Healthy eating tricks to steal from the MIND diet

Living the hectic, carb and caffeine-fueled life of a full-time employee and graduate student was taking a definite toll on my health—and one area that could use a change was my diet.

To prioritize my health, I recently decided to adopt a plant-based eating approach for a month. Specifically, my goals were:

1. Eat no beef, pork, or preserved meats; poultry and fish on special occasions only.
2. Eat home-cooked meals every day for 30 days.

The simple approach of eating veggie-based meals at home meant I’d automatically have:

• Less salt and preservatives in my diet
• More nutritional diversity
• Less saturated and trans fats
• A balanced bank account, since eating out is pricey

With little-to-no time for complicated recipes or cleanups, I had to teach myself every possible shortcut and hack to make my plan work. And despite my culinary incompetence, I somehow managed to pull off this challenge, while losing around 7 pounds overall. Meal prep was surprisingly quick and my fridge was always stocked with healthy options.

Here are the simple tips that helped me complete this challenge.