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Eating Healthier with Six Quick Steps

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The only way to ensure that you’re receiving the proper nutrition is to change the way you eat. Eating healthier can be extremely rewarding, but it can also be quite difficult for individuals who aren’t accustomed to eating right. You may need some tips to shed some light on the subject.

Switch to whole wheat. This simple switch can help you regulate your blood sugar and lose weight the easy way. The best part is that most people find that using whole wheat pasta has more texture and makes you feel fuller for longer than white pasta. Wheat bread also has many benefits, and while its flavor isn’t quite as neutral as white bread, it has a much heartier texture.

Eat fresh fruit. When you eat the whole piece of fruit instead of just drinking the juice, you’re receiving more vitamins, minerals and fiber piece for piece. For example, if you were to prepare 1 cup of apple juice, you may end up juicing 4 apples and wasting so much of them. Instead, eat 1 apple and drink a glass of water. You’re getting much more out of it.

Do not cook your vegetables. When you eat your vegetables raw, you’re experiencing more of the essential vitamins and minerals. If you boil your asparagus, for instance, a lot of what’s inside is going to transfer to the water. Unless you feel like chugging down the cooking liquid, you’re not getting everything you can out of the vegetable. Some you won’t be eating raw, like potatoes and turnips, but there are many more you can enjoy without cooking.

Look into using dips. Yuck! You can’t stand that broccoli unless it’s smothered in cheese. Well, this is how some people feel about a lot of veggies. To ensure that you’re getting your vegetables, round up a batch of veggies that you don’t normally like and try eating them with a variety of healthy dips and cheeses. There is a wide variety of healthy dips on the market. You won’t have to rely on fat-laden cheese to make things taste a lot better. Seek out dips using fresh herbs and garlic and olive oil.

Read the labels. This is something that’s very easy and something that everyone should be doing. Your food is going to have ample nutritional information on the back. Take the 20 seconds necessary to read and to understand exactly what you’re putting into your body. It’s time well spent.

Avoid junk food. While those chips and snack cakes might taste really good and might even make you feel good for the few seconds it takes you to eat them, you need to realize that they hold little to no nutritional value. Other than simple sugars that will instantly burn up in your body and cause sugar spikes, crashes and mounds of stored fat, junk food contains nothing of value.

It’s not every day that you will decide to make a change in the way you eat. But once you do decide to make that change, it’s every day that you will have to stick with it. That’s why it’s so important to find and implement the proper information. If you’re serious about your health, you need to heed this advice.

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Doing A Quick Nutritional Assessment

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Getting the proper nutrition is very important to your overall health. There is no substitute for it. If you are wondering whether or not your current diet is providing you with the necessary nutrients, read this article for a simple assessment.

Your body needs to be properly hydrated everyday. Your body cells require water to stay alive and healthy. Inadequate water intake will weaken your cells and leave you feeling tired. You should drink between six to eight glasses of water each day to maintain proper cell growth.

The biggest part of your diet should consist of fruits and vegetables. You should get between six to eleven servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Veggies with dark, leafy greens are a good source of vitamins and minerals. Whole fruits provide fiber that your body needs.

Be mindful of the fat content of the foods that you eat. Extra fat calories will result in added weight to your body, and these calories do not provide any added nutrients. Make a habit of reading nutritional labels on prepared food items. Avoid items that are high in fats, especially saturated fats.

Fiber is important in keeping your digestive system regular. This prevents health problems, such as constipation. Soluble fiber is also beneficial in reducing cholesterol in the blood and keeping the glucose level in balance. You need an adequate amount of fiber in your diet to maintain good health. Vegetables, fruits and legumes are excellent sources of fiber in your diet.

Sugar is a source of empty calories that do not benefit your body. A lot of prepared foods have high levels of sugar hidden in them. Too much sugar can increase the risk of diabetes. Too much starch can also increase this risk, because the starch turns into sugar in your body. Excess starch and sugar can also lead to weight gain.

Look at what you are eating everyday, and ask yourself if your diet is balanced. Write down the foods that you are eating, how much you are eating, and place them in the four food groups. Does your diet reflect the recommendations of the food pyramid, or do you have an excess or deficiency in certain food groups? Examine your diet over the week, and see what adjustments you have to make to put your diet back into balance.

Do you like to eat out a lot? Be mindful that foods prepared in restaurants often are high in fats and salts. Try to cook your own meals more often. This way, you can control the ingredients that go in your meals, and it will be a healthier way to eat.

After you have done this simple assessment of your diet, determine what kind of changes you will need to make. Eating right does not come naturally to many people, but all eating habits can be changed. If you want to improve the nutrition in your diet, you need to make a conscious effort to make healthy choices in your foods. Write down a plan. Remove junk food from your home. Cook more at home. Be patient, but consistent, with your changes. Before you know it, making healthy choices will become second nature.