How to Have a Healthier Diet #healthy2022 #healthyhabits #eatbetterlivebetter #healthylifestyle

For long-term health, it's vital to eat nutritious foods and move more. That can be hard to do if you see eating as "all or nothing." Healthy food definitely tastes delicious, in my experience losing 100 pounds! Today, The Weekend Gourmet correspondent is sharing some great tips for achieving a healthier diet. This article may contain affiliate links.

Even if you're trying to eat healthy, food should still be something you enjoy. Although some traditional diets focus on what you can't have, you don't have to give up everything you enjoy eating! In fact, it might not be a good idea to give up all foods...or even whole food groups. Such diets can be difficult to stick with...but if you can't resist a food on the "banned" list, you might feel like you've failed. This makes it more likely that you'll quit the plan.

In any case, it's hard to stick with a diet plan that feels like a chore. Focusing on positive steps instead of negative ones makes it much easier to eat healthily...and it typically works better too. Read on to find out more about what you can do to increase your likelihood of success. 

 

Photo by Kaboompics .com 

(1) Eat Enough Fruit and Vegetables Daily

If getting the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables each day is hard for you, remember that smoothies, juices, and dried fruit are all good options. Although advice about how much fruit and vegetables to eat daily varies, most people are told to eat 5-to-1o total servings daily.

(2) Eat More (of the Right Things)

It may seem counterintuitive to eat more when you're trying to lose weight, but eating more of the right foods at regular intervals can help you eat healthier. Don't think about the foods you can't have. Instead, think about what you can eat -- fruits and vegetables, oily fish, whole grains, and high-fiber carbohydrates. Focusing on eating these foods will leave less room for fatty or processed foods, salty and sweet snacks, and drinks with a lot of empty calories. With this approach, your diet will be more balanced -- and you should get all the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals you need for good health and the right amount of energy. This approach will also make it easier to stay at a healthy weight.

(3) Eat Less Salt 

If you eat too much salt, your blood pressure can go up. This is a problem because heart disease or stroke are more likely to happen to people with high blood pressure. Even if you don't add salt to your meals, you may still be ingesting too much sodium. About three-quarters of the salt you eat is already present in the food you buy -- like soups, breads, sauces, and breakfast cereals. Read food labels to help you eat less sodium. As a good guideline: if a food has more than 1.5g of salt per 100g, it is high in sodium. To put that in perspective, adults and children older than 11 shouldn't eat more than 6g (about a teaspoon) of salt per day. 

(4) Exercise More 

Eating well and regular exercise have both been linked to a decreased chance of developing chronic diseases. Exercise is crucial to your physical and mental health. Conditions like Type 2 diabetes, some cancers, heart disease, and stroke have all been linked to being overweight or obese. Underweight people may also have health problems. Maintaining a healthy weight can be accomplished by eating a well-balanced diet, combined with exercise. Remember to start slow if you've never exercised before, because it's easy to push yourself and become injured. If that happens, it’s good to know how to apply KT tape for cubital tunnel and other injuries. That way, you can heal and continue pursuing your health goals.