Healthy eating doesn't require a degree
There’s a lot that goes into eating healthy.
We’ve all heard the boring basics — eat salads, don’t eat candy, don’t drink soda, blah blah blah …
While “Eat Your Vegetables” is good advice, there’s a lot more to it than that. And it can get really, really complicated when you get into the details. But for the most part, there’s a few good rules to follow to improve your health.
How much protein are you eating? Hunger is often a complaint when it comes to eating healthy. Adding more protein to your diet helps keep you feeling fuller longer because it digests slowly. What are good protein sources? You actually get a lot more protein than you realize from plants, fruits and grains. So be sure to eat those on the regular. But you also can add chicken breast, turkey, nuts (eat sparingly), seafood, tofu, dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese), and protein powder. Red meat can be hit or miss — a lot of time it contains lots of saturated and/or trans fats, so be careful and eat it sparingly. While fat is not bad by any means, remember that it’s all about balance, so you don’t want to go overboard.
Are you eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, lean meats and healthy fats? These should be the main focus of your diet. Make your plates colorful with all sorts of wonderful vegetables. Food in its more natural form is going to be a lot better for you than something pre-made or pre-packaged. Fat is not your enemy — you get a lot of nutrients from fats like nuts, seeds and plant-based oils like extra virgin olive oil — and it’s good for your brain, to boot! But again, as mentioned above, you don’t want to overdo it so that your macro intake is out of whack.
Don’t eat out often. Prepared food causes you to overeat, and it’s often unhealthy. It’s usually loaded with sodium and highly processed, which can result in you eating more than you want to, leaving you bloated and affecting your insulin in a negative way. If you’re just starting out on a health journey, you’re now beginning to learn about all the dangers hiding in food. Restaurants make it difficult for you to understand if you’re making a healthy choice or not. So focus on learning about food by making it yourself. This also does wonders by resetting your palette and reducing your cravings. I aim for one take-out or restaurant meal per week, at most.
Skip the liquid calories. I know that a boatload of sugar and cream make your coffee taste better, but you are getting absolutely ZERO benefit from it. Alcohol is even worse. These calories set you up for energy crashes and blood sugar swings that make you feel miserable. That doesn’t mean all sugar is evil. If, for example, you are feeling a little low on energy during a workout, you can eat a banana, an orange or some dates to help keep your performance up. Yes, fruits do have higher sugar content, but they’re paired with fiber, which slows down digestion and absorption to prevent that insulin spike, and they’re packed with great nutrients your body needs!
Treat yourself sparingly. Yes, eat the cookie. Or the brownie. Or a bowl of ice cream. Or even a few cocktails. But don’t do them all together, in the same day, or in huge portions. The more you avoid something, the greater your cravings can become for it until you enter a binge that leaves you feeling pretty terrible. (We’ve all been there.) So enjoy a treat from time to time! Life is too short to not enjoy the little moments, like your kid’s birthday, a holiday party or your parents’ wedding anniversary celebration. It’s when they become more than just a treat that you are entering dangerous territory.
Don’t eat fast food. No, there are no healthy choices there. If you crave it, limit it to once per month. Sometimes that’s the only thing that’s available; in those cases, don’t shame yourself. Just enjoy it! But in general, avoid that stuff. It’s highly processed, it’s loaded with fat and sodium, and contains little nutrients.
One of the best things you can do is to learn more about your food.
What kind of nutrients are in those green beans, what what does that do for your body? What about those potato chips? Of course the potato chips have a lot fewer nutrients and more non-beneficial fats, too, due to the frying process. Whole potatoes, perhaps? They’re better than chips or fries, but only if baked or boiled with the skins left on (the skins are where all the good vitamins and minerals are)! Even better are sweet potatoes with the skins left on, but skip the brown sugar and just go with a dash of cinnamon instead to reduce empty calories.
See how that thought process works? Be curious and creative. Don’t just do things the way you’ve always done it. You’ll develop critical thinking skills that you can use to make healthier decisions down the line. Remember that point about not knowing how to make healthy choices at restaurants? Eventually, you will be able to understand what types of foods to avoid, and how to make a dish a tad healthier through customization.
One thing to remember is that food companies are always trying to trick you. Some candy bars will say “GOOD SOURCE OF PROTEIN” on the side — well, maybe they have protein, but they have a lot of really unhealthy junk too! EXCELLENT SOURCE OF VITAMIN C. CONTAINS 100% OF YOUR DAILY CALCIUM.
You’ll see this all the time — it’s really no wonder people are confused on how to make good choices. These deceptive practices are all too common, and you just have to learn to recognize them. Easier said than done, I know. Just try your best to remain vigilant and skeptical!