Eating healthy is the number one way you can stave off illness and achieve optimal health. The old saying, “garbage in, garbage out” really holds true when it comes to eating.  If you eat a regular diet of junk food, cokes, shakes, hamburgers, and hot dogs, then expect to have health problems at some point.

In fact, a diet like this that’s high in fats and carbs but low in fiber and nutrition can lead to diabetes, heart disease, and colon problems to name a few. If you can develop a nutritional diet of foods that you enjoy, then it won’t even be a sacrifice to give up French fries. Today, you’ll find many recipes for delicious and nutritious dishes that anyone can prepare. But not all of these work for everyone. Nutritional counseling with a professional is still recommended to make sure that you’re following the right diet that works well with your body.

Handy Tips

By Abhijit Tembhekar from Mumbai, India (Nikon D80 Apple) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Even if the kids don’t like certain vegetables, there are ways to get around this. For instance, try putting squash and/or broccoli in a homemade soup or casserole. If you make pasta, try the whole grain type. Don’t forget to add fish into your weekly diet. Salmon is wholesome and easy to fix. Everyone loves to snack between meals so keep healthy snacks around the house and avoid buying snacks that are bad for you.

Healthy snacks can include raisins, dried cranberries, carrots or any fresh fruit or vegetable. If you don’t have these foods around the house, then you won’t eat them. It’s a simple but very true principle. Although nutritional counseling is a great help, some few healthy steps would be useful for everyone, too.

Below, we go over 3 easy steps to a more nutritional diet.

Step One

Make a plan. Sit down with a pen and paper and write down the foods that you think your family would enjoy. Try to include fresh fruits and veggies, fresh fish, whole grains, or any high protein, low fat foods.

Step Two

Make a shopping list. Clear out all the bad junk foods from the frig and cabinets and then head to the store with your shopping list. Your family may object the first few weeks but once you get them on a better, more healthy eating plan, they will come to enjoy these foods.

Step Three

Be consistent. Don’t give up on your new and much healthier lifestyle. Once you get accustomed to eating healthy, continue on. Don’t go back to the old diet. Though it is occasionally okay to indulge in a treat like chocolate cake, make this a special thing instead of the norm.