Four Major Tips on How to Eat and Live Healthier

Four Major Tips on How to Eat and Live Healthier by Jason Hunter

Maintaining a healthy weight and enjoying a long vibrant life all depends on how well you balance the foods you eat on a daily basis. Have you ever heard of the term "you are what you eat?" If yes, then you must know that junk in equals junk out when it comes to diet. A healthy breakfast could mean the difference between having energy throughout the day or crash and burning before lunch. The body needs certain vitamins and minerals to perform at optimal efficiency throughout the day. When you deprive the body of these nutrients, it can be dangerous.
Below are the four major tips that you can follow to assure a healthy eating lifestyle.

1. Skipping meals is a big no!

Three meals a day is the best way to go about eating right and maintains a healthy body and weight. Skipping meals lead to what I call "grazing", this is when you go around eating any and everything within reach. Many people skip breakfast, but by lunch they have already raided the snack machine for two bags of chips, a candy bar, and a soda pop. If they had eaten a good breakfast, those empty calories would not have entered their bodies. When we are hungry, we are more likely to eat the wrong foods. Eating three meals a day preferably at the same time everyday is a big step to having a healthy eating lifestyle.

When taking long trips or going on vacation, you should take your meals with you, or purchase meals from health food stores in the area you are staying. I know it can be hard, especially with a fast food restaurant on every corner, but this is what you have to do in order to stay in tiptop shape. If it were easy, everyone would be slim and trim.

2. Learning to prepare foods is another great step in the right direction.

When it comes to cooking, many things can be done to ensure you are preparing the foods in a healthy way. Instead of frying, you should be boiling, grilling, or baking. In addition, you should try using fresh and dried herbs for seasoning instead of salt and other high sodium seasons. Finally yet importantly skin and fat should be taken off all meats before you prepare them.

3. Sugar is your enemy; it is not your friend!

Avoiding sugar is sometimes not that easy, but if you put your mind to it, you can do it. Soft drinks and juices contain nothing but sugar, and should be avoided due to their abundance of empty calories. Empty calories are calories that contain no nutritional value and are easily stored as fat. Sodas and juices should not be a substitute for water. Water is the only liquid you should drink on a regular basis. The others can be used as a treat, or once a day, but do not overdo it.

4. Avoid diet fads like the plague.

Diets of any kind should always be avoided. Fats and carbs have their places in a healthy diet. Moderation is the key, not fad diets. Limiting your carbs and increasing fats and vice versa could be dangerous. Another thing to look out for are pre-packaged diet foods, although they may be low in fat or carbs most of them are high in sodium. Therefore, eating different foods with fats and carbs using moderation and not overdoing it -- is just as good as or even better than fad diets.

The majority of people who get on these diets gain the weight back within a year. Not only do they gain back the weight they lost, but also they gain even more. Eating healthy and exercise is all you need for a healthy lifestyle. Following these four tips will have you on the right path in no time