When you want to eat healthier to have a healthier lifestyle, you should first examine your current diet. Avoiding certain foods, such as sugar, unhealthy fats and cholesterol, can make you feel better and provide health benefits such as weight loss and lowering your risk of developing chronic diseases.
Refined Sugar
Naturally occurring sugars and those that are added to foods are two types of sugars. Naturally occurring sugars include fructose and lactose. Fructose is found in fruit and lactose is found in milk. Fructose and lactose are healthy sugars. Sugars that are added to foods such as sodas, baked goods and other processed foods are unhealthy and can lead to weight gain. The American Heart Association recommends that men consume no more than 9 tsp. of sugar a day. Women should consume no more than 6 tsp. of sugar a day. To reduce your sugar intake, start by cutting your sugar intake in half and slowly keep decreasing.
Unhealthy Fat
Saturated and trans fats are two types of unhealthy fats. Saturated fats are naturally occurring and can be found in animal products such as meats and dairy products. Saturated fats are generally solid at room temperature. MayoClinic.com reports that you should consume no more than 7 percent of saturated fats from your daily caloric intake. Trans fats, also known as partially hydrogenated oil, are man-made fats that are added to vegetable oils to make them more solid. MayoClinic.com reports that you should consume no more than 1 percent of trans fats from your daily caloric intake.
LDL Cholesterol
There are two types of cholesterol: healthy and unhealthy. Healthy cholesterol, called high-density lipoprotein, can reduce your risk of developing heart disease. Unhealthy cholesterol, called low-density lipoprotein, can increase your risk for developing heart disease. Cholesterol comes from food and your body produces cholesterol. Cholesterol that is found in foods only comes from animal products such as meats, eggs and dairy products. According to the MayoClinic.com, healthy adults should consume no more than 300mg of cholesterol a day. Adults who have high cholesterol should limit their cholesterol intake to 200mg of cholesterol a day.
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