Improve Your Diet – 5 Things You Can Do Today

I believe the right balance of exercise and nutrition is the secret weapon to a happier life. It’s that simple. Once a healthy equilibrium of these two elements exist in your life, you will quickly see other areas of your life improve as well.

As I have worked with clients over the years, and when I made the decision myself over 20 years ago to get physically fit and improve my nutrition habits, areas of improvement encompassed better mental clarity; more energy; improvements in hair, skin and nails; decreased headache and digestive issues, improved sleep, boost in immunity and overall health, better mood, increased motivation, and decreased cravings for junk food – just to name a few.

Chances are you’ve heard some of the following five tips for improving your eating habits, but have you TRIED them? The key is going from ‘knowing’ to ‘doing’. OK, so maybe doing all these things today might be asking a lot. Just start with one for a week, adding a new habit each week, and, I promise, you will be surprised at the transformation.

1)    Eat breakfast! The sooner you eat each day, the sooner you jump start your metabolism, which equates to burning more calories more efficiently throughout the day. Select a combination of protein, complex carbs and healthy fats. This combination will help keep you satiated until lunch, help with mental focus, and provide the necessary energy for the first part of your day.

2)    Choose sugar free or low sugar products over low fat or fat free foods. Sugar free foods are generally lower in calories. Less sugar in the diet also helps eliminate the ‘crave and crash’ cycle of being hungry, eating a sugary snack, which provides a quick boost of energy, then crashing low blood sugar which makes you feel hungry again.

3) Not all salads are created equal. Green doesn’t always mean ‘lean’. The term ‘dressed to kill’ really comes into play here. A typical Caesar salad has more and calories than a Big Mac because of the dressing, croutons and cheese. When ordering or making a salad select low fat and low sugar dressings, preferably vinaigrettes; dark greens like romaine, spinach and kale versus iceberg lettuce; and vegetables versus fruits or croutons. Try adding some lean protein to your salad like grilled salmon or chicken to make it a stand-alone meal.

4)    Eat four to six small meals a day, instead of the traditional three big meals. Smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day speeds up your metabolism and shrinks the stomach so you get full quicker. This way of eating, sometimes called grazing, also provides necessary energy throughout the day, and helps avoid the 2:00 slump or crash that many people experience after lunch during a typical workday.

5)    Shop on the outskirts or perimeter of the grocery store; produce, lean meats and dairy. Processed and high sugar foods located in the middle aisles are much lower in nutritional value, and will not keep you satiated as long.(spinach)

Combining good nutrition is a great start to getting healthy. Combined with regular exercise and a fitness routine that works with your schedule will have you on the path to health in no time.