5 Tips on How to Eat Healthy
/By Paul Scicluna
In over 20 years of research on the health industry, it irritates me that there is still a lack of right education to help people on how to eat healthy. Approximately 2.8 million people globally are dying each year from being overweight or obese. This is just shocking.
And still to this day, organizations are continually producing and promoting fat laden and unhealthy foods for profits. Don’t become another statistic. That’s why today I want to share with you 5 tips on how to eat healthy. Incorporate these into your daily routine so help yourself become healthier and minimize dis-ease.
1) Eat Whole Foods
Processed and refined grains such as bread, rice, cereal, pasta, pastries and other foods made with white flour have a high glycemic index, low amounts of fiber, and lack vitamins and minerals. Make the switch to whole foods. You will then start to see the benefits of eating healthy.
Whole foods are complete, meaning they haven’t been unprocessed or unrefined. Whole foods do not contain added ingredients such as sugar, salt, fat, food dyes, flavors, artificial ingredients, fillers and so forth.
Examples of whole foods are fruits, vegetables, nuts, wholegrains, seeds and eggs. Do yourself a favor – for healthy meals incorporate more whole foods and watch your health and vitality return.
2) Limit Soft Drinks and Sodas
Soft drinks and sodas are nutritionally dead and contain plenty of calories. At about 150 calories per 12 ounce serving (340 ml), that’s an extra pound you’ll gain about every 3 weeks if you drink just one can of soft drink each day!
Eliminate soft drinks and sodas so you don’t pack on the calories – these are far from being healthy drinks! Plus, you’ll be healthier for it.
Sodium benzoate is one of the main preservatives in soft drinks as well as many other things. It has been the subject of concern about cancer for some time. It’s been shown in studies to be a carcinogenic substance.
Professor Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology at Sheffield University, in 2007 said “These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: they knock it out altogether. The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it – as happens in a number if diseased states – then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. There is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA – Parkinson’s and quite a lot of neuro-degenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of aging. The food industry will say these compounds have been tested and they are completely safe. By the criteria of modern safety testing, the safety tests were inadequate. Like all things, safety testing moves forward and you can conduct a much more rigorous safety test than you could 50 years ago.”
3) Eat More Green Leafy Vegetables
In the words of Popeye, "I'm strong to the finish when I eats me spinach.” This is so true. Not only spinach but green leafy vegetables in general are awesome for great health. The color green is actually associated with life, vitality and renewal. The benefits of eating healthy with green vegetables are enormous!
Green leafy vegetables are among the most nutrient dense foods available and low in calories. Greens are high in iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, phosphorous, zinc, vitamins A, C, E, K, folate, chlorophyll, enzymes and many other phyto-chemicals and micro-nutrients. Greens are really so great to help support your inner ecosystem.
So when you’re making healthy meals don’t forget your greens!
4) Know Where Calories Come From
While you don't necessarily need to do daily calorie counts, keep a diary of what you eat for a week so you can see where the calories are coming from. Are you overweight because of the calories you get from a “midnight” snack or a treat of sweets? Or maybe the portion sizes are too large?
If you know where your calories are coming from, you will know where to make changes and where you need to cut back to eat healthy. Focus on having whole foods, which will contain far fewer calories but are nutrient dense, meaning that they are supplying your body with a good range of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and anti-oxidants.
5) Learn About Carbs
Yes, there are good carbohydrates and bad carbohydrates. And once you know how to eat healthy with carbs you will see benefits.
Whilst it’s a good idea to avoid foods such as bread and pasta, and beverages sweetened with sugar, other carbs should be part of a balanced diet. Everyone needs carbs in their diet – but the good carbs though. Foods to include in your healthy meals with good carbohydrates include fruits, vegetables, beans and lentils to name a few.
If you are going to have breads then make sure it’s wholegrain or rye as they are much better options. Remember that carbohydrates are processed by the body and turned into glucose (sugar) for energy. If you are having too many carbs and not burning them off, then all that extra glucose (sugar) just ends up in your fat stores.
So remember these 5 tips on how to eat healthy. Incorporate them into your daily routine to start seeing the health benefits. Break the bad habits to bring in the good habits.