Easy Ways To Improve Your Diet Today

Eating a well-balanced diet needs to be more than a passing thing. Proper nutrition should be a lifestyle. Obesity is becoming such a concern that medical experts are starting to regard it as a national risk.

However, there are many, simple, straightforward changes you can do to how and what you eat that will provide you with great taste without packing on the pounds.

Here are 5 ways to improve your diet today for a healthier you for years to come:

1. Dark chocolate

Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants and restores the flexibility of the arteries, thus protecting against heart disease. Dark chocolate also prevents white blood cells from attaching to blood vessel walls, which is the main cause of artery clogging.

Moreover, it also contains way less sugar than milk chocolate, which means it doesn’t pack on the pounds. You can enjoy a square or two in the afternoon for a quick pick-me-up because our blood sugar level drops in the afternoon and that’s the time when you start craving foods high in sugar and carbs.

2. Eat out of the bowl

When you pop open a bag of chips, it’s so much easier to lose count when you eat right out of the bag. Instead, what you should do is, pour some in a bowl, so you’ll know your limit and rather than have the entire bag at your disposal, now your brain is okay with the fact that you’re only eating what’s in the bowl. Want an even better idea? Have popcorn instead of potato chips. Air-popped popcorn that’s been popped at home contains only 1g of fat and around 90 calories.

3. Don’t get distracted

TVs, phones, tablets, and computers - they’re all distractions that don’t allow you to focus on your meal. When you don’t practice mindfulness and focus on what you’re eating, you tend to eat 40% more calories. This is because your brain doesn’t process the act of eating so it doesn’t track how much food you’ve ingested.

In addition, while it takes you an average of about 20 minutes to start feeling full, when you’re focusing on something else as you eat, those 20 minutes tend to get longer and that feeling of being full comes too late, after you've eaten more than you should have. The southern islands of Japan adhere to a principle that says, “eat until you’re 80% full” and you can’t do that if you’re not paying close attention to what you’re eating.

4. Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables

Instead of drinking orange juice, eat an orange instead. The fruit contains more fiber, and less sugar. What’s more, fruits and veggies give your what body what it needs in terms of minerals and nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants and the good thing about them is that they can be included in most anything.

Instead of buying fruit flavored or fruit at the bottom yogurt, get plain Greek yogurt and add some cut up fresh fruit instead.

When you’re going through that afternoon slump, rather than getting something processed or sugary, why not enjoy a banana, apple or even a mango?

They all contain the minerals you need to get you out of that mindless drift that happens to us late in the day, but without harming your health. Bottom line, you can’t go wrong with fruits and vegetables.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know what a safe diet looks like, it'll be easier for you to make smart decisions about your weight loss journey.

The most effective way to lose weight is through regular exercise and eating a healthy balanced diet.

There is nothing on this planet that will help you lose weight and most important keep it off for the rest of your life as making profound habit changes in diet, so don’t be tempted by drastic measures, hacks or cheats that can compromise your overall health and wellbeing.

Start by talking to your doctor, and keep in mind that the safest diets are the ones created to help you adopt a healthier lifestyle, a balanced diet, and regular physical activity.