Tips to Choose Nutritious Foods and Drinks

 

If you want to be healthy and fit, you need to take in nutritious foods and drinks. It is as simple as that. Your body is like a machine. If you feed it the right type and amount of healthy foods and drinks, it will work fine and look good.

However, if you stuff it with bad things such as processed foods, foods with no nutritional value, your body will go wrong, and you will suffer from various diseases.

When I decided to change my lifestyle drastically, I tried a few diets, but after some months I realized that strict diets are not the way to go. At least for me. I buried myself into the healthy eating topic and set my rules that I follow now.

I learned how to choose nutritious foods, and I have almost totally got rid of those which are bad for my health. It was not easy, but possible. And it is worth! I feel myself far better than ten years ago even if I live a active lifestyle.

Below I would like to share my tips on how to pick the right type of foods that are suitable fuel for your body.

More Veggies and Fruits

Needless to say consume more vegetables and fruits, but it is also important to have as many types as possible. The more colors you eat, the better. I also recommend eating veggies and fruits appropriate to the season. Almost all the greens and fruits are superfoods, stuffed with fiber, antioxidants, potassium and vitamins. They are the best to prevent common diseases such as cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

 

Have Lean Meat

Eat meat, but lean ones. Most of the meats besides protein contain various beneficial nutrients. It is a huge mistake to neglect them. The only thing you look after is to buy low-fat meats. I prefer chicken, turkey, beef and sometimes pork.

However, make one or two meat-free days per a week. On these days I eat foods that are high in protein such as tofu, nuts, eggs, beans and others.

 

Consume Healthy Snacks

Do not forget healthy snacks. I used to eat three times a day or even fewer, but these days 5 or 6 times. Between the meals, I have some healthy snacks. In most of the cases fruits such as apples, bananas, avocado or dried fruits. I love those since they contain carbs that give energy. I also eat fruits as desserts, mainly dried ones.

More Milk Products

Have dairies. I have read several places that milk, yogurt, etc. are bad as they are high in calories. It is true, but they are full of beneficial nutrients such as calcium. There are reduced-fat milk, cheeses and yogurt you can purchase. However, I do not like them, so I have “normal” dairy products for breakfast.

Take In Good Fats

Have fats but the good ones. Not all the fatty acids are bad. The bad ones which you must avoid are the saturated ones. The unsaturated fats, such as omega-3, have a great impact on your health. The best sources of unsaturated fats are olive oil.

Learn How to Cook Healthily

Cook your food. I know after a hard day nobody wants to cook, but if we want to live a healthy lifestyle we have to get used to it. Stock up the nutritious foods that you will use for cooking. Once a week, I make my shopping and buy the fruits, veggies, frozen lean meats and fish, milk, eggs and healthy canned foods. These things do not spoil for some days.

Learn how to make meals with more veggies. No matter what you cook add as many veggies as possible. The more colorful your plate is, the healthier it is. You can find a lot of books and videos online about how to include more greens in your common dishes. For example, I have learned a lot of salad recipes.

Finally, my last tip is that if you cook your healthy meal and some left, put it in the fridge and have it next day.
 
 

Drink More Water

Drink more water! It is critical! One of the big mistakes I made when I changed my lifestyle was that I focused on what I ate, but I did not drink enough water. These days I have a minimum of 2.5 liters of water daily. Having plenty of water is crucial for health. In addition, have as little soda and alcohol as possible. They contain a lot of sugar that is responsible for weight gain.

 

Eat Out Wisely

Choose carefully where you eat out. Most of the places serve foods that are cooked in bad fats, and their dishes contain a lot of unwanted ingredients such as artificial flavors. And this is true for not only the fast food restaurants.

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Last updated by James at July 23, 2015.