5 tips for stress-free eating, from a dietitian: 'One meal won't make or break your progress'

From finances to maintaining friendships to balancing your personal responsibilities and work — there are many factors that can cause stress. But, Kylie Sakaida, a registered dietitian with 2 million followers on TikTok, doesn't want food to be yet another source of your stress and anxiety.

Sakaida, author of "So Easy So Good," a cookbook for balanced eating, wants everyone to practice "stress-free eating" in their daily lives. And stress-free eating has more than one meaning, she says.

"There [are] so many decisions involved when it comes to preparing yourself a meal and making sure that everything is balanced," Sakaida tells CNBC Make It. "Stress-free eating can mean preparing for that and trying to make meal planning and cooking easy."

The practice also helps make sure that you're avoiding an unhealthy, "all or nothing" approach to healthy eating, she notes.

"So much stress can surround us when it comes to our food choices, and whether or not we're making 'the right food choices' or what we perceive to be the right food choices,"she says.

Here are fiveways that Sakaida suggests changing your relationship with food and stressing less about what you're eating.

1. Focus on what you should add to your diet, not what you should subtract. For example, if you're looking to up your protein intake but want to cut down on how much meat you're eating, start by adding plant-based proteins to your meals instead of cutting out meat entirely.
2. Add fiber-rich foods to your meals. Getting fiber in your diet can "improve your digestion, keep blood sugar steady [and] support gut health," Sakaida says.
3. Increase your hydration. Drinking 25 to 30 ounces of water daily "allows your body to get things in and out properly," Jeffrey Bland, the "father of functional medicine" told Make It in March. And Sakaida says improving your hydration can make your diet more balanced.
4. Don't shy away from canned or frozen foods. Use pre-cut vegetables, frozen fruits, canned beans or rotisserie chicken when it's convenient. "Healthy eating doesn't have to mean spending hours in the kitchen," Sakaida says.
5. Remember that the goal isn't perfection. While it is great to aim for balanced meals as often as you can, your diet doesn't have to be perfect. "Understand that one meal won't make or break your progress, and that we don't have to stress about eating perfect all the time," she says.

The overarching premise of stress-free eating is simple: "It's about finding ways to make healthier choices easier and more sustainable for your lifestyle," Sakaida says.

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