Most of us lead really busy lives and in the business it is easy to forget the importance of living a healthy life so that we settle for what’s convenient rather than what is good for us. However, it is worth making healthy eating a priority because the benefits are enormous.
Here are seven healthy eating tips that you can use to improve your health and happiness and enjoy life more:
1. Eat Plenty of fresh food
Take a look at the proportion of fresh food that you eat. It should comprise at least half of your total diet. Processed and refined foods are usually high in sugar, salt, preservatives, chemicals, additives, saturated fat and trans fats. These are just not good for you, whereas fresh food contains the nutrients that you need. If your consumption of fresh food is less that half your total diet then it is a good healthy eating idea to increase your daily intake of fresh food until it is at least half of your diet.
2. Eat Raw Fruits and Vegetables
Raw fruits and vegetables should comprise some of the fresh food that you eat. It is a great idea to eat some with each meal. You will feel so much better if you do. Here’s some healthy eating ideas for increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables in your diet:
- Snack on fruits and nuts;
- If you make soup throw some raw chopped vegetables in at the last minute;
- Make fruit smoothies;
- Eat salads and sprouted seeds with your meals.
- Use herbs and spices as they have health benefits and add taste and variety to food.
Try to eat at least five portions of vegetables each day. They are important sources of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals, which are antioxidants and benefit health and the immune system. They reduce the risk of all kinds of illnesses including diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
3. Eat more Fibre
Eating plenty of fibre ensures a healthy digestive system and helps to maintain blood sugar balance. Fibre is the indigestible portion of grain, fruit and vegetables. It is the pulp of fruits, the cell walls of vegetables and the bran of the grain. These foods help to improve the digestive system, help to grow healthy bacteria in the gut and help to prevent disease by aiding the elimination of waste products and toxins.
4. Cut Down on Sugar
Most people consume too much sugar. It is added to many foods such as breakfast cereals and soda and we add it more of it to tea and coffee. It contains just empty calories and goes straight into the blood stream causing swings in blood sugar and energy levels. Artificial sweeteners are thought to be carcinogenic so the best alternatives are fresh fruits and fruit juice. Try to wean yourself off having sugar in drinks, For example, if you like to have two spoons of sugar in your coffee reduce it to one and a half then when you’ve got used to that reduce it again to one spoon and then again until you find that half a spoon in your drinks is sufficient.
5. Cut Down on Salt
Having too much salt in your diet can upset the balance of sodium and potassium in your body, which can trigger high blood pressure and heart disease. It can also be a cause of fluid retention and kidney stones. Avoid foods that are high in salt such as potato chips and meats which have been cured or smoked. Salt is also hidden in many other foods such as sauces and processed food. Try experimenting with herbs and spices in cooking rather than adding salt to give flavor. If you do need to use some salt then use sea salt.
6. Have variety
Often we eat the same foods every day out of routine. For example, we have the same breakfast cereal, eat the same sandwiches for lunch or eat the same fast food each day out of convenience. When you eat the same food all the time it is possible to develop food sensitivities. It is a good healthy eating tip to leave at least a three-day gap before having the same food again. For example, use several breakfast cereals and leave a three-day gap before eating the same one again.
7. Affirm that You Like Healthy Eating
The way to healthy eating and leading a healthy life is to thinking positively. Many of us just don’t understand how important it is to have a positive mindset. Consequently, many people often allow negative thoughts to dominate their minds and their bodies. One of the most important factors for being happy and healthy is having a good attitude.
An easy way to change negative thoughts into positive thoughts is to use affirmations every day. Positive affirmations are simply statements that you can make out loud or under your breath to replace the negative thoughts you have about anything, including food. Many people find it useful to say affirmations as they go about their daily life and they find that, as a result, their thoughts become more positive.
A good affirmation would encourage you to adopt healthy eating habits and remind you how important it is to take care of yourself. Examples could be:
- “I enjoy healthy eating.”
- “I exercise every day”
- “I enjoy healthy living.”
Making affirmations is an easy way of reminding yourself that you are important, your body is important and your health is important.
Conclusion
If you follow the six tips above you will definitely be eating much more healthily and create a firm foundation for healthy eating. If you also adopt the seventh tip and start to make positive affirmations then you will program your sub-conscious and develop the will-power to continue a life-time habit of healthy eating and excellent health. Okruschka