Maybe you feel as though you are already at a level of optimum health, and the last thing you’re worried about is a healthy eating plan. Or maybe you’re able to eat anything without any apparent problems. While there is a chance that you just so happen to eat all of the right foods, it’s not very likely. The more likely scenario is that you’re healthy now, but eating better could help reduce your risk of a lot of ailments later on in life.

But, if you are like most people, you may already be feeling a bit unhealthy, at least in some areas. This could be the result of heredity, but a lot of health problems can be eliminated or prevented by eating the right foods.

Regardless of which type of person you are, a healthy eating plan is a good idea. If you’re healthy, then it will help to prolong your good health. If you’re not as healthy as you could be, then it will help improve how you feel. In other words, there’s no good reason to avoid eating healthy.

To be fair, a lot of us will make what we think are better food choices when we eat. Of course there are also some of us who don’t think about the food we at all. But, the fact that you are reading this right now shows that you are now giving more thought to eating better. How easy it is will depend on what your current habits are like and how motivated you are to improving your health.

The first step of a healthy eating plan is to be aware of what you’re putting into your mouth. That means you need to be conscious of what you’re eating, as opposed to stuffing your face mindlessly. It also means that you need to know what’s in the food you’re eating. Just knowing this can go a long way toward eating better. For example, you may be shocked at how much fat, salt or sugar are in some of your favorite foods. It’s easy to eat too much of these things when you don’t know how much is in your food.

So, your first step is to learn about the nutritional content of the foods you eat. You are probably going to have a wake-up call, but that’s okay. Don’t feel bad about the food you were eating; feel good about the healthier food you will be eating. You won’t be able to turn back the clock in a literal sense, but you can do a lot to reset the clock and have a healthier future.

A healthy eating plan will also help you to stay at a healthy weight. This is good because obesity is a major health problem and is a serious risk factor for a large number of diseases. Not only will eating better make you more healthy overall, but if you are overweight, it will also reduce your chances of getting any diseases associated with obesity (assuming you lose weight).

Tags: Ailments, Apparent Problems, Eating Habits, Eating Healthy, Favorite Foods, food choices;, Good Health, Good Reason, Health Problems, Healthy Eating Plan, Heredity, Improving Your Health, Losing Weight, Lot, Nutritional Content, Optimum Health, Risk —

For students, eating at college is an entire new ball game, with late night pizza delivery and food from buggies. Even though some of these quick and simple options taste great, they are probably not healthy for a student’s body.

The food choices students make can affect whether or not they are able to remain awake during class and whether or not they will come down with mononucleosis when it hits campus. The problem is not only about eating junk food, it’s more about not getting the proper proteins, carbs, vitamins, and minerals that people need.

When it comes to defending against illnesses, vitamins and minerals are very important. Just because they are important, isn’t a reason for students to run out and stock up on vitamins and supplements. It’s best for students to get their nutrition from food.

You can find vitamin C in citric fruits, Vitamin A in milk and diary products, and vitamin E in nuts, whole wheat products, and even green leafy vegetables. This is the ideal way to get nutrition, as your body relies on these vitamins for many reasons.

When you eat on campus, skip on the soda’s and go right to the juice machines. Explore the different entrees available and go to the salad bar where there are fresh vegetables. You can also try putting some broccoli and cauliflower in the microwave for steamed vegetables. There are always healthy cereals and plenty of fresh fruit available in dining halls as well.

Always remember that eating healthy isn’t just about avoiding greasy foods. Eating healthy involves getting a balanced diet and getting the right nutrients and vitamins to keep your body in peak performance – or at least awake during your classes.

Tags: Balanced Diet, Ball Game, Citric Fruits, Diary Products, Dining Halls, Eating Habits, Eating Junk Food, food choices;, Fruits And Vegetables, Greasy Foods, Green Leafy Vegetables, Healthy Cereals, Healthy Diet, Juice Machines, Mononucleosis, Night Pizza, Peak Performance, Pizza Delivery, Salad Bar, Vitamins And Minerals, Vitamins And Supplements, Wheat Products, Whole Wheat —

If you live in a part of the world where the winters are cold, then chances are good that you look forward to summer every year. The warm weather, being outside, picnics…and going swimming. Wait! That all sounds good except for the swimming. Sure, you enjoy summer, but let’s just say you’re not quite ready to reveal to much at the beach. To put it another way, you are concerned about summer weight loss. If so, you should know that you are not alone. Perhaps millions of people go through this exact same struggle, year after year.

Of course winter has its strong points, too. You can stay indoors all you like and nobody questions it, you can sit by the fireplace and read good books, or just watch television. Throw in a few big holidays…and big eating, and it’s easy to see how your waistline could increase during the colder months. But no matter, summer is coming sooner than you would like and now you have to lose some weight.

If you have found yourself facing this dilemma in years past, then you know how difficult it can be to lose enough weight in time for summer. Perhaps you have tried DVDs, gym memberships, fad diets, diet pills or starving yourself to get rid of a few pounds. But summer weight loss doesn’t mean you have to do drastic things to look good in swimwear. The real secret is to make better food choices and to get yourself moving.

One of the great things about spring and summer is that the grocery stores start getting in fresher produce. That means you can stock up on some of the tastiest foods from nature. And eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables is one of the keys to losing weight without taking too much effort. These foods are low in calories and packed with essential vitamins and nutrients that help you to stay healthy.

Another benefit of fruits and vegetables is that they tend to be high in fiber. Fiber helps keep things moving along in your digestive system, but it also makes you feel more full. Speaking of which, most people will heavier, more rich foods when it’s colder outside. So, the foods you eat in summer may already be lighter to begin with. There are exceptions, of course, such as thick burgers made on the grill. But you don’t have to give those up. Just aim for a smaller portion and load up on the foods that are lower in calories.

Summer weight loss may seem like an impossible task, but there are a lot of advantages working in your favor. You have more access to fresher, healthier foods. You will most likely eat foods that are lighter. Plus, because it’s summer you will probably be a lot more active than you were during the winter. Either way, the choice is yours. You can either keep doing what you’re doing now and be embarrassed all summer long, or you can take action and actually do something about it.

Tags: Calories, Course Winter, Diet Pills, Digestive System, Dilemma, Eating Habits, Fad Diets, food choices;, Fresh Fruits And Vegetables, Fruits And Vegetables, Going Swimming, Good Books, Grocery Stores, Gym Memberships, Healthy Diet, Healthy Eating, Losing Weight, Nutrients, Picnics, Spring And Summer, Strong Points, Vitamins And Minerals, Waistline, Warm Weather —

Today more and more of us are living life on a dangerous ‘cocktail’ of unhealthy life style choices. Many of us eat too much of the wrong things (and not enough of the good stuff) as well as way too little physical activity, and way too much stress. These issues are the main reason that some things are becoming more common, such as diabetes for example. The good news is that if you act now, many of this can be turned around such as weight loss and diabetes.

Most doctors will tell you to lose weight and exercise more, but what few doctors will help you with is finding the best method to do that. They don’t seem to want to admit that it is difficult, that you may fail a few times before you find the right combination of diet changes and exercises that you like to do.

Most people think that ‘working out’ is all about the work part. And it is work, but if you find an activity that you actually enjoy doing, it won’t seem so difficult and you may even find yourself having fun.

Remember when you were a kid and the sheer joy you felt when you would take off in a dead run? Or how free and alive you felt just skipping down your driveway? You can recapture a lot of that joy if you take the time to find a physical activity that you actually like to do. That is the number 1 ‘secret’ to being successful in your weight loss: find an exercise that you like doing.

Of course getting more physical activity is the first part of the weight loss and diabetes equation. The second part is to make better food choices. I hate to use the word ‘diet’ because that can have such negative connotations. People often equate that word with eating celery stalks for days on end (which is completely counter productive by the way)

Instead I think it’s better to make better food choices and lifestyle changes. Start simple and small. What is your biggest weakness? Too much soda, sweets, carbs? Whatever it is, start there. Now, don’t expect to go cold turkey and completely cut those things out of your diet. It’s unlikely that you will be able to succeed. Instead just make it a policy of cutting way back on that problem item.

If you like soda a little too much, than concentrate on changing that habit and cutting way back. Only allow yourself one soda a day, for example. It’s all about moderation.

Go easy on yourself. Instead of setting yourself up for failure by setting some grand, lofty plan that will be virtually impossible to stick with, give yourself every chance of success.

Choose to start smaller, with more achievable lifestyle changes. It won’t take longer because the overly confidant goals will probably never be accomplished anyway. Smaller goals have a much better chance of success, so start there.

Most health issues can be improved or prevented by maintaining a healthy weight and getting exercise. Diabetes is one of those illnesses, weight loss and diabetes reduction go hand in hand.

Tags: Celery Stalks, Cold Turkey, Dangerous Cocktail, diabetes;, Diet Changes, Eating Habits, Exercises, food choices;, Good Stuff, Having Fun, Healthy Diet, Lifestyle Changes, Losing Weight, Negative Connotations, Number 1, Physical Activity, Right Combination, Sheer Joy, Style Choices, Sweets, Unhealthy Life Style, Weight Loss, Word Diet —