If your Instagram feed is anything like mine, there's a chance that you are scrolling through picture after picture of decadent treats and cheesy plates before you even come across a post of an actual person. Foodie Instagram accounts such as the freshmen15, thenaughtyfork, imshtuffed, hungry betches, and newforkcity glorify every delicious, yet not-so-healthy food imaginable. But who would complain about that?
I realized, however, that scrolling through these beautiful pictures multiple times a day only led to cravings that made me want to eat anything and everything but healthy food. As the summer months approached in full swing I knew it was time to start thinking about making healthier choices to start looking and feeling better. So I decided it was time to take some of these accounts off my feed and start following a bunch of lifestyle bloggers that make healthy foods and life choices seem tempting by posting motivational recipes and workouts that will make you WANT to get your life on track.
1. @FromMyBowl
This account is actually run by a former spoon member, Caitlin Shoemaker. It has nearly 200k followers and for good reason: her beautiful posts of smoothie bowls and cauliflower pizzas will make you want to run to the kitchen and get cooking. All of her featured meals are colorful, vegan, healthy, and include practical recipes, making this account the ultimate healthy eating inspiration. Caitlin also runs her own blog and youtube channel featuring even more ~healthy inspo~.
2. @LeeFromAmerica
If there is any one person in my feed that is #lifegoals, it's this girl. Lee Tilghman lives in the coolest tiny apartment in LA with the occupation of food stylist (yes, apparently that is actually a paying job.) While her posts are all extremely aesthetically pleasing, they also serve the purpose of encouraging all things healthy and nontoxic: including her vibrant smoothies, balanced bowls, and infamous "fat balls" (seriously, look it up).
Along with her posts of mouth watering recipes and nutritional insights, she also highlights the importance of mental health. Her life seems so perfectly healthy that it will really lead you to want to start reevaluating your own. Can't get enough Lee? Check out her blog with additional recipes and insights.
3. @FitAndWellMedGal
During the school year, I feel like my excuse against preparing healthy snacks and meals and regularly working out was my "busy" college schedule. However, after one glance of Adriana M's Instagram feed, @fitandwellmedgal, I decided I'm gonna need a new excuse. Adriana is a surgical resident in New York who works long hours, weekends and nights in the ER. Despite her hectic life, she still finds time for a healthy lifestyle.
Her posts about meal prep and easy on-the-go snacks and meals will inspire you to find time for a better diet in your busy day. Her pretty salads, energy bars, overnight oats, and toasts will make you forget about your pizza and burger cravings instantly.
4. @AmandaFitLife
Amanda's Instagram feed puts equal emphasis on the importance of healthy eating and moving your body. Amanda posts multiple daily posts of her heavenly breakfast bowls and crave-worthy lunch and dinner plates that will make you drool. In addition to her posts, her Instagram stories feature more workout and exercise content, featuring her early morning trips to Orange Theory, and various workout plans that you can follow along yourself.
However, my favorite thing about Amanda's account is her emphasis on balance in her life. If her body is craving ice cream, she will get herself a vegan cone of her favorite flavor (white lightening and panda paws). She will happily indulge in a carb filled hearty breakfast following a leg day workout, completely guilt free. And most importantly, she always finds space for a (healthy) dessert, which is something that I can definitely get on board with.
5. @Em_Balanced
This account run by college student Emily Ware of Ole Miss puts most of it's emphasis on positive body images and self love. Emily is extremely honest and open about her past eating disorder and current road to recover. Emily writes to inspire the idea of loving your body no matter what. This account focuses on loving food rather than fearing it, and nourishing your body with the healthy food it craves. In addition to posts of her flawless plates and recipes, Emily also posts lots of gym selfies and videos that will encourage you to get your butt to the gym ASAP.
6. @RachaelGoodEats
This account run by registered dietitian, Rachael DeVaux, is everything you need if you are trying to eat healthy yet still crave all the sweets. Rachael promotes a balanced lifestyle by encouraging our indulgences in healthy desserts such as her favorites: Crazy Richard's peanut butter, Eating Evolved Chocolate, decadent smoothies, and drool worthy energy bars and balls.
However, the most notable feature on this account is her cashew chocolate chip cookie skillet. (click here for recipe). This creation is essentially a massive chocolate chip cookie cooked in a metal pan, only it's healthy. The recipe is gluten free, dairy free, grain free, and refined sugar free, yet tastes just as good as the unhealthy version found in many restaurants' dessert menus. With such clean ingredients this can become a guilt-free dessert, or even serve as breakfast!
The influence that social media and technology has on us and how we eat and think about food is incredible. Just cleaning up your Instagram feed by removing posts that will induce unhealthy cravings and replacing it with some of these lifestyle accounts will make a big difference. Seeing these bright and vibrant images in your daily feed will instantly inspire you to eat cleaner, work harder, and start living your best life.