Is eating healthy and seeing the benefits of a healthy diet an abstract idea to you? Do you know how that spinach salad is impacting your body in a positive way? If you knew the countless ways particular foods benefitted you, would you be more motivated to include it them in your daily menu? Beautiful skin, lots of energy, mental focus – these are just some of the perks.
Often, I find that people know the names of all of the bad food that they should avoid, like bad fats, white bread, sugar, salt and aspartame. Countless articles and books talk about what is bad and why you should stop eating it. I’m encouraging you to stop reading those articles and start learning how healthy foods can help you today. When we change our dialogue and eating habits to focus on healthy foods we start to feel wonderful. It’s time to feel better, look better and live longer.
Eating healthier is a lifestyle change, not a diet and I think the first place to start is by adding more healthy grains, fruits and vegetables to your meals. Here are a few ideas for getting some more of the good stuff into your everyday:
- Eliminate processed foods and choose real, whole food.
- Add some flavor to green vegetables by tossing them with a little garlic and olive oil.
- Roast your vegetables instead of frying them.
- Start observing Meatless Mondays.
- Eat as many colors as you can everyday.
- Make ingredient swaps like using avocado instead of mayo in your sandwiches.
- Have a piece of fruit for breakfast instead of a glass of juice.
- Add nuts and seeds to salads.
- Make a whole grain based salad for dinner and pack the rest for lunch the next day.
Once you start adding more healthier food choices into your everyday, you will start to crave the fortifying crunch of leafy greens, root vegetables and sweet fruits. Personally, I love the complexity of combining fresh foods together: the juxtaposition of bitter, sour, sweet and savory; the riot of colors; and the mingling of snappy and tender textures that invigorates my senses and bolsters my wellbeing. Enjoying a diet full of healthy food choices provides necessary nutrients to your body, prevents future diseases such as cancer and diabetes while giving you more energy and alertness.
How do you plan on adding more healthy foods into your everyday?