How To Start Eating Healthy

It goes without saying that a healthy life begins with a balanced, healthy diet. Healthy eating can mean different things to different people, but the goal is to establish a habit that will be sustainable for the long term.

Here are some tips to help you get started:

Take your time

Start slow when starting out on your journey. Take the time necessary to introduce a new vegetable each week and find recipes that you can incorporate this particular vegetable into.

Consume less processed foods

A good way to ensure you’re on the right track to healthy eating is to cut down on processed food. Some examples include cookies, sugary breakfast cereals, fast foods, etc. These foods are often high in sugar, white flour, added oils, providing you with less vitamins and minerals. However, processed whole foods such as frozen veggies and canned beans are still acceptable.

Eat more plants

Whenever possible, it’s best to adopt a plant-based diet. Research in the Journal of Nutrition has shown that vegetarians have higher levels of healthy fats, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds in their bodies than non-vegetarians.

Make sensible swaps

Foods such as white flour are best eaten moderately. A good alternative to moderate your white flour intake is to swap out a significant amount of it for whole grains or vegetable alternatives. For example, use cauliflower rice instead of white rice, legume pasta instead of white flour pasta and so on.

Don’t ditch carbs and fats

There’s a belief that some foods are “bad” for you just because they contain carbs and fats. Our bodies need carbs to convert to energy and keep us moving throughout the day. Opt for healthy carbs such as sweet potato, oatmeal and for fats, choose healthy fats in the form of avocado, nut butter and olive oil. By making sure to consume healthy fats, you will decrease your risk of heart disease.