Eating healthy is a surprisingly simple thing to do, but with all the different opinions and theories out there, it is easy to get confused. To clear up some of the confusion, let’s look at the essential elements of a healthy diet. Healthy eating comes down to these five habits…
Eat loads of fruits and vegetables.
Stay away from too many processed foods and animal fats.
Get your carbohydrates from whole grains, legumes and fruits/vegetables.
Get your proteins from legumes, nuts and whole grains. If you’re an omnivore, focus on fish and LEAN meats.
Eat good fats from nuts, avocado, virgin (pressed) vegetable/ nut oils and fish.
That’s it. With all the bizarre diets and opinions out there, it is easy to believe good nutrition is complicated, but these 5 things are really all there is to it. Keep visiting this blog because over the next few weeks, I will break down these five essential elements of healthy diet.
4 thoughts on “The Simple Guide to Eating Healthy”
I just recently became vegetarian, and sometimes i’m concerned that i’m not getting enough protein. Honestly i don’t even really know what i can and can’t eat to get the protein that i need. i just know not to eat any kind of meat or chicken. What are some good healthy foods i can eat in replace?
I have a lot of respect for vegetarians. It is a good choice for animal welfare, the environment and can be a good choice for health. Getting protein isn’t particularly difficult as a vegetarian. You can combine incomplete proteins with each other to create complete proteins. For example peanut butter combined with whole grain bread or brown rice and beans create complete proteins. Soy and quinoa are complete vegan sources of proteins. If you are not vegan, eggs and dairy are also great sources of protein.
As your body gets into better shape, exercise should become a lot easier, although there is always a little self discipline involved in getting started. I would recommend sticking to fun physical activities you enjoy in the beginning. I have a blogpost coming soon about this.
Some self discipline is also involved to stay away from junk food. You might try starting out by allowing yourself one “treat” a day. In the beginning you could set a goal to only eat one junky thing a day for a week. You can mark on a calendar every day you are successful at this. Seeing your plan on a calendar can be very motivating. Finally, sugar cravings can be satisfied with fruit.
I just recently became vegetarian, and sometimes i’m concerned that i’m not getting enough protein. Honestly i don’t even really know what i can and can’t eat to get the protein that i need. i just know not to eat any kind of meat or chicken. What are some good healthy foods i can eat in replace?
I have a lot of respect for vegetarians. It is a good choice for animal welfare, the environment and can be a good choice for health. Getting protein isn’t particularly difficult as a vegetarian. You can combine incomplete proteins with each other to create complete proteins. For example peanut butter combined with whole grain bread or brown rice and beans create complete proteins. Soy and quinoa are complete vegan sources of proteins. If you are not vegan, eggs and dairy are also great sources of protein.
Here is a link to a great article on how to eat a nutritious vegetarian diet:
Vegetarian diet: How to get the best nutrition
What should I do when I only want to eat junk food and be lazy. Does it get easier to eat healthy and exercise as you continue to do it
As your body gets into better shape, exercise should become a lot easier, although there is always a little self discipline involved in getting started. I would recommend sticking to fun physical activities you enjoy in the beginning. I have a blogpost coming soon about this.
Some self discipline is also involved to stay away from junk food. You might try starting out by allowing yourself one “treat” a day. In the beginning you could set a goal to only eat one junky thing a day for a week. You can mark on a calendar every day you are successful at this. Seeing your plan on a calendar can be very motivating. Finally, sugar cravings can be satisfied with fruit.