How To Eat Healthy

A lot of people have the goal to “eat healthy”. Problem is, most people don’t really know what that means. Here’s a simple guide to help you learn how you can eat healthier today!

FYI – Please click on the links within each paragraph…it will help you understand the concept and point you in the right direction. 

Unhealthy “Health” Food

Low calories foods mean healthy food, right? Wrong. There are a lot of low calorie snacks out there, such as 100 calorie oreo snack packs. Are these low calorie? Yes. Are they healthy? No. The main goal of those low calorie snacks is portion control, not health. Yes, you can lose weight if you eat these snacks in moderation, but you aren’t necessarily eating healthy, nor are you putting nutrient dense food into your body. To stay satisfied longer, you need to start thinking differently about the food you put into your body.

8 Ways To Eat Healthy

1. Eat more produce. Most of your grocery shopping trip should be in the produce section of the grocery store (or Farmer’s Market!) selecting fruits and vegetables that are in season. Remember that the less pre-packaged your diet is, the healthier you are eating.

2. Ditch the Fried Foods. Now that you are eating more produce, let’s make sure that you are eating them correctly. Is there a wrong way to eat produce? Well, let’s just say there are healthy ways and not-so-healthy ways of enjoying those fruits and vegetables you just brought home. If you are able to, enjoy your produce raw. You know, the way it was naturally intended to be eaten. If you are going to heat up your produce (nothing wrong with that!), just make sure that you either steam, bake, or saute them. Pass up on the fried food. When cooking your food, remember that there is a difference between sauteing and frying your food. Learn the difference and your body will thank you.

3. Go ahead and eat fat. Just make sure that you eat the healthy kind of fat. I hear a lot of people say “fat is still fat. It’s all bad for you”. Wrong! The calories in fat may be the same between olive oil and vegetable oil, but don’t let that fool you. Not all fat calories are the same. Eat healthy fats that will actually benefit your body and help you lose fat and maintain the weight loss.

4. Portion Control. Even if you think you are eating the right portions, I highly recommend measuring your servings for a day (or a week!) to give you some…perspective. It’s so easy to pour yourself a bowl of  cereal and think “this is a good serving size”. It turns out, you are eating almost three servings worth! Even if you aren’t trying to lose weight, measuring your servings and eating a good portion of all sorts of healthy food is a good habit to get into. You won’t need to measure your food forever, but maybe in just the beginning of your health journey.

5. Eat Carbohydrates. {gasp!} Did I just tell you to eat carbs?! Yes, yes I did. Your body needs carbohydrates…the healthy kind, that is! Be sure to eat healthy carbs within reason. Avoid “white” carbs, such as white rice, white flour, white pastas, etc. If you are going to eat carbs (or anything for that matter), make sure it’s loaded with nutrients that will benefit your body. Carbs is energy, and you’re going to need the good stuff to energize those workouts of yours.

6. Say “Bye!” To Processed Foods. If you buy food, make sure that all of the ingredients are something you would find in your home. Any of that weird chemically-produced stuff is just that. Chemicals. It’s not real food and your body has a hard time figuring out what to do with it, hence, the excess fat. One of the best things you can do for your health is to learn how to cook (see #8).

7. Sweeten Your Food with Nature. Do you have a sweet tooth? Don’t worry, most of us – if not all of us! – do too. Your body actually needs sugar (or glucose), but not the processed sugar that usually comes to mind when we have a craving for something sweet. Learn to sweeten your food with healthy forms of sugar, such as raw honey, molasses, maple syrup, or pure fruit! Remember to sweeten in moderation, just like anything else.

8. Learn how to cook. Cooking real food has become a lost art. I’m not the only one who thinks this (there was a whole book dedicated to this topic!), and I believe it is true. Too many frozen dinners and fast food joints are feeding families on a regular basis. It’s up to YOU to stop this! Buy a cookbook full of healthy meals. Start there, and learn how to create your own masterpieces (Can you tell I’m passionate about yummy healthy food?). Once you begin to create healthy meals from scratch in your own little kitchen, you will wonder how you ever loved those frozen meals to begin with. You will teach your taste buds what real food is supposed to taste like. So, not only will your taste buds appreciate this, but your waistline will too!

9. It’s OK to eat meat. I suggest mostly eating “lean meats”, such as baked chicken (compared to fried chicken), on a regular basis. Eat fish twice a week. Eat beef maybe once a week. All of these meats have health benefits, but you should eat them in moderation (just like anything else, really…). I also suggest eating your meat with fresh herbs for seasoning and produce to satisfy your hunger.

It Takes Time…And That’s OK.

There’s a lot of specifics that I can go into when I say to “eat healthy”, but I think you should just understand the basic concepts and go from there. Eating healthy may take time. We eat 3 times a day (or more!) and a lot of us have very unhealthy eating habits and a bad relationship with food. Changing this can take time, but if you make one small change at a time, it will make a huge difference to your overall health. Soon, you’ll remember what you used to eat and wonder how you could have ever lived on such “food”.

Remember…eating healthy is a journey, not a destination!

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