Knowing that you should eat healthier foods is one thing; actually doing so is quite another. The sheer convenience of fast, processed foods means it is easy to fall back on junk. However, with a few changes to your behavior, it's possible to eat healthier food. In some cases, it only takes a few tweaks to your daily routine.
Baked, not Fried
Choosing baked, broiled or barbecued foods over fried foods removes considerable fat from your diet. For example, anything that's deep-fried soaks up some of the cooking oil, increasing the fat content. That includes breaded nuggets, French fries, tempura shrimp and battered fish. As a comparison, a medium serving of oven-baked fries contains 4.4 g of fat, according to the USDA National Nutrient Database. The same portion of French fries from a fast-food restaurant contains almost 19 g of fat --- more than four times more.
Remove Bad Foods
If junk food sits in your cupboard, it's easier to cave to temptation and indulge; thus, remove all chips, candy, soda and unhealthy snacks to banish this occurrence. Be ruthless one evening. Take all the sugary and salty snacks out of your house and don't buy any new ones. Ideally, replace them with fresh fruit, nuts, seeds and vegetables. Sure, you might have cravings --- but it will be harder to act upon them. Instead, you might find yourself reaching for an apple.
Go Fresh
Fresh foods are nearly always healthier than processed foods. In particular, fruits and vegetables offer a whole range of vitamins and minerals as well as dietary fiber that's great for your bowels and heart health. Adding a rainbow of color in your fresh fruit and vegetables also helps you get a broader spread of nutrients. Fill your fruit bowl with all types of fruit and your salad drawers with a similarly colorful mixture.
Chop Your Vegetables
One problem with vegetables and fruits is that sometimes it's harder to prepare a vegetable snack than to open a bag of chips; thus, make it easy on yourself. Keep small bags of chopped carrots, celery, cucumber, bell pepper and any other vegetables you like in the refrigerator. Nibble on these when you're hungry. If you want a dip, try fresh tomato salsa or light yogurt with mint.
Meat Free Day
Picking one day of the week where you cut out all meat, including poultry and fish, encourages you to eat more vegetables that day. Even if you go back to eating red meat for the rest of the week, changing your food options for just one day helps you move toward a healthier diet. Small steps are usually easier to take than making a radical change.
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