Feb
10
7 Tips For Healthy Eating
Filed Under Healthy Living
Healthy eating isn’t about strict diets and avoiding the foods you love. Instead it’s about learning the best food choices for you, ways to prepare foods to benefit your body the most, and making a healthy eating habit enjoyable as well.
Making healthy choices will not only improve your health today, it can also counter your risk for such illnesses as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Combine healthy eating with daily exercise and regular chiropractic care, and you’ll be on track for having a long, healthy life.
1. Eat a wide variety of foods. Instead of trying unhealthy diet fads, make wise choices from each of the food groups. Vegetables, whole grains and fruits are all great choices, and should be added to every meal.
2. Keep portions moderate. Meal portions have grown bigger every year, especially in restaurants. Try splitting an entrée with a friends, or taking half home for lunch or dinner the following day.
3. Choose organic vegetables and fruits. Especially in the summer months, head to your local farmers market for the freshness. With many different choices in grocery stores, make sure you pick one that has a variety of fruits and vegetables, and concentrates on finding organic sources.
4. Steam, never microwave. Multiple tests have been performed measuring the levels of flavonoids (antioxidants) that remained in fresh broccoli after it was cooked by steaming, pressure cooking, boiling or microwaving. The results showed large differences: Conventional boiling led to a 66% loss of flavonoids compared to fresh raw broccoli while pressure cooking led to a 53% loss of flavenoids (the majority of it was found in the cooking water). But when broccoli was microwaved the loss of flavonoids was 97%! Steaming had minimal effects, in terms of loss of antioxidants; there was almost no difference in antioxidants between raw and steamed.
5. Drink more water. Our bodies are about 75% water. Water helps flush our systems, and is an important part of any healthy diet. Yet study after study shows the majority of Americans are dehydrated. Bottom line – drink more water.
6. Don’t eliminate all together. If you love ice cream, find alternatives that are just as satisfying. Try different brands of frozen yogurt, or reward yourself with a special ice cream treat from time to time.
7. One step at a time. Don’t make a complete overhaul of your eating habits at one time. Instead, introduce items slowly, and work to keep one thing in place before you move on to another. For example, don’t eliminate all sweets from your diet in one day. Limit sweets to a few times per week, and gradually work your way down to where you don’t need sweets at all.
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