Understanding your
current diet When evaluating your own diet,
it is important to take a couple of steps back and evaluate
your own health, including what you want to get out
of your diet. Knowing your own tastes and preferences,
in addition to knowing which foods are healthy, will
help you create a diet you can stick to for the rest
of your life.
When choosing what foods are healthy, it is essential
that you choose foods you actually like. If you choose
a list of healthy foods you hate, you will obviously
have trouble sticking to your diet long term, and your
overall health and fitness level will suffer as a result.
It is best to choose from the long list of healthy foods
you already like, and to incorporate them into your
diet for maximum benefit.
The importance of fruits and vegetables in
the diet
Among the healthiest of all foods are fruits and vegetables.
There is a good reason that fruits and vegetables make
up such a large part of the government’s new food
pyramid. The new government guidelines recommend that
everyone eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables
every day, but unfortunately most people fall far short
of this important goal. It is important, however, to
incorporate as many fruits and vegetables
into your diet as you possibly can.
Eating fruits and vegetables does not mean you are
limited to simply eating pieces of fruit and raw carrots
all day. When choosing what foods are healthy, it is
just as important to prepare them in new and interesting
ways. You can add fresh fruits to your favorite energy
drink or smoothie, for instance, top your yogurt with
strawberries or enjoy a sliced banana with your morning
cereal.
Learn to think long term
This kind of variety is vital to the long term success
of any diet. It is not enough to simply know what foods
are healthy. It is vital to use that knowledge to create
healthy meals that you and your family
will love.
In addition to fruits and vegetables, of course, there
are a wide variety of foods that are good for the body.
These excellent foods include whole grains, including
whole wheat bread and crackers, low fat meats, chicken,
turkey and other poultry products and fresh fish. There
are so many answers to the question of what foods are
healthy that the hardest part may be choosing among
them.
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