ocean. 

Not to mention that non-renewable resources, such as precious metals and petroleum products, get buried forever under tons of trash when they could be re-used, allowing us to stretch out their life cycle. Not only is e-waste recycling better for the environment, but it's also better for the consumer's wallet. The more we can re-use limited resources, the more cost-effective products will be.

Given all of these issues, I searched for a cheaper phone plan that would let me keep my phone. I found Mint Mobile, a pre-paid company that uses the T-Mobile network (yes, the one Ryan Reynolds owns). I now pay $15 per month (for 1 year in advance), and I get 4 GB of data and better network coverage for my area. First I tried them out for 3 months, which was $45. I decided I liked the network enough to go ahead and pay for a year. 

I still don't use up all my data, but 4 GB is the smallest plan. Since I'm saving about $65 per month, I don't really mind.

2. Ditching expensive cleaning items

I'm unhappy to say that for a long time, I thought my floor-cleaning choices were: a mop and a pail, a rag and my foot/hands, one of those old sponge mops, or a Swiffer. I went with a Swiffer because it seemed like the most sanitary option. But damn, was it expensive.

Then someone mentioned to me that there are these mops that look like Swiffers, but they have washable pads instead of the ones you throw away. The brand I found was Libman, but there are probably others as well. It still has the little bottle that sprays onto the floor as well, but you don't have to buy an expensive, chemical-laden solution to put into it. I have vinyl floors, which you can put just about any type of cleaner on. So I just use diluted vinegar.

The mop even comes with 2 pads, so if one gets too dirty in the middle of cleaning, you can switch it out for the other one.

Yes, it's still a plastic mop with a metal stick. But just like with a Swiffer, you can have it forever because they're relatively sturdy. I don't imagine the pads will fall apart that easily, either. I've heard of people attaching rags to their Swiffers, but I tried it and it didn't work too well, so I gave my Swiffer away. I like the pads because there's one that's abrasive for a good scrubbing and the other one is softer, thicker, and more absorbent. 

I don't think I need to explain why those throw-away Swiffer pads are bad for the environment. But in case you need convincing, the Washington Post reported back in 2005 that 83,000 tons of disposable wipes ended up in landfills in North America the previous year. 30% of those were from home cleaning. These cloths are made primarily of plastic products and harsh synthetic chemicals, which like electronics, are polluting to create and polluting after they're thrown out. Lastly, Swiffer is owned by Proctor & Gamble, a huge corporation that talks a good greenwashing talk but is not doing nearly enough to turn around all the damage they've done.

I spent about $20 on the mop, but I'm saving at least $10 per month by not having to buy disposable Swiffer pads. A huge bottle of white vinegar is less than $3 and will probably last me at least a year.

I've also decided to cut up an old towel to use as cleaning rags. I haven't bought any paper towels in at least a month--that's about $8 in savings. I thrifted some cloth napkins for $2, which is less than the cost of 6 months' worth of paper napkins. According to Statista, Americans use an average of 8 rolls of paper towels per month. The EPA said total paper and cardboard waste in 2018 was 67.39 million tons. In reference, it takes 17 trees and more than 20,000 gallons of water to make 1 ton of paper towels.

I was already using cloth dish rags for washing dishes, so no change there. But I did stop buying Mrs. Meyer's Toilet Bowl Cleaner (about $6 per bottle) and Surface Scrub (about $5 per container). I discovered baking soda and diluted vinegar work just as well. I can get baking soda in bulk locally at about $.50/lb, but even if that wasn't an option, it's still way cheaper than a commercially-made cleaner. I've been doing this for a while now, and I'm completely satisfied with how it works.

By the way, I thought I was doing well with Mrs. Meyer's products. But a lot of eco experts say that their products are greenwashed and could be a lot better. Additionally, the Environmental Working Group gives 80 out of 111 of their products a "D" grade. I don't want to support a brand that's putting out such toxic products.

3. Changing where I live

This was an interesting decision for me, and I know it isn't necessarily an option for everyone. As I've discussed before, I was living in an apartment alone after moving out from living with a roommate. Naturally, my rent went up, as did utilities, even though I moved to a cheaper area.

As my lease was coming to an end, my landlord informed me there would be a rent increase. From what I've heard, this has been happening to a lot of people lately. My rent was already about 50% of my net income, so naturally, I wasn't interested in paying more than that.

It really would be easier for both of us if I were to move in with my partner, who owns their home. So I did. I'm paying a flat amount to my partner to help with bills, which is about $300/month less than I was paying for rent and utilities at my old place, and cuts their lodging expenses in half. 

This is also a more sustainable way to live because 2 people in the same house use fewer resources than 2 people in separate homes (it doesn't use twice the amount of energy to heat or cool a house with 2 people in it instead of 1). Also, we're both mostly homebodies, so we'll be spending less fuel driving to see each other and will probably never go out. 😆

4. Meal prepping

I used to meal prep more when I worked in an office because I had access to a microwave at work. But I didn't have one at my apartment, and some things don't reheat well in an oven or on a stovetop. It started getting exhausting cooking every meal from scratch, which is part of why I started getting so much takeout.

But my partner has a micro, so I'm back to cooking larger quantities at once and eating more leftovers. I'm actually planning on doing a takeout boycott for an indefinite period of time for health reasons as well as money. My takeout usage varied, but I'd say I went from about $150-$200/month for food down to $75-100/month when I cut out restaurant food.

I do meal prep a little differently than I've seen other people do it, where they prep 2-5 different things at the same time, with separate meals for breakfast/lunch/dinner. I will meal prep one type of food (for example, pasta) and then eat it 2-3 times per day until it's gone. I don't mind the repetition and it's more cost-effective.

Meal prep is eco-minimalist because takeout results in a bunch of trash that you can't necessarily control. You can tell them "no utensils or napkins" but they will probably still give you some, and it's not like they won't get thrown away if you try to give them back. Plus, good luck during COVID with asking a restaurant to put your meal into a container you bring to them. Despite the evidence that surfaces carry a low risk of transferring infection, businesses are still understandably cautious. So you're going to end up with disposable containers.

Also, doing the bulk of cooking at once saves energy compared to creating a single serving at each meal. Even when you have to reheat, appliances run for less time than if you had to fully cook it. 

Lastly, I don't believe in preheating. I put food into the oven at the same time I turn it on, and I drop the pasta into the water when I turn on the burner. My food comes out cooked just the same as when I previously preheated it, with only a few extra minutes of cooking. With minimal exceptions (baked goods, which I rarely make), I think the need for preheating is a myth!

5. Quitting workouts

I haven't been to the gym since before lockdown. They closed due to mandates, and then when they re-opened, I didn't feel safe going back, but they still wanted to charge me the monthly fee. They even charged me the annual renewal fee while they were shut down!

I understand it must be hard on their business to have to be closed through no fault of their own. But when you mistreat your customers, they leave you, and then their business will be even worse. 

When I moved, there wasn't a branch of my gym within 30 minutes of my house, so it really didn't make sense to keep the membership. I'm saving $10/month plus gas.

Even before I moved, it still took 22 minutes to get to the closest gym. So exercising at home is much better for the environment! I'll admit sometimes it's a bummer to not have the expensive machines available to use. But I'm still working on my minimalist exercise routine, and when I'm happy with it, I'll share it with you.

If you add up all the changes from my frugal minimalist life hacks, I'm saving about $500 per month. This is a HUGE chunk of my income that I can now put toward savings/retirement. 

I also made a point of showing how each life hack was better for the environment because I think there are still a lot of people who believe that being more eco-friendly means spending more money. I'm in a lower income bracket, so the sustainable choices I make are going to reflect my personal budget, which means I have to focus on saving money instead of spending more!