Essential Tips for Healthy Foods

If you love eating but hate the idea of depriving yourself of everything, this list is for you! The simplest way to lead a healthy lifestyle while still enjoying delicious food is by making small swaps in your diet. My goal with this article is to help you learn how to make small tweaks to your diet that are easy (and delicious!).

There are many benefits to eating healthy, and the first step to achieving a lifestyle that is conducive to better health is incorporating these changes into your current diet.

1) Eat breakfast!

According to a recent study, people who skip breakfast are more likely to be obese. This goes against many popular weight loss programs that advocate skipping meals, but eating breakfast can boost metabolism and help you lose weight in the long run. The key is eating high-quality, nutrient-dense foods rather than processed sugar-laden cereals or other convenient breakfast foods.

Eating breakfast is a critical way to increase your metabolism, improve brain function, and strengthen your immune system. Eating a balanced breakfast can also help you feel more energized and less tempted to reach for unhealthy snacks throughout the day.

Some of my favorite breakfast foods are fresh fruit (or mixed berries), tart cherry juice (this is effective for weight loss by helping you get rid of belly fat and lowering LDL cholesterol), whole grain toast with natural peanut butter, hard-boiled eggs with salsa (pictured above), homemade oatmeal with nuts and fruit, or protein shakes as a meal replacement. Be creative! Find what works best for you, and get ready to feel great in the morning.

2) Eat more vegetables!

Most people need to get more of this essential group of nutrients. In the United States alone, vegetable consumption is far below recommended levels. Some studies have shown that as many as 80% of Americans do not eat the required daily servings of vegetables.

What is so unique about vegetables? They’re packed with vitamins and minerals and contain potent disease-fighting compounds such as glucosinolates, carotenoids, sulforaphane, and indole-3-carbinol (I3C). These compounds boost your metabolism, help prevent certain cancers, reduce inflammation in the body, block carcinogens from forming, and help eliminate toxins from your liver.