3 Simple Ways to Eat Healthier

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Melanie Thomassian of Dietriffic.

Eating is such a complicated issue these days, and I think it has a lot to do with our “dieting” mentality.

I personally prefer a simpler approach, otherwise I lose interest, and get tired of trying so hard.

Thankfully, making a few small changes to your diet can really help improve your health and well-being. And, it doesn’t have to be a huge, complicated big deal.

Here are 3 tips to show you just how easy it is to make healthy eating part of your lifestyle:

1. Buy Whole Foods

One of the simplest ways to cut the junk food from your diet, is to avoid anything that comes packaged in a box. Instead, make unprocessed foods the staple of your diet.

That means eating lots of fruits and vegetables, brown rice, oats, millet, lean meat, fish, eggs, natural yogurt, peas, beans, lentils, olive oil, nuts and seeds.

When you make fresh, whole foods the mainstay of your diet, you automatically eat healthier.

2. Prepare Your Own Food

This is really a follow-on from my last point, and one of the easiest ways to give your diet a health boost — just make sure you are cooking healthy meals, most of the time.

Make an effort to cook from scratch, if you aren’t already doing so. Why not treat yourself to a new cookbook, or look up some recipes online for inspiration, then try out a new dish each week to keep your meals interesting and varied.

Healthy eating doesn’t mean you have to avoid treat foods, either. But, rather than opting for unhealthy, store-bought versions of your favorites, cook or bake them yourself.

I love getting into the kitchen to make a chocolate cake, or some home-made cookies. And, while I don’t eat these foods every day, I know exactly what ingredients I’ve added, which gives me peace of mind to know I won’t be putting my diet out of whack with a few little indulgences!

3. Drink Water

Switching to water as your main drink, can make a huge difference to your health overall. If you routinely guzzle down calorie loaded coffees and soft drinks, switching to water, herbal teas, and plain filter coffee, will help you to cut the empty calories from your diet, and improve your health overall.

If you don’t drink enough water already, begin your day with a glass of water before having anything else, then have a glass or two with each meal, and also before you allow yourself to drink any caffeinated beverages.

Make a Commitment to a Healthier Lifestyle

You may already know all about healthy eating and dieting, but you struggle knowing how to put it all into practice, or how to stick with it long-term.

Well, the first thing you need to do is focus… focus on what is most important to you right now. So, if you have major soda habit, perhaps you want to give that some attention first. Or, maybe you eat takeout food daily, would you like to begin phasing that out over the next few weeks and months?

Working out what’s most important to you is vital to your stick-ability.

You can begin right now — make a commitment to improving your health by choosing 1 or 2 healthy habits, which can immediately be implemented into your lifestyle. Focus on these until they become easier for you, then keep reassessing your goals, so that you are consistently moving forward.

What simple changes can you make to improve your eating habits today?

Melanie Thomassian is a registered dietitian, and author of Dietriffic.com. If you need help implementing a healthier lifestyle, check out her new guide, The Healthy Eating Handbook.

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Photo courtesy of: .craig