Ten Easy Ways to Eat Healthier
Many people are seeking a healthier life. Weight creeps upon us slowly. Working full time, raising a family, and age are all factors which impede our desire to eat a healthy diet and find time to fit in exercise.
Eating a healthy diet may seem daunting, nearly impossible. After a long day working, preparing a healthy meal is often the furthest thing from our mind. We want to make something simple, quick, and tasty. Often, we forgo cooking a meal for take out. This satisfies the need for simple and quick, and often take out food is tasty too. Health takes a back seat to convenience, and as a result, our weight increases, while our health decreases.
With a bit of planning, and strategic purchasing, you can eat healthier. Not only will you feel better, but your family will appreciate it too.
Here are ten ways to improve your diet:
1. Add more whole grains, beans and pulses to your diet. Most people are familiar with grains and beans. A pulse is what you have while your heart continues beating. How do you add this to your diet? Who suggested this would improve your health? Actually, pulse is also a fancy name for the seeds of pod bearing plants. These are usually categorized as the dried beans and peas we consume. Adding beans and pulses to your diet increases your fiber intake, which is not only good for your digestive health, but it also helps lower blood cholestrol as well.
2. Drink more water: We all know that we should be drinking eight glasses of water daily. This improves your diet in several ways. Often, we mistake thirst for hunger, and we feed a thirsty body. Before having a snack, drink some water and walk around for a few minutes. You may find your concentration returning and your drowsiness fleeing. Signs of dehydration also include headache, stiff joints, and lethargy. Adding more water to your diet will keep your joints healthy, and cleanse your internal organs.
3. Cut out the sugar; You don't have to stop eating sugar entirely. Try skipping the sandwhich at lunch and having a salad. Instead of breakfast cereal, try an egg. Not only will the protien keep you feeling full longer, the fat in eggs increases your good blood cholestrol. You don't even have to skip desert. Instead of ice cream, try fruit. Or a sugar free popsicle. There are a lot of deserts you can enjoy, without ruining your health.
4. Eat breakfast: Mom was right. Grandma was right. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Start with whole grain oatmeal, or high protien veggie omlette. Either way, you will fill better throughout the work day, and you will eat less over all.
5. Have a high protien snack: A handful of almonds or peanuts, or a cheese stick will feed your brain, while keeping your blood sugar and insulin levels stable. It takes fewer calories to keep hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) at bay, than it takes to rebound after your blood sugar drops too low. Eating a high protien snack will keep levels stable, so you don't exhaust your body late in the afternoon.
6. Take a high fiber dietary supplement: Not only is it good for the health of your digestive tract, supplements such as metamucil help lower blood cholestrol. In addition, they leave you feeling full, so you aren't tempted to each so much. Be sure to drink plenty of water, to keep things moving through your system.
7. One day a week (or more) eat vegetarian: It is true that if we decrease the amount of meat we consume, we will not only eat fewer calories, but less fat as well. And when you decrease your meat consumption, you typically replace the meat with healthy, fiber rich foods like beans, rice and whole grains.
8. Add butter to your bread: It's true. Bread itself is not a very healthy food. If you buy whole grain bread, of course it is better for you. But bread has a high glycemic index. This means that it metabolizes quickly in the digestive tract, turning to sugar and causing a quick rise of insulin production. By adding a small amount of butter to your bread, you slow the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream and reduce the insulin production of your pancreas.
9. Reduce your caffeine intake: Studies have shown that caffeine increases cortisol levels in the body, causing you to feel stressed. In addition, caffeine affects mood, stamina, the digestive tract and the colon. While it is may not be necessary to eliminate caffeine from your diet entirely, if you limit your intake to morning hours, you will feel less stressed by the end of the day.
10. Drink a glass of red wine; The antioxidants and resveratrol found in red wine may be beneficial to heart health. Enjoy a glass occasionally with dinner.
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Comments
The supplement is a useful addition. Thanks for reading.
Namaste.
Much like watering a plant, I believe the healthy way is to drink when you are thirsty and not 8 glasses a day. It is interesting to me just how long the 8 glasses of water per day has been passed around.
Thanks for the comment VagabondE. You are right. Eight glasses a day is a guideline. We should drink when we are thirsty. The problem is, many people forget, or don't feel thirsty. Your urine should be pale yellow. Dark yellow means you need more water. Think chablis rather than apple juice!
This was a very interesting hub, and helpful too
I follow most of all you,ve written about, my down-fall
is sweets, but i,m learning to eat nuts instead, i also
do the treadmill daily, some yoga, limited due to a back
problem.
Thank you for sharing
Cheers and God Bless
All such great points!! I've found a new one as well but I'm older so that's probably why I find it so wonderful - water aerobics. I have tried so many different exercise programs - from urban mushing with my malamutes to the bike, to the treadmill, to old fashioned walking miles and miles. All the above though combined with a good 1 hour water aerobic exercise program is absolutely dynamite for weight loss, toning muscles and preserving joints. I just can't say enough good things about it!
Thanks for your continued support, Always exploring. My downfall is sweets also.
akirchner, I have heard great things about water aerobics. I have also added a Nia class to my regime. It's fun.
Namaste.
You're right, they are easy ways to eat healthier. I keep trying to remember to drink more water, but forget too often.
Thanks for stopping by sheila b. One easy to remember to drink more water: after you use the bathroom, drink a glass of water. Even a small glass will keep you hydrated throughout the day.
Namaste.
Deborah: What a great hub! These tips are excellent! All these things really do add up! Thanks for sharing! :)
I love love love lists! And this list is so easy to follow - it works and we have absolutely no excuse.
Thanks so much - rated up!
Thanks for stopping by MaryRenee. Thelistlady, I am glad you liked my list.
Namaste.
This is a great post.. very interesting and accurate!!! Thanks!!!
DD,
Lists are useful, I like this one somethungs I knew but appreciated the explanation on the others
TH
good job Lady D2
Useful summing up I shall try to adhere to, but you forgot to mention chocolate!
Gypsy, excellent point. Maybe I will write a hub about chocolate.
Namaste.
Execellent tips. I follow most of them too, except bread on the butter. Taking plenty of fruits and vegetables also helps. :)
Love these tips Deborah. I really do need to start eating breakfast!
Great point, Ingenira. Themist, breakfast is a good way to start your day, and helps you not be too hungry later.
Thanks for stopping by.
Namaste.
Don't forget to eat more fruits and vegatables.
Fruits when eaten with proteins help the digestion of the latter.
It's also true that we should eat the least digestable foods first followed by the foods that will help in digestion.That's one reason why deserts are eaten last.Deserts usually contain a lot of sugar and should be eaten last because of the glucouse level in the bloodstream will remain low as a result of eating sugars at the end of your meal rather than at the beginning because you will already be full by then.
Rutabegas are filling,but they do go well with other more nutricious foods.Think of it as a way to fill your stomach while cutting the calories.
Don't eat the bad fats -Satrurated fats like dairy cream.
Do eat omega3 fats like fish oil,flaxseed oil.
Also omega 6 fats in small amounts like extra virgin olive oil
Both kinds of oil should be eaten at each meal.
Vinegar has been found to lower blood sugar levels when used in sweet and sour sauces and dressings as opposed to eating sugar alone.So vinigrette salad dressing is a good idea as long as it's not too sour.Everyone has their own taste,some like children would like more sugar than an adult would.
Thanks, SWK, for your additional comments. These are great ideas and work well. I appreciate your input.
Namaste.
Great tips! I've been reading a lot about the GI in foods, so I really liked your tip about adding butter to bread.
I've cut out sugar altogether recently. I was having trouble dropping any weight t all even though I wasn't gaining. I need to drink more water! Thank you Ma'am!
These are great tips. Thanks for sharing them.
awesome info, really useful and timely, Thanks
msorensson 23 months ago
I do all of them except the high fiber dietary supplement. I am glad you added the add butter to bread.