National food day is the perfect time to not only celebrate a love for food but to brush up on your knowledge of healthy eating. Eating healthy is simpler than you realize and with just a few changes, your daily diet can be greatly improved! Check out this list of easy to follow healthy eating tips and begin changing your relationship with food today.
Don’t Limit Fruits and Vegetables
The importance of fruits and vegetables in your diet can’t be overstated. You should aim to get 5 servings of fruits and veggies each day. The easiest way to achieve this is by incorporating them into each meal or snack that you have. Enjoy a banana with breakfast or an apple for a snack. Every lunch or dinner you have should contain 1 full serving of vegetables too!
Cut Back on Salt
Salt also referred to as sodium on nutrition labels, is not good for you in high amounts. Salt leads to water retention and high blood pressure, raising your risk for heart disease. Try to limit your salt intake to 6g per day to maintain a healthy heart and body!
The Benefits of Seafood
Seafood is something that we should all enjoy a little bit more frequently in our diet. Fish is especially unique because it comes with a very high protein content while maintaining a very low-fat content. Fish is also loaded with vitamins and minerals our bodies crave. Enjoy a serving of fish at least 2 times per week to see long-term benefits. Make at least one of those servings an oily fish like salmon, trout, or herring, for even more benefits!
Staying Hydrated
If you feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. You should maintain hydration by sipping water all day long, not just when you feel thirsty. Up your water intake effortlessly by replacing all sugary and carbonated drinks with a glass of water instead.
Never Skip Breakfast
Skipping breakfast may seem like a good way to lose weight, but it may actually have the opposite effect. Enjoying a balanced breakfast helps to kickstart your metabolism for the day and prevents extreme hunger later in the day, which often leads to binge eating.
If you have questions about the exact number of calories you should be eating per day, talk with your doctor. Loving food and maintaining a healthy diet are easier than you think, you’ve just got to be consistent!