With rising health concerns and an increased popular focus on the important role of eating a healthy diet, it can be hard to know which pieces of advice to follow. Never fear, though, this article compiles some of the most useful tips all in one place, to help you get started on the right path to good nutrition.
If you like to drink soda pop, then this one is for you. You can make your own simple fruit juice sodas by mixing 1 part of your favorite juice with 2 parts carbonated water (soda water or seltzer is fine). If it's not sweet enough, just add a bit more juice.
Use cinnamon to trick your body. If you get strong cravings for sweets, but you are doing your best to stay on track, cinnamon can help. Grab your favorite fruit and sprinkle copious amounts of cinnamon on them. This works great with apples and bananas. Make sure the cinnamon is pure and has no added sugar.
Choose to switch out your white bread and pasta for a whole grain version of the same thing. Many brands offer these whole grains in a format that still looks and tastes mostly white. You will increase your fiber and protein intake as well as help to lower your cholesterol.
A great way to live a healthier lifestyle is to moderate the amount of processed foods you consume. Processed foods are high in refined sugars that are terrible for your body. As with all things, processed foods are fine in moderation. However, you want to make sure that most of your food intake is from natural sources.
Shopping more frequently for produce can reduce waste and increase the likelihood of actually eating fresh fruits and vegetables. Lots of people purchase their groceries once a week and sometimes forget to eat their fresh produce. If you stop by the store slightly more often, things won't spoil as often and you'll get into the habit of eating more fresh produce in no time.
Follow the Mediterranean diet plan. This diet is typically followed by people who live in Greece, Spain, France and Italy. It mainly consists of fresh fish, fruit, vegetables, dairy products. wholemeal pasta and olive oil. Meat is only consumed occasionally. It isn't really a diet, rather a lifestyle. Eat good food in moderation, and know what to avoid. Any artificial products are a no-no. Not only will you lose weight, you will feel much healthier.
Request a special meal on an airplane to be served first. Airlines usually offer special meals, such as vegetarian or kosher. The people who ask for these are generally served before anyone else. Be careful though, sometimes the meal may take longer to prepare, and you will end up being the last to eat.
For a healthier diet substitute olive oil for butter. Butter contains high amounts of saturated fats which is associated with high cholesterol and heart disease. Olive oil is much healthier. You can drizzle olive oil, instead of butter, over vegetables. You can also dip your bread, or fry your eggs in olive oil instead of butter.
Vegetables contain many healthy antioxidants. If you are looking to get as many of these antioxidants as possible out of your vegetables, steam them or eat them raw. Boiling and microwaving vegetables can account for at least a 66 percent loss of the healthy antioxidants that raw vegetables contain.
These are just a few ideas that can get you going in the right direction or that can give you some new ways to get the nutrients that you need. Don't expect instant results - this is a long-term process. Ignoring the advice is like running a motor without ever changing the oil. Sure, you won't see any effects for a long time, but little by little the motor is sustaining irreversible damage. Don't let that happen to your body!
If you like to drink soda pop, then this one is for you. You can make your own simple fruit juice sodas by mixing 1 part of your favorite juice with 2 parts carbonated water (soda water or seltzer is fine). If it's not sweet enough, just add a bit more juice.
Use cinnamon to trick your body. If you get strong cravings for sweets, but you are doing your best to stay on track, cinnamon can help. Grab your favorite fruit and sprinkle copious amounts of cinnamon on them. This works great with apples and bananas. Make sure the cinnamon is pure and has no added sugar.
Choose to switch out your white bread and pasta for a whole grain version of the same thing. Many brands offer these whole grains in a format that still looks and tastes mostly white. You will increase your fiber and protein intake as well as help to lower your cholesterol.
A great way to live a healthier lifestyle is to moderate the amount of processed foods you consume. Processed foods are high in refined sugars that are terrible for your body. As with all things, processed foods are fine in moderation. However, you want to make sure that most of your food intake is from natural sources.
Shopping more frequently for produce can reduce waste and increase the likelihood of actually eating fresh fruits and vegetables. Lots of people purchase their groceries once a week and sometimes forget to eat their fresh produce. If you stop by the store slightly more often, things won't spoil as often and you'll get into the habit of eating more fresh produce in no time.
Follow the Mediterranean diet plan. This diet is typically followed by people who live in Greece, Spain, France and Italy. It mainly consists of fresh fish, fruit, vegetables, dairy products. wholemeal pasta and olive oil. Meat is only consumed occasionally. It isn't really a diet, rather a lifestyle. Eat good food in moderation, and know what to avoid. Any artificial products are a no-no. Not only will you lose weight, you will feel much healthier.
Request a special meal on an airplane to be served first. Airlines usually offer special meals, such as vegetarian or kosher. The people who ask for these are generally served before anyone else. Be careful though, sometimes the meal may take longer to prepare, and you will end up being the last to eat.
For a healthier diet substitute olive oil for butter. Butter contains high amounts of saturated fats which is associated with high cholesterol and heart disease. Olive oil is much healthier. You can drizzle olive oil, instead of butter, over vegetables. You can also dip your bread, or fry your eggs in olive oil instead of butter.
Vegetables contain many healthy antioxidants. If you are looking to get as many of these antioxidants as possible out of your vegetables, steam them or eat them raw. Boiling and microwaving vegetables can account for at least a 66 percent loss of the healthy antioxidants that raw vegetables contain.
These are just a few ideas that can get you going in the right direction or that can give you some new ways to get the nutrients that you need. Don't expect instant results - this is a long-term process. Ignoring the advice is like running a motor without ever changing the oil. Sure, you won't see any effects for a long time, but little by little the motor is sustaining irreversible damage. Don't let that happen to your body!
About the Author:
About author: Dr. PJ Prakash has a Ph.D. in Nutrition from the Univ. of Rhode Island (USA). Want to know more about good nutrition, then visit his site on how to achieve nutritional weight loss.