Ten tips to Healthier Eating Habits

Healthy eating habits lead to long term health and well being.  The answer to poor health, excess body weight and poor physical condition lies in a healthy diet. Bad eating habits are hard to break -- but it can be done. Healthy eating habits are the answer.

Everyone knows diets do not work and if they do, they are only a short term fix. Quite simply, almost no-one can stick to a diet because diets are out of sync with their normal eating habits and patterns. It is tough to break long-term eating habits because they are inter-connected to so many other patterns and habits.

You have physical habits of when and how much to eat, mental habits telling you to eat what you have always eaten and what you like and dislike, and emotional habits that trigger desires for certain foods for specific emotional states. So, in essence, you have to break physical habits, emotional habits and mental habits to change your diet. The only real long term answer is to adopt healthy eating habits and habits take repeated efforts to stick. Healthy eating needs to become a way of life.


The thing to remember is that it takes 21 days of practice for a habit to stick. Pick one or two of these practices at a time and do them every day for 21 days until you can do them with minimal or no effort then try another one or two. With a little effort, in no time at all, you will be feeling and living healthier!

Here are some Healthy Eating Habits you can adopt for Optimal Health and Well Being:
1. Eat balanced meals
Eat a little lean protein, nutrient-rich whole grains, fruits and vegetables (good carbohydrates) and non-saturated fats (olive oil, nuts, avocadoes) at every meal. The protein will build and repair muscle; the carbohydrates replenish energy stores without elevating blood sugar; and healthy fats assure your body that there's more fuel coming in, giving it the thumbs up to burn stored fat.
2. Eat breakfast every day
Don't skip breakfast, it really is the most important meal of the day and it will jump start your metabolism giving you the energy you need to power through the day. Researchers at Harvard University found that those who ate breakfast every day were 44 per cent less likely to be overweight. I can attest to that because I have eaten a large breakfast all my life and my weight has barely fluctuated.
3. Drink water
Plenty of water will help you lose weight because it flushes out the waste products your body makes when it breaks down fat for energy or processes protein. You will also find you have more energy when you are fully hydrated.
4. Eat more fiber
High-fiber foods make you feel fuller, take longer to digest and cause a slow, gradual rise in blood sugar along with keeping your gastro intestinal tract clear. Choose whole fruit over juice, whole-grain bread instead of white, high-fiber cereal or oatmeal instead of refined sugary cereal, and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables which not only have fiber but many nutrients and phytochemicals for optimal health.
5. Control your portions
Over the years, our perception of what constitutes a normal size meal has grown considerably and as a result so have our waistlines. Your meal portions should leave you satisfied, but not feeling stuffed. Chewing your food until it is completely broken down will not only aid in digestion and save you indigestion but help your body feel full before you eat too much. Your body takes 20 minutes to tell your brain that it is full, so eat slowly.
6. Don't skip meals
Waiting more than four or five hours between meals causes your blood sugar to bottom out, leaving you weak, irritable and tired and you will tend to overeat or eat fast food which is unhealthy. Try to eat three balanced meals and two snacks per day.
7. Nourish your brain
Feed it with a steady supply of the right nutrients throughout the day. The brain needs a continuous supply of glucose to fuel it. Glucose, vitamins B, C, E, and iron, have all been shown to positively affect our memory, attentiveness, ability to react and respond. Eat foods high in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, flaxseed oil, and omega-3 eggs. Try raisins and prunes, which are loaded with antioxidants, for snacks.
8. Eat at home more often
When you eat at home, you have control over what you are eating and can choose less processed or non-processed healthy low-fat meals. Huge portions high in fat and calories make it hard to eat healthy when dining out. When you do eat out, avoid fast food, fried foods, heavy sauces and dressings, and skip the mega-calorie desserts.
9. Boost your immune system naturally
Vitamin C from citrus fruits and foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids will help build a strong immune system. Omega-3 eggs are an rasy way to increase fatty acids as they are easy to digest, quick and easy to cook. To keep fat content lower, use a combination of whole eggs and egg whites. Fish oil capsules are also great and easy to obtain.
10. Learn about the nutritional content of the foods you eat
If you have to eat processed foods always read the labels. Learning about what's in the foods you eat will help you make decisions on choosing the right foods and how much to eat. Reading food labels, food guides and online sites are all resources for building your knowledge.

The great thing about habits is, we do not have to think about them or expend extra energy on them.  They are like a computer program that runs in the background.  So, it is very worth the extra effort to adopt lifelong healthy eating habits now so you can enjoy optimal health and well being in the future which is a major component of true happiness.   

Kids Eat Healthy

Students at the University of Alabama Birmingham made this video to get kids interested in Healthy Eating.



Fresh Grown by Anna Lloyd from Digital Community Studies on Vimeo.

Healthy Eating to Avoid Chronic Inflammation

Healthy eating avoids foods that lead to chronic inflamation.

Inflammation implicated in all chronic degenerative diseases.
Modern medicine is now starting to admit, due to recently uncovered scientific data, the fact that chronic inflammation is the root cause of all degenerative disease. Indeed, the main contributing factor of everything from hay fever to heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, depression, and diabetes can all be traced back to chronic inflammation.

What is Chronic inflammation?
Chronic inflammation is a process whereby the immune system becomes off balance and persists unnecessarily in its efforts to repair the body and repel pathogens. A poor diet is the main contributor of excess pathogens in the body and the prolonged process of trying to deal with them results in damage to healthy tissue. Stress, lack of exercise, genetic predisposition and other lifestyle factors can all promote inflammation, but eating a healthier diet is the ideal place to begin addressing chronic inflammation in the body.


What foods promote inflammation?
The foods that promote inflammation are the usual suspects, chiefly, high glycemic processed foods that cause a jump in blood sugar levels and unhealthy fats. Here is what you need to avoid:

• Saturated fat: Found in red meat, fried foods and high fat dairy products like cheese or ice cream. To reduce saturated fat eat low-fat or no fat dairy, eat less meat, choose lean meats like skinless poultry, and trim red meats thoroughly.
• Other unhealthy Oils: One of the culprits implicated in chronic inflammation is omega-6 fatty acids, or to be precise, too much omega-6 fatty acid. A balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids is what you need, but many oils have a more than 2:1 (or much higher) ratio of omega-6 outweighing omega-3, making them pro-inflammatory. These oils have an unhealthy balance of omega-6 fatty acids: corn, sunflower, safflower, soy, and cottonseed oil. Try to avoid them in favor of olive oil
• Trans fat: Avoid foods with hydrogenated oils in the ingredients list, such as frozen meals, tortillas/wraps, and commercial pastries, crackers and cookies. Make it a habit to read the label on every packaged food you eat (which ideally, shouldn’t be too many!) and don’t buy anything with partially hydrogenated oil. You can virtually eliminate all trans fat from your diet with this simple strategy.
• Sugar: Spikes in blood glucose stimulate the inflammation response which in turn taxes the immune system. Cut out all foods with added sugars, avoid soda, sweetened drinks and candy to help combat blood glucose spikes, which promote inflammation. Aspartame/NutraSweet isn’t any better; it too has been linked to triggering inflammation
• Processed and high glycemic carbohydrates: In modern society, we eat a lot of processed and/or high glycemic carbohydrate. Most breakfast cereals, virtually all baked goods, granola bars, potatoes, bread, and pasta fall in this category. Switch your white bread for healthier, slightly-less-glycemic 100%whole wheat. Favor intact grains (like wheat kernels, barley, millet, quinoa, etc)which aren’t ground up into tiny particles and are digested and absorbed much more slowly than flours, thus keeping blood sugar from spiking.
• Nitrates and nitrites: These additives can increase inflammation, and also are associated with certain cancers, so there’s two good reasons to eat less of them! Nitrate and nitrite are found mostly in processed, cured meats like hot dogs, ham and bacon. You can, however, find uncured meats at Whole Foods and similar stores, or choose turkey for your sandwich instead on ham.  

What foods fight inflammation?

A good rule of thumb for eating more anti-inflammatory foods is to eat all natural, un-processed, low sugar, low fat foods however, there are several classes of foods you should eat more of to fight inflammation.

• Omega 3 fatty acids: While arachidonic acid (omega-6) is metabolized into inflammatory mediators, omega-3 fatty acids like DHA, EPA and ALA reduce inflammation. The richest food sources of EPA and DHA are seafood, and ALA can be found in flaxseed and walnuts. Keep in mind though, that ALA is less active in the body than EPA and DHA, and only some ALA gets converted to EPA/DHA, so eating fish (2 times a week) or taking a daily fish oil supplement is the most potent inflammation fighter.
• Phytochemicals like quercitin, anthocyanins, and polyphenols: These compounds are found in fruit, vegetables and some herbs and spices like ginger and turmeric. Berries, cruciferous vegetables, red grapes, and orange vegetables are just some of the all-stars in the phytochemical category. A good rule of thumb to follow is, the darker the color of fruits and vegetables is, the more healthy phytochemicals it contains, so fill your plate up!
• Low glycemic index foods: As mentioned above, carbohydrates that send your blood sugar high and fast (high glycemic content) promote inflammation. Carbohydrates from non-starchy vegetables, legumes, and intact, whole grains are much less glycemic, making them better selections for an anti-inflammatory diet. Some of the all-stars are: barley, quinoa, wheat berries, whole wheat bulgur, millet and corn.
• Antioxidant vitamins: carotenoids, vitamin C and vitamin E: These antioxidant vitamins come from fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. You can find carotenoids in bright orange carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash, tomatoes, and even watermelon. Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits, kiwi, bell peppers and strawberries. You can get vitamin E from wheat germ, almonds, sunflower seeds, peanuts and hazelnuts.

What Can I do Now?As you can see, by simply avoiding or eating less of several classes of foods and incorporating more of other, healthier foods into your diet you can avoid chronic inflammation and the many diseases that are associated with it. Beyond what you eat, you should be careful about how you live: diet and lifestyle are not two separate things. When the body is overloaded in toxins, it can respond only in one way: chronic inflammation. Smoke, pesticides, cleaning chemicals, allergens, dust, contaminants, herbicides all contribute to toxic overload almost as much as nutritional deficiencies. The best way to combat toxic overload besides eating healthy is to drink lots of water and get some exercise every day. Exercise leads to perspiration which is the body’s natural way to rid itself of excess toxins.