TIPS ON EATING HEALTHY

•Try to lower your junk food consumption little by little and in a month or so you will frown upon junk foods! •Have patience. You won't see a drastic drop in your cholesterol level or weight or increase in your energy level immediately. You need to give the changes in diet some time to kick in. You may start to notice changes a couple weeks later. •Drink water instead of soft drinks or alcohol. •Read labels carefully. What may seem healthy or "lower calorie," can be loaded with a lot of artificial ingredients that can damage your health and metabolism. •Read the labels on everything you eat. Don't just buy something because it is marketed as being "healthy". Lots of companies trying to sell their food off as healthy when really it is full of high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, trans fats, and hidden sugars. This is also the best way to learn about a product. It gives you almost all the information about that product you'll ever need. If you're trying to lose weight, try to choose foods with low calories. If you want to gain weight for a football team or some such reason, you are going to choose food with lots of calories. However, too many calories, not enough exercise, and eating too much at one time, can make you fat. •Make sure there isn't a lot of unhealthy food in your house that can tempt you. Give or throw away the foods you shouldn't eat. You can't eat what you don't have! And don't buy those thrown away again! •Eat before you shop so you can focus on your grocery list without having any unnecessary cravings. •Carry water with you at all times. Try to drink water in place of soft drinks and other flavored beverages. A good rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces per day. •With labels such as "fat free" or "sugar free" there are more chemicals. Most of the time, the simpler the ingredients list, the healthier the food is. For example, juicing your own orange juice is always healthier than store bought orange juice. Even if its labeled fat free on the container. If you make your juice at home, you know exactly what is in your juice and not relying on a label to be truthful. •Avoid processed foods. They are unnatural so are more difficult for your body to break down which means they will lie in your gut making you feel bloated and lethargic. Eat things which are not messed with such as raw fruits and vegetables, brown rice, wholewheat pasta and so on. •Any drastic change in your diet can cause constipation, so make sure you eat a lot of dark green leafy vegetables, and other naturally high fiber foods. Your digestive system will typically adjust after a week or two, but you should consult your doctor if it continues. (Other good sources of fiber include: flax seed, psyllium, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and beans. Remember, you can always look at the nutrition facts to see the daily percentage of fiber given in different foods. For fresh, unpackaged foods, you can look up nutrition facts online; although, it usually won't ever hurt you to eat fresh, unpackaged fruits and veggies!) •There is a vibrant debate in health circles about whether organic food is healthier. Some believe that the chemicals in conventional foods are just as safe and healthy as the expensive organic alternatives. Organic food advocates would argue the opposite. Everyone agrees that organic options have just as many calories as non-organic options. So even if it is organic, make sure you pay attention to your calorie intake.