EASY TIPS FOR PLANNING A HEALTHY DIET AND STICKING TO IT PART 2

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

Healthy eating tip 4: Fill up on colorful fruits and
vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are the foundation of a healthy diet.
They are low in calories and nutrient dense, which means they are packed with
vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.

Try to eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day and with every
meal—the brighter the better. Colorful, deeply colored fruits and vegetables
contain higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants—and
different colors provide different benefits, so eat a variety. Aim for a minimum
of five portions each day.

Some great choices include:

• Greens. Branch out beyond bright and dark green lettuce.
  Kale, mustard greens, broccoli, and Chinese cabbage are just a few of the
  options—all packed with calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, and vitamins
  A, C, E, and K.
• Sweet vegetables. Naturally sweet vegetables—such as corn,
  carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, yams, onions, and squash—add healthy sweetness
  to your meals and reduce your cravings for other sweets.
• Fruit. Fruit is a tasty, satisfying way to fill up on
  fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. Berries are cancer-fighting, apples provide
  fiber, oranges and mangos offer vitamin C, and so on.

The importance of getting vitamins from food—not pills

The antioxidants and other nutrients in fruits and vegetables help protect
against certain types of cancer and other diseases. And while advertisements
abound for supplements promising to deliver the nutritional benefits of fruits
and vegetables in pill or powder form, research suggests that it’s just not the
same.

A daily regimen of nutritional supplements is not going to have the same
impact of eating right. That’s because the benefits of fruits and vegetables
don’t come from a single vitamin or an isolated antioxidant.

The health benefits of fruits and vegetables come from numerous vitamins,
minerals, and phytochemicals working together synergistically. They can’t be
broken down into the sum of their parts or replicated in pill form.

Healthy eating tip 5: Eat more healthy carbs and whole
grains

Choose healthy carbohydrates and fiber sources, especially whole grains, for
long lasting energy. In addition to being delicious and satisfying, whole grains
are rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants, which help to protect against
coronary heart disease, certain cancers, and diabetes. Studies have shown people
who eat more whole grains tend to have a healthier heart.

A quick definition of healthy carbs and unhealthy carbs

Healthy carbs (sometimes known as good carbs) include whole
grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables. Healthy carbs are digested slowly,
helping you feel full longer and keeping blood sugar and insulin levels
stable.

Unhealthy carbs (or bad carbs) are foods such as white
flour, refined sugar, and white rice that have been stripped of all bran, fiber,
and nutrients. Unhealthy carbs digest quickly and cause spikes in blood sugar
levels and energy.

Tips for eating more healthy carbs

• Include a variety of whole grains in your healthy diet,
  including whole wheat, brown rice, millet, quinoa, and barley. Experiment with
  different grains to find your favorites.
• Make sure you’re really getting whole grains. Be aware that
  the words stone-ground, multi-grain, 100% wheat, or bran can be deceptive. Look
  for the words “whole grain” or “100% whole wheat” at the beginning of the
  ingredient list. In the U.S., Canada, and some other countries, check for the
  Whole Grain Stamps that distinguish between partial whole grain and 100% whole
  grain.
• Try mixing grains as a first step to switching to whole grains.
  If whole grains like brown rice and whole wheat pasta don’t sound good
  at first, start by mixing what you normally use with the whole grains. You can
  gradually increase the whole grain to 100%.

Avoid: Refined foods such as breads, pastas, and breakfast
cereals that are not whole grain.

Healthy eating tip 6: Enjoy healthy fats & avoid
unhealthy fats

Good sources of healthy fat are needed to nourish your brain, heart, and
cells, as well as your hair, skin, and nails.  Foods rich in certain omega-3
fats called EPA and DHA are particularly important and can reduce cardiovascular
disease, improve your mood, and help prevent dementia.

Add to your healthy diet:

• Monounsaturated fats, from plant oils like canola oil,
  peanut oil, and olive oil, as well as avocados, nuts (like almonds, hazelnuts,
  and pecans), and seeds (such as pumpkin, sesame).
• Polyunsaturated fats, including Omega-3 and
  Omega-6 fatty acids, found in fatty fish such as salmon,
  herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, and some cold water fish oil
  supplements. Other sources of polyunsaturated fats are unheated sunflower, corn,
  soybean, flaxseed oils, and walnuts.

Reduce or eliminate from your diet:

• Saturated fats, found primarily in animal sources including
  red meat and whole milk dairy products.
• Trans fats, found in vegetable shortenings, some
  margarines, crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, baked goods,
  and other processed foods made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

This is a repost of an article I found