A Smooth Transition to a Healthier Lifestyle

Great angst is usually caused when make that leap to a healthier lifestyle. When forming this transition, others become nervous and make things more complicated than they need to be. A lot of times, people make this transition drastic, which does not always benefit them. In reality, it is better to make this transition gradually, rather than all at once. Here are a few helpful tips on making the transition to healthier eating habits:

• When categorizing food, people often put them into either a good food or bad food category. Rather, people should be viewing foods as either rich in nutrients or not rich in nutrients. This will give a whole new perspective to what foods to eat and how to eat them. Nutrient rich foods are loaded with things such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They also tend to be lower in calories, in comparison with junk food.

·      When transitioning to a healthier lifestyle, one often picks out a few certain healthy foods and stick to them. This gets real old real quick, which is why it is so important to eat a variety of different foods. Your meals should be filled with a variety of colors, textures, and sizes. By creating this diversity within your daily meals, your body is receiving a lot of different vitamins and minerals. For example, adding more dark green vegetables (i.e. kale and broccoli) and orange vegetables (i.e. carrots and sweet potatoes) will help your body receive an abundant amount of carotenoids and vitamin K. These typically help lower cholesterol and heighten energy levels. It is also important to vary your protein consumption, as well. Some good protein sources include fish, beans, eggs, poultry, and peas. Another tip to kick-start a healthier lifestyle, is to eat at least three ounces of whole-grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice or pasta every day. 

·       Monitoring the types of fats that are present in the food you are eating is another essential tip to eating healthier. You want to consume foods low in saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol. This will help to reduce the risk of heart disease. Many of the fats in your diet should be monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. You can find out what types of fats are in food simply by reading food labels.

So remember, you don’t have to freak yourself out about beginning a healthier lifestyle. If you stick to these starter tips, your transition from a “junk food junkie” to a “healthy hunk” will be a smooth one J

Sources:

http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/nutrition/dietary-guidelines-and-myplate/eating-right-isnt-complicated http://www.eatright.org/~/media/eatrightpro%20images/media/multimedia%20news%20center/infographics/total_diet_approach_to_healthy_eating.ashx