10 Ways to Eat More Healthy ...

By Jennifer

10 Ways to Eat More Healthy ...

Whether you're trying to lose weight or you just want more energy, you'll want to eat healthier. I know it can be confusing, and difficult at first, so here are my top ten ways to eat more healthy... enjoy!

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1

Figure out How Many Calories You Need

Figure out How Many Calories You Need Photo Credit: Beth Rankin

If you’re looking for an idea of just how many servings of fruits, vegetables, dairy, whole grains, and protein you ought to be consuming each day, then get a personalized plan at mypyramid.gov. Enter your age, sex, weight, height, and daily activity level, and the handy calculator will let you know exactly how much of each food group you should consume each day. This is a great place to start!

2

Pitch the Cans and Boxes

Pitch the Cans and Boxes Photo Credit: Wellstone

This is the absolute simplest way to cut calories and eat healthier. Walk over to your pantry, open it, take out all of the cans and boxes of prepared foods, put them in a big paper bag, and set them aside. Anything that’s designed to sit on a store shelf in a box or a can for any amount of time is going to be loaded with sodium, fat, and nasty chemicals and preservatives with names I can’t even pronounce… so let’s stop eating them!

3

Make a List, Check It Twice

Before you go to the grocery store, make a list. Write down everything you plan to buy, then set the list aside and come back to it in ten minutes,. Re-read your list, and scratch out any item that makes you think twice. Oreos? Really? Do you need Oreos AND Chips Ahoy? Probably not… and what is it about those Pop-Tarts? And pizza rolls?

4

Color Your Plate

My old health and fitness instructor used to tell us that if we only remembered one rule of nutrition, it was to “color our plates.” That means that in general, the more colorful your meal, the healthier it will be. It makes sense — fruits and vegetables are bright and colorful, but fried foods and other non-healthy foods are dull, boring brown.

5

Spice It up

If you find that healthy foods taste bland, don’t reach for the salt shaker. Instead, try using spices. Not sure what to try? Start with basic black pepper, and get bolder from there.

Famous Quotes

If you would take, you must first give, this is the beginning of intelligence.

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6

Set Aside Time

If you are resolved to eat healthier, plan to spend more time in the kitchen, cooking meals. The allure of fast and convenient canned foods is how simple they are, and how little time it takes to prepare them. But there’s very little nutrition in these foods, and cooking can be a fun way to relax and unwind.

7

Ditch the Drive-thru

Aside from avoiding canned and boxed prepared foods in favor of preparing your own meals, the best thing you can do to eat healthier is to stop eating fast food. It’s terribly fattening (a double-cheeseburger, medium fries, and medium Coke from McDonald’s has 1030 calories, most of them from FAT). Amazing! If you can’t bear to part with your drive-thru foods, then try ordering without the cheese and mayo-based dressings. Also, try substituting French fries for something more healthful (and lower in calories), like sliced apples. Some fast food restaurants have entire menus dedicated to healthy eaters, like the Taco Bell Fresco Menu “Drive Thru Diet.” Notice the focus there is on fresh, non-fried items. Yum!

8

Rally the Troops

If you plan to make a big, healthy change at home, you’re going to need the support of everyone else in the household, because you’ll be changing their habits and diet, too. Get the kids in on the act, and let them help you prepare the meals. Ask them to help choose healthier alternatives to foods you already eat. They’ll love being helpful, and you’ll be teaching them life-long healthy eating habits!

9

Buy Local or Organic

Another great way to eat healthier is to invest in organic foods. Some foods, like peaches and apples, are almost poisonous if they’re not organically grown. If you can’t buy organic, another option would be to buy locally-grown food. Foods that need to be shipped are processed with icky preservatives and other chemicals, so they’ll appear fresh by the time they reach you. Locally grown foods are fresher and therefore, healthier! Buying them will also help keep your local economy healthy!

10

Spend a Lot of Time in the Produce Section

Have you ever noticed that the healthier foods in the grocery store are all in the front and at the sides? If you want junk food or processed foods, you’ll have to go up and down the inner aisles. So if you’re trying to eat healthier, try and spend more time in the produce section, and a lot less time in the inner, unhealthy depths of the store.

I’m so glad you’ve decided to eat healthier this year! We want all of our readers to be happy and healthy! Do you have any other ideas on how to eat healthier? How do you keep your diet in check? Please let me know!

Top Photo Credit: Netfalls

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I love this website, I just came across it today. Already in my favorites as I think I'll be reading some articles everyday. I'm overweight and recently single college student. This article has such smart ways to do little things for some big changes. I just wanted to show my apperication for writing this article !

Very sound advise, indeed. Actually that is exactly what I am planning to do this weekend. I will shop for lots of fruits, vegetables, yogurt and brown rice. I am starting a special diet on Feb. 1st. I will post about it throughout the duration of the 90 days, if you care to stop by to check it out.

this is my problem see i have been skinney for a while and now it is starting to catch up too me i play basketball soccer and softball and always on the go. but fat keeps piling on. my butt is huge and and my stomach is getting bigger i dont no what else i can do to stop these problems from catching up to me. could you please help me?

I used to make a list with what I eat and how much, and at the time seemed to help a lot when I read it at the end of the day.....I realize what I should cut from the list and what should I keep. I became lazy with time and I stopped writing and then I returned to old habits. :)

Love your list! I have never really taken the time to count the calories I need but this time, I think it is a must! Love the grocery checklist idea -- recently, everytime I'm in the grocery store and get tempted to get something that's not in my list, I always ask myself "Do i really need this?" "is it healthy?". I get to sneak up on my mom sometimes and include some KitKats in the bag, haha Thanks for reminding us that we really need to make smarter choices when it comes to the food we eat!

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