Last Updated on June 5, 2018 by Jeff
A Better Life Tomorrow Starts with Smarter Eating Habits Today!
The daily food choices you make influence virtually every aspect of your health — from your blood pressure, to your body weight, and even your emotional wellbeing. That said, many of us fail to put proper thought and effort into devising strategies for encouraging healthy food choices. In our modern world of easy access to virtually any kind of treat imaginable, this is a problem. The majority of Americans are now overweight, and this is bringing with it an endemic of avoidable health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, and sleep apnea. Let’s take a quick look at a few of the best habits worth establishing for anyone looking to live a healthier life through healthier food choices.
All Things In Moderation
This is one of the most important points to consider, because one reason why many people fail to follow through on their diets is that they fall into negative thought patterns like “now I will never be able to have that cake/bratwurst/popcorn that I loved so much — what’s the point?” Allowing yourself to enjoy junk foods, albeit in moderation, is a much more sustainable food strategy that simply giving up everything that is less than perfect. Dieting does not need to be painful!
Join the Half of Your Plate Trend
One of the simplest yet most powerful viral health campaigns? Filling half of every plate with fruits and/or veggies. Spoiler alert: it can be delicious!
Stay Hydrated
Adequate consumption of liquids is important to your health for a myriad of reasons, not least of which is the fact that staying hydrated helps to control urges and limit the desire to overeat.
Look for Complex Carbs
Not all carbs are created equal. Carbohydrates that are simple break down quickly, providing a quick rush of energy before leading to a “crash” when the digestive system finishes doing its work and all the remaining energy is stored as fat. Complex carbs, on the other hand, break down slowly, giving you energy all day without the crash and without as much unnecessary buildup of fat. Here is a quick guide to foods that offer complex carbs, published by Medicine Plus.
Learn to Cook!
Restaurants tend to utilize liberal amounts of salt and butter in their dishes — a cooking method that is great for bringing in lots of hungry people, but that isn’t so great for promoting a healthy lifestyle. Cooking on your own can be help you save money while making healthier food choices, so there’s a lot to love about taking an online cooking course!
Find Small Opportunities to Get Active
This can be as simple as just taking the stairs every now and then, or it can mean making some deliberate choices such as getting a gym membership. No matter how you go about it, the truth remains that people who live active lifestyles are less inclined to overeat.
Learn more about healthy dietary choices by visiting the Top Fitness Magazine Healthy Diet guide!