With another year come and gone, many people may have decided it is time to improve upon their diets. It is truly amazing how much a healthy diet can change your life for the better. Aside from the obvious appearance aspects, a healthy diet will greatly enhance your overall sense of well-being. Whatever your reason is, making your diet healthier is a terrific goal.

Eat whole foods to be healthy

In today’s modern world, it is becoming increasingly rare for people to be eating regular whole food. Instead, we are bombarded with commercials promoting the newest cereal which now contains 12 grams of fiber. Don’t get me wrong, a cereal with 12 grams of fiber isn’t necessarily bad, but many Americans are starting to forget about regular unprocessed food when faced with claims of fiber coated with sugar. The unprocessed foods I am referring to are things such as: brown rice, oatmeal, vegetables, lean meats, whole wheat pasta, quinoa, almonds, fish, eggs, and some fruit.

Healthy eating begins with incorporating whole grains into your diet.

These foods all contain the essential nutrients you need to look and feel your best. Most of these foods take longer to prepare than the meals you often see on the shelves at supermarkets. However, preparing these foods does not have to be a chore and once you create a routine for it, preparation becomes easy. Try to have the majority of your diet consist of these unprocessed foods.

Try to save the processed and already prepared foods for rare occurrences. I certainly wouldn’t propose to entirely exist upon unprepared whole food, as that is simply not doable. Instead be mindful about the processed food you pick, even if it claims to be healthy.  Look at the ingredient list on the back of the product, if you see ingredients your grandmother wouldn’t recognize, reconsider the product. I certainly did not create that tip, but have found it to be increasingly useful as many ingredient lists have become small novels.

Eat breakfast to be healthy

Eat breakfast to stick to your resolution.

It astonishes me how people can justify skipping breakfast. The time between dinner and breakfast is the longest your body has gone without food, which is only one of the reasons it is so important. During the time we sleep, our metabolism greatly slows down. Breakfast helps us get our metabolism fired back up to full throttle. Many people often skip breakfast as an attempt to lose weight which simply does not work.

It is essential to have carbohydrates for breakfast. Even if you are on a low carbohydrate plan, make breakfast one of your higher carbohydrate meals. These carbohydrates help fuel your body and brain for the rest of the day. Aside from carbohydrates, protein is also great for breakfast. The time between dinner and breakfast is also the longest your body has been without protein, which means your muscles are in dire need of it because any protein from the night before will already be digested.

A healthy and easy breakfast for example could consist of oatmeal (regular/plain oatmeal, not in packets) and eggs/egg whites.

Eat frequently to be healthy

Aim for six small meals a day to stick to your resolution.

This can be a very hard change to make, but can be incredibly helpful. By eating frequently, every 2-3 hours, one’s body will always be fueled, which in turn helps to increase metabolism. At first it sounds like you will be eating a lot more food, but it is important to remember that these meals are healthy snacks and will be much smaller than regular meals. By eating frequently it is much less likely you will be hungry throughout the day, which often means less mindless snacking. It is important to try and make these smaller meals balanced as well, with carbohydrates, fat and protein in each of these small meals. (Please note that eating 6 meals each day may not be right for you. There is no “one-size-fits-all” diet so make good choices based on your needs)

An example of these snacks could be quinoa, almonds, or tofu.  Another example could be salmon and broccoli or this can be a good time to have a serving of fruit. Many experts say that aiming for six small meals a day is best.

Drink plenty of water to keep your healthy body going

Drinking plenty of water is key to curbing hunger, staying healthy and sticking to your resolution.

Drinking water is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to improve one’s health. Water helps the human body accomplish so many things. Water is especially helpful when eating healthy, as it helps transport all the nutrients around your body. The benefits to regularly drinking enough water are almost astounding. For me, some of the most noticeable benefits were clearer skin, and increased energy throughout the day. Though it may seem like a lot at first, I would highly recommend at least 80 ounces of water a day. This much water will not only transport nutrients through your body but will also help prevent snacking because it does a great job of reducing hunger. The best way to accomplish the 80 ounces is by bringing a water bottle with you everywhere.  Bring a large bottle of water with you to work, and always keep it in arm’s reach as this will greatly help with unhealthy work related eating habits. Also, don’t be suckered into buying any of the “flavored waters” out there, unless you are having it for a treat.

These are just some basic tips to potentially help your New Year’s resolution. However, all of these tips are extremely useful and are at the core of every healthy diet.

What eating tips do you all have? What have you found to be the most useful?