There are many reason to make better food choices. What you put into your body directly affects your health. That means, the healthier the food choices, the better your health, for the most part. You also have to factor in things like environment and heredity.
You also should make healthier food choices if you have children because the way you eat directly affects the way they eat. To raise health conscious children you should work to be health conscious yourself.
Read The Labels and Know The Ingredients
One of the most important things recommended for those that want to eat a healthier diet is to always read those labels and know what is in your foods. If an ingredient isn’t something you’ve heard of, or can even pronounce, take the time to look it up. Is it a natural ingredient or something manufactured?
What you want is to eat the most natural foods possible. That’s why you should always fill your plate with mostly fresh vegetables. Fresh fruit makes great snack alternatives, but you’ll read more about that later.
Follow Those Portions
Not all people agree on the importance of portions. Some believe that you can eat as many vegetables as you want. However, if you are diabetic you can’t eat anything in grand amounts. So, what do you do?
Always keep an eye on printed portions on food containers, if you eat a lot of processed foods. If you eat more healthy foods, you may have to take a moment to visit something like the USDA website to get an idea of proper food portions, such as a portion of meat equaling the size of a deck of card (3 Oz.).
Eat This, Not That
Always eat your leafy greens. If you have some larger leafed greens, like romaine, you can use them in place of wraps or buns for sandwiches. Swap out your vegetable or canola oil for a healthier dash of olive oil. It’s heart smart.
As mentioned previously, when you get a sweet tooth grab the strawberries or blueberries instead of the sugary snacks filled with refined sugars. Fruits and berries have sugar too, but it’s natural.
It’s really not that hard to make healthier food choices if you just work on being aware of what you are eating and what it can do to you. Plus, cutting back on processed foods that come in boxes and plastic will help save the environment too! It’s a win-win.