The holidays are over and it’s time to shed off those unwanted pounds that we have gained when we partied left and right and mindlessly indulged on the food prepared by our hospitable hosts. The festive season, the cold weather and celebratory spirit all contributed to our guiltless eating. After all, we had every reason to be merry. But now that we are back to our normal daily routine, we ask ourselves, what’s next? How do we go back to eating healthy foods?

Healthy eating is an important component in a weight loss program. In fact, even if you are not trying to lose weight, healthy eating is important in order for one to become healthy. Healthy eating means learning to choose what foods to eat, when to eat, and how to eat them. Know what is good and what is not good for you. These simple changes may mean good health for you, and your loved ones, throughout the year and the years to come.

So what does one do in order to eat healthy? Here are really simple tips that can help you in your quest for good overall health:

1. Eat Regular Meals

   Some people have this wrong preconceived notion that skipping meals could actually help them to lose weight. The truth is, depriving yourself of one meal would mean that you would be too hungry during the next meal and that you actually, unknowingly, eat more. Hunger increases your portion size and instead of helping you lose your extra weight, you tend to gain more.

   What is scarier is the fact that skipping meals poses health problems – and that it actually does more harm than good. Consider these:

   • A study conducted by researchers from Harvard Medical School revealed that skipping breakfast allows your body to develop resistance to insulin, which is a precursor for Diabetes development. The results of the study were reported at a conference of the American Heart Association.

   • Skipping breakfast can also increase your LDL levels, the bad form of cholesterol. This is according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which was conducted by researchers from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom.

   • Skipping breakfast also decreases one’s cognitive function, and it can seriously affect your performance at school or at work. This is according to a study conducted by University of Florida researchers led by Gail C. Rampersaud.

2. Watch your Portions

   When attending a buffet party with a full course meal, watch your portions so that you will be able to enjoy the food until the last course. You wouldn’t want to over-indulge in the appetizers and then be left off not enjoying dessert. Eat a little bit of everything, but remember to choose wisely too.

   In order for you to make an informed choice, refer to the Food Pyramid Guide so that you don’t go blindly groping in the dark.

3. Eat various foods rich in various nutrients

   Your body needs more than 40 nutrients to keep it functioning really well and to maintain good health. You may have your favorites but keep in mind that there is no single food that can give you all the nutrients that your body needs. You have to have an assortment of foods incorporated in your daily diet to meet your nutrient requirements. Once again, refer to the Food Pyramid Guide. There, you will see that your body needs whole grain products to supply your body with the carbohydrates that it needs for energy; vegetables and fruits, as well as excellent sources of protein such as meat, fish, poultry and dairy products. Do not stick to one food alone because nature has provided us with so many healthy options to choose from.

4. Choose whole grains

   A whole grain is considered such when the whole part of the grain has been milled – and that includes its endosperm, bran and germ. These parts of the grain had been known to contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. Aside from that, it also contains antioxidants which protect your body from the damage caused by the products of the oxidative process, substances known as free radicals.

   In a previous article entitled Health Benefits of Whole Grains, the benefits of whole grains in the fight against cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases have been emphasized. These illnesses can seriously affect a person’s quality of life and can even cause death.

5. Don’t forget your fruits and vegetables!

   Some people are not too fond of vegetables and so they skip eating these entirely. Still, others tend to overlook the health benefits that one can get from fruits, mainly because fruits are too available and that they are taken for granted. Remember that fruits and vegetables are essential components of a healthy diet plan.

   Fruits such as melons, grapes, avocadoes, apples, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, pomegranates, raspberries and strawberries have been dubbed as Superfruits – fruits that boast of exceptional components that can help fight certain diseases.

   On the other hand, vegetables that are a must in one’s diet include spinach, brussels sprouts, broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, beets, kale, asparagus and soybeans. A good discussion was provided in my article The 10 Most Important Vegetables to Include in your Diet.

6. Make gradual changes

   Nobody expects you to totally revamp your eating habits overnight, so you should not expect it from yourself either. Drastic changes do not ensure success. Better to do it slowly but surely. Do not be too hard on yourself. It is perfectly okay to fall short once in a while. It is important that you keep a food diary so that you will be able to track your changes and that you are aware of what your mistakes are and that you make the necessary changes to correct them.

7. Balance is key

   As with anything, balance is essential. You cannot have everything all at once. If you missed out on an important nutrient today, make up for it tomorrow, or the day after. In time, you will learn to prioritize according to what is important and then you will be able to plan it out ahead of time.

Sources
realtime.net
fitness.gov
livestrong.com
nal.usda.gov