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.