Healthy eating is not about strict nutrition philosophies, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love.
Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, and keeping yourself as healthy as possible– all of which can be achieved by learning some nutrition basics and using them in a way that works for you.
To start eating healthily learn how to “eat smart”—it’s not just what you eat, but how you eat.
Your food choices can reduce your risk of illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, as well as defend against depression.
Learning the habits of healthy eating can also boost your energy, sharpen your memory and stabilise your mood.
You can expand your range of healthy food choices and learn how to plan ahead to create and maintain a satisfying, healthy diet.
Here are 10 tips to get you started:
Set yourself up for success
To set yourself up for success, plan changing to a healthy diet in a number of small, manageable steps rather than one big drastic change.
If you approach the changes gradually and with commitment, you will have a healthy diet sooner than you think.
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Simplify.
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Think of your diet in terms of colour, variety and freshness
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Focus on finding foods you love and easy recipes that incorporate a few fresh ingredients.
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Gradually, your diet will become healthier and more delicious.
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Start slowly, make changes to your eating habits over time.
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Changing everything at once usually leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan.
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Make small steps, like adding a salad (full of different colour vegetables) to your diet once a day or switching from butter to olive oil when cooking.
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As your small changes become habit, you can continue to add more healthy choices to your diet.
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Every change you make to improve your diet matters.
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You don’t have to be perfect.
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Don’t completely eliminate foods you enjoy.
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The long term goal is to feel good, have more energy and reduce the risk of cancer and disease.
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Don’t let your missteps derail you—every healthy food choice you make counts.
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· Think of water and exercise as food groups in your diet.
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Water helps flush our systems of waste products and toxins.
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Many people go through life dehydrated which causes tiredness, low energy and headaches.
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It’s common to mistake thirst for hunger, so staying well hydrated will also help you make healthier food choices.
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Exercise brings abundant benefits and may even motivate you to make healthy food choices a habit.
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Find something active that you like to do and add it to your day, just like you would add healthy greens, blueberries or salmon.
​Moderation is key
People often think of healthy eating as an all or nothing proposition, but a key foundation for any healthy diet is moderation.
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Try not to think of certain foods as “off limits.”
Banning certain foods or food groups tends to make you want those foods more, and then feel like a failure if you give in to temptation!
If you are drawn towards sweet, salty, or unhealthy foods, start by reducing portion sizes and not eating them as often.
Later you may find yourself craving them less or thinking of them as only occasional indulgences.
Use smaller plates, think about serving sizes in realistic terms and start small.
Visual cues can help with portion sizes—your serving of meat, fish or chicken should be the size of a deck of cards.
Your plate should be filled with one quarter protein, one quarter carbohydrate and one half vegetables
A teaspoon of oil or salad dressing is about the size of a matchbook and your slice of bread should be the size of a CD case.
When dining out, choose a starter instead of an entrée, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything.
​It's not just what you eat, it's how you eat
To eat healthily you need to change the way you think about foods as much as you need to change the foods on your plate.
Healthy eating habits can be learned and it is important to slow down and think about food as nourishment rather than just something to gulp down in between meetings or on the way to pick up the kids.
Eating with other people has numerous social and emotional benefits—particularly for children—and allows you to model healthy eating habits.
Eating in front of the TV or computer often leads to mindless overeating.
Chew your food slowly, savouring every bite.
We tend to rush though our meals, forgetting to actually taste the flavours and feel the textures of what is in our mouths.
Reconnect with the joy of eating.
Ask yourself if you are really hungry, or have a glass of water to see if you are thirsty instead of hungry.
During a meal, stop eating before you feel full. It actually takes a few minutes for your brain to tell your body that it has had enough food, so eat slowly.
A healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, and eating small, healthy meals throughout the day (rather than the standard three large meals) keeps your energy up and your metabolism going.
Fill up on colourful fruits and vegetables
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Fruits and vegetables are the foundation of a healthy diet. They are low in calories and nutrient dense, which means they are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre.
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Fruits and vegetables should be part of every meal and your first choice for a snack—aim for a minimum of five portions each day.
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The antioxidants and other nutrients in fruits and vegetables help protect against certain types of cancer and other diseases.
Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day—the brighter the better.
Brighter, deeper coloured fruits and vegetables contain higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Different colours provide different benefits. Some great choices are:
Greens are packed with calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, vitamins A, C, E and K, and they help strengthen the blood and respiratory systems.
Be adventurous with your greens and branch out beyond bright and dark green lettuce.
Naturally sweet vegetables add healthy sweetness to your meals and reduce your cravings for other sweets.
A wide variety of fruit is also vital to a healthy diet.
Fruit provides fibre, vitamins and antioxidants.
Don’t forget to shop fresh and local whenever possible
Eat more healthy carbohydrates and wholegrains
Choose healthy carbohydrates and fibre sources, especially wholegrains, for long lasting energy.
In addition to being delicious and satisfying, wholegrains are rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants, which help to protect against coronary heart disease, certain cancers, and diabetes.
Studies have shown people who eat more wholegrains tend to have a healthier heart.
What are healthy carbs and unhealthy carbs?
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Healthy carbs (sometimes known as good carbs) include wholegrains, pulses, fruits and vegetables.
Healthy carbs are digested slowly, helping you feel full longer and keeping blood sugar and insulin levels stable.
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Unhealthy carbs (or bad carbs) are foods such as white flour, refined sugar and white rice that have been stripped of all bran, fibre and nutrients.
Unhealthy carbs digest quickly and cause spikes in blood sugar levels and energy.
Tips for eating more healthy carbs
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Include a variety of wholegrains in your healthy diet
Experiment with different grains to find your favourites.
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Make sure you're really getting whole grains.
Be aware that the words stoneground, multigrain, 100% wheat, or bran, can be deceptive.
Look for the words “wholegrain” or “100% wholewheat” at the beginning of the ingredient list
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Try mixing grains as a first step to switching to wholegrains.
If whole grains, like brown rice and whole wheat pasta, don’t sound good at first, start by mixing what you normally use with the wholegrains. You can gradually increase the wholegrain to 100%.
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Avoid: Refined foods such as breads, pastas, and breakfast cereals that are not wholegrain.
​Enjoy healthy fats & avoid unhealthy fats
Good sources of healthy fat are needed to nourish your brain, heart and cells, as well as your hair, skin, and nails.
Foods rich in certain omega-3 fats called EPA and DHA are particularly important and can reduce cardiovascular disease, improve your mood and help prevent dementia.
Add to your healthy diet:
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Polyunsaturated fats, including Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids
Found in fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, and some cold water fish oil supplements.
Other sources of polyunsaturated fats are unheated sunflower, corn, soybean, and flaxseed oils, and walnuts.
Reduce or eliminate from your diet:
Found primarily in animal sources including red meat and whole milk dairy products.
Found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, baked goods, and other processed foods made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Put protein in perspective
Protein gives us the energy to get up and go—and keep going.
Protein in food is broken down into the 20 amino acids that are the body’s basic building blocks for growth and energy, and essential for maintaining cells, tissues and organs.
A lack of protein in our diet can slow growth, reduce muscle mass, lower immunity, and weaken the heart and respiratory system.
Protein is particularly important for children, whose bodies are growing and changing daily.
Here are some guidelines for including protein in your healthy diet:
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Try different types of protein.
Whether or not you are a vegetarian, trying different protein sources—such as beans, nuts, seeds, peas, tofu and soy products—will open up new options for healthy mealtimes.
Avoid salted or sugary nuts and refried beans.
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Downsize your portions of protein.
​People often eat too much protein.
Try to move away from protein being the centre of your meal.
Remember, fill half your plate with fresh vegetables and the other half with equal portions of whole grain carbohydrates and protein.
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Focus on quality sources of protein
Tofu, eggs, beans or nuts.
Add calcium for strong bones
Calcium is one of the key nutrients that your body needs in order to stay strong and healthy.
It is an essential building block for lifelong bone health in both men and women.
You and your bones will benefit from eating plenty of calcium-rich foods, limiting foods that deplete your body’s calcium stores, and getting your daily dose of magnesium and vitamins D and K—nutrients that help calcium do its job.
Recommended calcium levels are 1000 mg per day, 1200 mg if you are over 50 years old. Take a vitamin D and calcium supplement if you don’t get enough of these nutrients from your diet.
Good sources of calcium include:
Dairy products are rich in calcium in a form that is easily digested and absorbed by the body. Sources include milk, yogurt, and cheese.
Many vegetables, especially leafy green ones, are rich sources of calcium.
Try turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, kale, romaine lettuce, celery, broccoli, fennel, cabbage, summer squash, green beans, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and crimini mushrooms.
For another rich source of calcium, try black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, white beans, black-eyed peas, or baked beans.
Limit sugar and salt
If you succeed in planning your diet around fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and good fats, you may find yourself naturally cutting back on foods that can get in the way of your healthy diet—sugar and salt.
Sugar
Sugar causes energy ups and downs and can add to health and weight problems.
Reducing the amount of sweets, cakes, and desserts we eat is only part of the solution.
Often you may not even be aware of the amount of sugar you’re consuming each day.
Large amounts of added sugar can be hidden in foods such as bread, canned soups and vegetables, pasta sauce, margarine, frozen dinners, fast food, soy sauce, and ketchup.
One 12-oz fizzy drink has about 10 teaspoons of sugar in it, more than the daily recommended limit!
Try sparkling water with lemon or a splash of fruit juice.
Fruit, peppers, or natural peanut butter can help to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Salt
Most of us consume too much salt in our diets.
Eating too much salt can cause high blood pressure and lead to other health problems.
Try to limit sodium intake to 1,500 to 2,300 mg per day, the equivalent of one teaspoon of salt.
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Avoid processed or pre-packaged foods.
Processed foods like canned soups or frozen dinners contain hidden sodium that quickly surpasses the recommended limit.
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Be careful when eating out.
​ Most restaurant and fast food meals are loaded with sodium.
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Opt for fresh or frozen vegetables
​Or at least check the labels of canned vegetables for the salt content.
Try fruit or vegetable crisps instead.
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Choose low-salt or reduced-sodium products.
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Try slowly reducing the salt in your diet
This will give your taste buds time to adjust.
Plan quick and easy meals ahead
Healthy eating starts with great planning. You will have won half the healthy diet battle if you have a well-stocked kitchen, a stash of quick and easy recipes, and plenty of healthy snacks.
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Plan your meals by the week or even the month
One of the best ways to have a healthy diet is to prepare your own food and eat in regularly.
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Pick a few healthy recipes that you and your family like and build a meal schedule around them.
If you have three or four meals planned per week and eat leftovers on the other nights, you will be much farther ahead than if you are eating out or having frozen dinners most nights.
​Try to cook one or both weekend days or on a weekday evening and make extra to freeze or set aside for another night.
Cooking ahead saves time and money, and it is gratifying to know that you have a home cooked meal waiting to be eaten.
Challenge yourself to come up with two or three dinners that can be put together without going to the store—utilising things in your cupboard, freezer, and spice rack.
A delicious dinner of whole grain pasta with a quick tomato sauce or a quick and easy black bean quesadilla on a whole wheat flour tortilla (among endless other recipes) could act as your go-to meal when you are just too busy to shop or cook.
