If you don't already eat healthy, there is no time like the present to start.
The first thing you will need to do is examine your diet as a whole and see where you can make improvements.
Perhaps you already eat fairly healthy, or maybe you just believe that you do.
If you tend to eat a lot of "snack" type foods that are packaged, then this is your first mistake.
Here is how you examine your diet and determine your habits: 1.
Do you eat a lot of processed or packaged foods? If so, you need to eliminate these foods, where possible.
Packaged/processed foods contain many ingredients that are virtually indigestible by your body, including artificial color, preservatives, high fat, salt and excessive sugar.
Sugar elevates your insulin levels which in short causes you to store fat.
This in turn elevates your triglycerides and sets you up for cardio vascular disease.
Excessive sugar can have a detrimental effect on your health too.
Too much sugar in your diet can draw on your body's stores of micro nutrients in order to metabolize the sugar.
This has the effect of decreasing your body's ability to metabolize cholesterol which creates higher fatty acid storage around organs, and helps to promote obesity.
Sugar consumption contributes towards many degenerative diseases.
This is the number one reason to reduce sugar from your diet, whenever possible.
If you like sweets, look for foods that have natural sugar, such as fruits.
Berries are an excellent choice, and they are a wonderful anti aging food because they contain phytochemicals known as flavonoids which are an excellent anti oxidant.
Berries are also an anti inflammatory and can reduce the pain from chronic diseases including arthritis and osteoporosis.
2.
Do you eat a lot of white grains? White grains, pasta and rice are over processed foods that contain little or no nutritional value.
Instead of choosing these kinds of foods, go for whole grains.
This means whole grain bread, brown rice and whole wheat pasta.
It might take you a bit of time to get used to the different taste, but in the long run you will be far better off, these complex carbohydrates will give you consistent energy and keep you feeling full and satisfied, so that you are much less likely to reach for snacks that are high in fat or sugar because fiber is a great appetite suppressant.
Whole grains can offer your body protection from heart disease, stroke, certain types of cancer and diabetes.
Refined or white grains are processed so much that most of the nutritional value is removed.
3.
Omega 3 and fatty acids - if you do not eat fish that is rich in omega 3 fatty acids, you should be.
If you can, try to eat fish, such as salmon and tuna at least one time per week.
If you cannot stand fish at all, you can still take supplements daily and eat foods like flaxseed and walnuts.
These essential fatty acids can make you feel healthier and improve your mood as well as your attitude.
Feeling happy and having a better mood is an excellent way to feel young and vibrant.
4.
Like wine? Red wine is good (in moderation) - a glass or two each day can support your health because it contains resveratrol, a super anti oxidant.
Research even shows that regular amounts of resveratrol can counteract damage within your heart and brain caused by cell death.
If you do not like red wine, you can get these same effects from drinking tea - black, green, white and oolong which have the most powerful health benefits over herbal teas.
5.
Exchange fatty proteins for lean protein.
Skinless poultry, lean beef and pork, eggs and dairy that is rich in protein such as yogurt and low fat cheese can help you to get the protein that you need to keep your muscle mass.
Muscle mass keeps your metabolism up, which prevents you from storing fat.
If your muscle mass begins to decline (1 percent per year after age 40), your metabolism begins to drop and you will gain weight more easily.
Take a good multivitamin daily.
Most multivitamins also include the essential minerals that you need in a day.
Vitamin C is a powerful anti oxidant that helps to keep your skin looking young as it wards off free radicals that cause damage to the skin and its appearance.
The first thing you will need to do is examine your diet as a whole and see where you can make improvements.
Perhaps you already eat fairly healthy, or maybe you just believe that you do.
If you tend to eat a lot of "snack" type foods that are packaged, then this is your first mistake.
Here is how you examine your diet and determine your habits: 1.
Do you eat a lot of processed or packaged foods? If so, you need to eliminate these foods, where possible.
Packaged/processed foods contain many ingredients that are virtually indigestible by your body, including artificial color, preservatives, high fat, salt and excessive sugar.
Sugar elevates your insulin levels which in short causes you to store fat.
This in turn elevates your triglycerides and sets you up for cardio vascular disease.
Excessive sugar can have a detrimental effect on your health too.
Too much sugar in your diet can draw on your body's stores of micro nutrients in order to metabolize the sugar.
This has the effect of decreasing your body's ability to metabolize cholesterol which creates higher fatty acid storage around organs, and helps to promote obesity.
Sugar consumption contributes towards many degenerative diseases.
This is the number one reason to reduce sugar from your diet, whenever possible.
If you like sweets, look for foods that have natural sugar, such as fruits.
Berries are an excellent choice, and they are a wonderful anti aging food because they contain phytochemicals known as flavonoids which are an excellent anti oxidant.
Berries are also an anti inflammatory and can reduce the pain from chronic diseases including arthritis and osteoporosis.
2.
Do you eat a lot of white grains? White grains, pasta and rice are over processed foods that contain little or no nutritional value.
Instead of choosing these kinds of foods, go for whole grains.
This means whole grain bread, brown rice and whole wheat pasta.
It might take you a bit of time to get used to the different taste, but in the long run you will be far better off, these complex carbohydrates will give you consistent energy and keep you feeling full and satisfied, so that you are much less likely to reach for snacks that are high in fat or sugar because fiber is a great appetite suppressant.
Whole grains can offer your body protection from heart disease, stroke, certain types of cancer and diabetes.
Refined or white grains are processed so much that most of the nutritional value is removed.
3.
Omega 3 and fatty acids - if you do not eat fish that is rich in omega 3 fatty acids, you should be.
If you can, try to eat fish, such as salmon and tuna at least one time per week.
If you cannot stand fish at all, you can still take supplements daily and eat foods like flaxseed and walnuts.
These essential fatty acids can make you feel healthier and improve your mood as well as your attitude.
Feeling happy and having a better mood is an excellent way to feel young and vibrant.
4.
Like wine? Red wine is good (in moderation) - a glass or two each day can support your health because it contains resveratrol, a super anti oxidant.
Research even shows that regular amounts of resveratrol can counteract damage within your heart and brain caused by cell death.
If you do not like red wine, you can get these same effects from drinking tea - black, green, white and oolong which have the most powerful health benefits over herbal teas.
5.
Exchange fatty proteins for lean protein.
Skinless poultry, lean beef and pork, eggs and dairy that is rich in protein such as yogurt and low fat cheese can help you to get the protein that you need to keep your muscle mass.
Muscle mass keeps your metabolism up, which prevents you from storing fat.
If your muscle mass begins to decline (1 percent per year after age 40), your metabolism begins to drop and you will gain weight more easily.
Take a good multivitamin daily.
Most multivitamins also include the essential minerals that you need in a day.
Vitamin C is a powerful anti oxidant that helps to keep your skin looking young as it wards off free radicals that cause damage to the skin and its appearance.