In Your 20s? Here’s How to Build Lifelong Health Habits That Actually Stick
Your 20s are a time of major transitions — graduating college, starting a career, maybe living on your own for the first time. It’s easy to put your health on the back burner. But as a registered dietitian, I can tell you this: what you do in your 20s matters more than you think.
The habits you build now can protect you from chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer later in life — and help you feel better every day in the present. Here are five powerful things you can start doing now to set yourself up for long-term health success.
1. Eat Regularly — Don’t Skip Meals
One of the most common habits I see in people in their 20s is meal skipping, especially breakfast. You might grab a coffee or an energy drink and call it good — but when you delay eating, your body gets behind on energy.
Here’s what happens when you skip meals:
You get hangry later in the day
You’re more likely to binge on fast food or snacks
You lose touch with hunger and fullness cues
💡 Regular meals help regulate your appetite, stabilize blood sugar, and reduce overeating. They also make it easier to maintain a healthy, stable body weight — which is an accessible, if imperfect, health marker in your 20s.
2. Try New Foods and Prep Styles (Especially Vegetables)
Research shows that if you try a food before age 25, you're more likely to like and stick with it. So this is the decade to expand your palate.
🎯 Focus especially on fiber-rich foods:
Fruits and vegetables
Whole grains like oats, quinoa, brown rice
Beans, lentils, and other legumes
Don’t like a vegetable? Try it a different way.
→ Hate boiled Brussels sprouts? Roast them with olive oil.
→ Not a fan of kale salad? Try sautéed kale with garlic and lemon.
Adding sauces, spices, or even bacon doesn’t cancel out the nutrition. It makes these foods more enjoyable — and more likely to become a lasting habit.
3. Get Serious About Fiber
Most young adults are only getting a third to half of the recommended daily fiber — and that’s a missed opportunity. Fiber plays a critical role in:
Blood sugar and cholesterol control
Reducing risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and colon cancer
Improving digestion and preventing constipation
Supporting gut and mental health
👉 Aim for 25–35 grams per day, and remember — you don’t have to eat “perfectly” to get there. You can even meet your fiber needs through fast food and microwave meals with the right strategies (which I break down in my free fiber eBook — link below).
4. Protect Your Sleep
Sleep in your 20s can be all over the place — early shifts, late nights, erratic schedules. But lack of quality sleep affects everything from your food choices to your energy levels and workouts.
When you don’t sleep well, your body craves quick energy (sugar, caffeine, carbs), and you're less likely to make time for movement. Over time, poor sleep raises your risk for chronic illness.
🛏 Sleep tips that work:
Keep a regular bedtime/wake time (even on weekends)
Make your room cool and dark
Limit screens an hour before bed — or use an eye mask to block light
Even small improvements in sleep can lead to healthier decisions all day long.
5. Find a Type of Movement You Actually Enjoy
You don’t have to force yourself to run or lift weights if that’s not your thing. The best kind of exercise is the one you’ll actually do — consistently — for the rest of your life.
That might be:
Group fitness classes
Walking with a friend
Rock climbing, yoga, dancing, or hiking
Strength training, if you enjoy it
💡 Bonus tip: Make it a habit anchor — a consistent time and place in your day where movement fits naturally. That’s how exercise becomes a lifestyle, not a chore.
Final Thoughts from a Dietitian
You don’t have to be perfect in your 20s. You just need to start. Building a few intentional habits now — like eating enough fiber, fueling regularly, sleeping better, and moving your body — can change your future health trajectory in a big way.
And if you want a simple way to start increasing fiber (without giving up convenience), download my free fiber eBook — full of easy recipes, high-fiber takeout orders, and microwave-friendly options.