How to Eat Healthier Every Single Day

If we all knew how to eat healthier, we’d all be doing it, right? The truth is, eating healthy is both easy and complicated. It’s complicated, because food marketers and fad diets confuse public perception about what’s healthy and what’s not. A prime example of that is the low-fat food trend of the 90s versus the even trendier high-fat keto diet today. But eating a healthy diet can truly be simple. There are a few totally manageable principles that have stood the test of time. Follow these Nutritious Life-approved guidelines, and you’ll eat healthier every single day. Promise. Here are six ways to eat healthier every day, from a nutritionist’s point of view. Eat more vegetables You may not need studies to tell you that vegetables are healthy, but just in case you’re not convinced: Research shows that eating seven or more servings of vegetables a day significantly reduces your risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke. Yep, that’s right, vegetables can save your life. Veggies are loaded with disease- and age- fighting antioxidants and fiber, which promotes gut health and helps keep you full. They also have high water volume, which aids in hydration and keeps you feeling full long after you showed that zucchini the way to your belly. Drink water Speaking of water, hydration affects everything from the glow of your skin to the energy you bring to your workout. And yes, you should aim for eight glasses a day. Not drinking enough water could translate to overeating, headaches and low energy. Forget ‘cheat days’ Cheat days have a negative connotation, which is why I don’t support them and instead promote the idea of “conscious indulgence.” A conscious indulgence should be a portion-controlled, nutrient-dense option of what you’re craving, and eaten from a positive place, not hiding in shame because you’re a “cheater”. This is the whole philosophy behind Nutritious Life’s Eat Empowered pillar. RELATED: How Often You Should Have a Cheat Meal Cut sugar If you check ingredient labels, you’ll see that sugar sneaks into so many things: sauces, peanut butter, nut milks, crackers, yogurt. The the list is endless. You don’t need to freak out about small amounts of sugar, or those conscious indulgences I mentioned above. You do need to be aware of your overall sugar consumption since it’s easy to eat sugar mindlessly. You want to avoid that because excess sugar is linked to obesity, diabetes and possibly even cancer. RELATED: Is the Natural Sugar Found in Whole Foods Healthier Than Added Sugar? Choose whole foods Prioritizing whole foods over processed ones is a good way to accomplish all the other healthy-eating tips on this list. By eating whole foods, you’re automatically eating less added sugar and more fiber. You’re also limiting things like food coloring and artificial flavors. Mixing up your whole foods also ensures you’re consuming a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. Cook more It’s not that you can’t find healthy restaurants. It’s that you have much less control over the ingredients when you dine out. So, while there’s no shame in eating out, cooking gives you more say in what goes into your meals. Plus, spending time in the kitchen can promote a fun, empowered relationship with eating—one that is based on experimenting with lots of nutritious foods that fill you up, body and soul.

Try These Strategies to Eat Healthy While Dining Out

Whether you dine out once a month or three times a week, it’s harder to eat healthy when you’re not the one prepping and cooking the meal (and when there are endless options). But going out to eat does not mean you have to fall completely off the wellness wagon and start binging on whatever’s in the bread basket. In this video, I’m sharing smart strategies that will help you stick to your diet at a restaurant, so you can enjoy (not ruin) the chance to socialize with friends or family over a delicious meal. I’ll explain what to look for on the menu, how to approach drinking alcohol, and the reason you should always order first. Bon appétit! How to Eat Healthy While Dining Out Photo: Jakup Kapusnak via Foodie’s Feed

Are Enriched and Fortified Foods Healthy? The Pros and Cons

Have you picked up iodized salt or vitamin D-rich milk recently? Both are examples of fortified foods—meaning, foods to which extra nutrients have been added. Pumped-up products are crazy common: Besides milk and salt, commonly fortified foods include cereals, breakfast bars, orange juice, tea and infant formulas. At first glance, they seem incredibly helpful. If you tend to be calcium-deficient, why not get an extra dose while sipping your morning OJ, right? Of course, it’s not that simple (sigh …). Here are the facts you need to know to decide whether fortified foods are right for you and your family. Fortified Foods vs. Enriched Foods First, a distinction: Fortification and enrichment are both processes that add nutrients to food, but they’re slightly different. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), fortification is when a nutrient gets added to a food that never contained that nutrient. Adding vitamin D to orange juice or milk is a good example. Enrichment, on the other hand, is when nutrients lost during processing are added back into a food. For instance, when whole wheat is processed into white flour, iron and B vitamins may be added back in a synthetic form. Fortified functional foods Fortified functional foods take this concept even further. They contain an added ingredient intended to produce a specific health benefit beyond its nutritional value, such as cholesterol reduction or cancer prevention. Some types of fortified functional foods contain supplements, such as the addition of: Omega-3s in milk to boost brain function Collagen in protein bars to enhance skin health Probiotics for better gut or immune function Other types include antioxidants, like the addition of fruits or vegetables in cereals or beverages. The Benefits of Fortified Foods: 3 Success Stories Government agencies and food policy advocates often use one process or another to decrease nutrient deficiencies in large populations, an approach that can be super effective. In the 1920s, U.S. companies began adding iodine to table salt. This essential element supports the thyroid gland. Without enough iodine, humans experience a high incidence of goiters (the term for an enlarged thyroid). In the 1930s, commercial milk producers began fortifying milk with synthesized vitamin D, the “sunshine vitamin,” to save children from rickets. In 1900, about 80% of children living in Boston suffered from rickets, a bone affliction that leads to deformities, but it was essentially eradicated thanks to fortified vitamin D. Much more recently in 1996, the FDA mandated adding synthetic folic acid to processed grains. The goal: to combat high incidences of neural-tube defects in newborns. All three of these policies helped prevent real public health problems. The Problems with Fortified Foods However, the average consumer who regularly eats fortified foods faces a few big issues. Many experts argue that your body does not absorb individual nutrients added to foods in the same way that it absorbs naturally occurring nutrients in whole foods, consumed alongside other complementary nutrients. A simple example: Skim milk is often fortified with vitamin A and D, which are fat-soluble vitamins—but the milk was processed to remove the fat. When you consume those vitamins without a fat source, you may not get the same degree of nutritional benefits. RELATED: ​​Food Combining: The Facts and 5 Combos That Make Sense for Your Health and Life Not to mention, most food companies use synthetic versions of micronutrients, which your body may process differently than the natural, food-based versions. The Problems with Enriched Foods Companies often add vitamins into food at incredibly high levels—up to 100% of the recommended daily amount into one serving of food. Since most of us don’t have severe deficiencies, eating a lot of enriched foods might cause you to exceed the recommended daily intake by a long shot. This can mess with your digestion, for starters. Some individuals have trouble breaking down folic acid (which is necessary for the important process of methylation), for example, so eating enriched bread, pasta and cereal regularly could lead to decreased immunity or mask a vitamin B12 deficiency. In severe but thankfully rare cases, overconsumption of micronutrients can lead to toxicity overload. RELATED: What is Methylation and Why Does It Matter For Your Health? The Takeaway Here’s the bottom line: You may have noticed something about most of the enriched or fortified foods mentioned here—they’re usually highly processed to begin with. It’s much better to avoid those kinds of foods altogether. Fortification can be a useful tool for delivering nutrients to at-risk populations. But if you’re lucky enough to have the choice, it’s better to skip labels that say enriched or fortified. Instead, reach for naturally nutrient-rich whole foods. (Image: Shutterstock)