10 Simple Tips for Healthy Eating

Healthy Eating - Green Living: You Can Do This

Choosing the right foods is an essential part of living a healthy life, and now, it can be as easy as counting from one to ten.

Every day, as you make choices about what you want to put into your body, use this list of ideas to help balance your calories, and infuse your diet with the right foods while cutting back on the junk.

You can do it! With these ten simple steps, it is easy!

1. Find out how many calories you need in one day to reach your weight goals, whether you want to maintain your weight or lose some weight, using an online BMR tool.
2. Add some physical activity into your day! Whether it is merely parking farther away from the grocery store or taking the stairs when you regularly take the elevator, help train your mind and body to be more active.
3. Eat well but eat less. By just paying attention to what we're putting in our mouths, it much easier to keep from losing track of our calories, and in conjunction, our weight.
4. Part of eating well is eating slowly. Sometimes we are in such a hurry that we scarf our whole plate down, without giving our body time to process the food and the hunger/full response.
5. Pay attention to your body's cues. As you eat throughout the day, consider whether you are hungry or if you're just bored.
6. Portion meals before you eat. Use a smaller bowl, glass, or plate. At a restaurant, share a meal, instead of getting your own.
7. Add these foods into your diet: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free or 1% milk. All of these are nutrient-rich foods. Dark-colored vegetables and fruits are especially good. To eat, incorporate more whole grains, buy a whole grain substitute for your other grains.
8. Cut back on fatties and sugary foods like cake, cookies, ice cream, candy, soft drinks, and pizza. While these are alright for an occasional splurge, they shouldn't be your staples. Add in essential fruits and vegetables. Eating more raw veggies will help you feel fuller longer.
9. Be aware of sodium in your foods. High sodium content makes you retain water and gain weight.
10. Opt for water over sugary juices and soft drinks. We rarely realize how many calories we drink. Don't drink your calories! Water is calorie-free and the best drink to keep your body at its optimal fitness level. The benefits can be seen through your whole body when you drink 64 ounces of water a day.

Eight glasses are recommended to keep you looking and feeling great. If you don't get enough water every day, you can become dehydrated.

Dehydrated skin ages you! Your skin looks unhealthy, deflated and wrinkled.

Think of a prune, what once was a supple, juicy plump plumb dried up. This can be avoided. 

Use these ten simple tips and swaps to start living a healthier life today. Start with one tip, and once it's mastered, move on to the next.

Before you know it, you'll be living a healthy, happy life!