Healthy Eating Tips
I'd like to share some healthy eating tips with you that I have learned over the course of my life working in the health promotion industry. There are so many website out there with ideas on what it means to eat healthy so I am thankful that you found my site. I hope that you find the tips I have included below and those through the healthy eating section of this website beneficial and useful to your nutrition plan.
Following a healthy eating plan is so important to maintain good health. My personal definition of good health is living a high quality lifestyle free of disease and ailments as well as one that is balanced both physically and emotionally. Most people have a different idea of what it means to eat healthy because everyone has different ideas of what that term means therefore the reason that we see so many books and magazines published about the subject.
I like realistic and practical healthy eating tips as well as those that someone can take and use as a lifestyle change, not for a few weeks. Therefore, this is what I focus on throughout my healthy eating tips section of the website. I not only share them with you but I also practice them myself as well!
I "Walk the Walk" and "Talk the Talk." If you would like to receive ever more helpful tips, I invite you to sign up for a FREE Team Beachbody website. Here you can download recipes, chat with our personal trainers and nutritional experts, as well as log your personal workout routines. It really is a great, FREE service provided by Beachbody and a great place to find more healthy eating tips!
Here are 10 very practical and basic healthy eating tips that I have learned and have incorporated into my lifestyle to stay healthy. Again, these are my own personal healthy eating tips that I have used over the years to keep myself from going crazy deciphering between all of the healthy eating information available out there. Not only can you use these tips as an adult but you can also practice them as a family to help reduce the signficicantly high rates of obesity in children today.
- Foods are neither GOOD or BAD, there are simply better choices available. There are tons of foods choices today but one thing that we have to remind ourselves is that we are all human. Yes, there are foods that are not that great for us but we all need to fulfill our desire to "cheat" once in awhile. So, if you feel that you want to have that ice cream, go ahead! Just remember that you now need to make better choices for the rest of the day! It is when you are constantly making those unhealthy eating choices that it will get you into trouble!
Not really sure between the GOOD and the BAD? I highly recommend the book to the right by David Zinczenko "Eat This and Not That" as a must read for you! Click on the book above to learn more from Amazon.com.
- Make slow, moderate changes to your diet. The first thing that most everyone does when going on a "diet" is that we start with unrealistic expectations of ourselves just as we do with initiating a new fitness regimen. If you haven't been doing anything for the past year are you really going to jog 5 miles a day 6 days a week and continue that pattern? Probably not, so treat your changes to improve your diet the very same way.
Start by making small, more realistic modifications to your diet. For example, if you drink soda, try diet soda versus regular or reduced-fat instead of full fat versions of your favorite products. Also keep in mind that taking on a new healthy eating venture is not easy so take one change at a time instead of trying too many at one time and being unsuccessful. Conquer one change and then move on to the next. You will be much more successful at keeping those changes overtime. Baby steps!
- Incorporate the Food Guide Pyramid. The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) has a great, FREE resource called the Food Guide Pyramid that provides us with healthy eating guidelines to keep our diet balanced. In the early 2000's, the USDA made enhancements to the food pyramid to ensure that it helped portray the balance between healthy eating and regular physical activity. They have a very interactive website where you can create an account and learn more about the current recommendations they classify as healthy eating and other fun resources including more healthy eating tips. Learn more about this FREE site.
- Understand How to Read A Nutrition Label. Nutrition labels are of course mandated by the Federal Government as a requirement on all packaged foods. The reason that they are there are to provide consumers with the nutritional information they need to make wise decisions for our health. There are millions of people who do not know that they exist and if they do have zero idea on how to use them correctly. It is your benefit to educate yourself on how to read a nutrition label as they can help with weight management, cholesterol and blood pressure, as well as diabetics. Everyone can benefit from learning how to use them.
- Know How Many Calories Your Body Needs. In my opinion the best way to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight is to know how many calories your body needs on a daily basis. To lose one pound of body weight, one much reduce caloric intake by 3,500 calories. So reducing your current caloric intake by a minimum of 500 calories a day for 7 days will help you lose 1-2 pounds a week, which is the the safest and the most successful way to lose weight.
Great site for teaching parents, kids and teens about healthy eating tips. Healthy recipes, interactive and fun learning, and practical advice given.
- Understand Portion Control. One of the reasons our society is experiencing such a huge increase in overweight and obesity is partly (ok, probably mostly) due to the fact that portions served in eating facilities including restaurants and in the fast food industry have increase exponentially over the past 10-20 years. Americans also eat out more than we did in the past with an astounding 4-5 time a week average. Take that with the increased portion sizes and you now have a much better understanding of why we have so many health issues within our country today.
- Supplement Your Diet. Today, it is nearly impossible to eat enough quality foods to give our bodies all
of the nutrients that it needs to function properly. Introducing quality supplements into your diet is so important to fill the void. I am a big fan of Beachbody's nutritional supplements including of course, Shakeology and the ActiVit daily multi-vitamins. Both of these products are developed and distributed by Beachbody. If you have questions about any Beachbody's other nutritional supplements or our healthy eating tips, please contact me or visit P90X supplements.
- Consume Variety of Nutrient-Rich Foods. Incorporate plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, as well as low-fat dairy and high quality proteins into your day as they are the key ingredients of a healthy diet plan. One other healthy eating tip is to limit your consumption of processed, high fat foods including fast, convenient foods which can be done but no doubt challenging, especially when traveling.
Create a healthy meal plan and stick to it. Planning out your meals each and everyday will help you keep on track. Beachbody's awesome Club Membership (for only $2.99 a week) will help you in doing that. Become a Club Member, select your meal plan preferences (low carb, convenient, and vegetarian) print them out and head to the grocery store. It is that easy!
- Don't Eliminate Whole Food Groups. One of my biggest pet peeves when coaching my customers towards a healthier lifestyle is when they try to eliminate a food group, most frequently carbohydrates. Carbohydrates help us fuel are body so eliminating them is obscene and I do not recommend this for long-term weight management. Yes, weight loss occurs quickly when eliminating carbs but when you introduce them back into your diet, often times people will gain that weight, and then some. Also, when you cut out something entirely into your diet what is often the first thing you start thinking about? Of course, what you cut out so keep that in mind as well. Leading a healthy lifestyle is about balance.
- Consume less processed and canned foods. Many of these items are jam packed with sodium and LOTS of it. Some of the worse are frozen entrees as they can contain hundreds of milligrams of sodium. Paying close attention to how much sodium is in our foods as well as eliminating convenience-based or pre-packaged foods is strongly recommended. Keeping sodium intake per day of 2,500 mg of less is best and especially for those with or at risk for high blood pressure. Canned goods are also very salty so replace low or no-sodium products in your pantry with those high sodium ones.
If you remember these simple 10 healthy eating tips while putting together your game plan for eating healthier you will find success. Of course don't forget to include regular physical activity as the combination is much more effective than one or the other.
If you need any help or have any questions about healthy eating tips, please feel free to contact me or please feel free to sign up for a FREE Beachbody Account with me as your personal coach!
Related Pages:
Counting Calories
Obesity in Children
