Eat healthier – start now

Begin now on eating healthier. But don’t be too ambitious. Start with small changes.

There is no need to go cold turkey. What you are trying to achieve is a long-term healthy lifestyle. Small changes over time are the most likely to stick. For example:

· if you want to eat more vegetables, try to add one more serving and stick with that increase for a while. Add bits of broccoli to something you already eat like pizza or soup.

· if you need more whole grains, add barley, whole wheat pasta, or brown rice to your soup.

When you think about what you need to get more of, the other things tend to fall into place. For example, if you have some baby carrots with lunch or add a banana to your cereal in the morning, you’re going to feel full longer. You won’t need a food that’s high in sugar or fat an hour later to keep you going.

It is important too to look for healthier versions of things you like to eat.

· if you like meat sandwiches for lunch, try a reduced-fat version of your favorite meat;

· if you like the convenience of frozen dinners, find ones with lower sodium content;

· if you just can’t do without fast-food meals, try a salad as your side dish instead of french fries.

Pick one or two changes to start with. Then you can gradually build up the amount, and range, of healthy foods you are eating.

Good carbs – bad carbs

Carbohydrates can be good or bad for your body.

You need to eat enough good carbohydrates – that is how your body gets enough energy for low-intensity activities during the day. Carbohydrates are found in breads and grains, but also in a number of other foods as well, such as fruits and vegetables. You should watch your intake of carbohydrates carefully to ensure your diet is distinguishing the good carbs from the bad carbs.

Carbohydrates are basically sugars. Complex carbohydrates are the good carbs for your body. These are chemical strings of sugar which are very difficult for your body processes to break down and they also trap other nutrients like vitamins and minerals in the sugar strings. As they slowly break down, the other nutrients are also released into your body, and can provide you with nutrients for a number of hours.

Bad carbohydrates, however, are simple sugars. Because their structure is not complex, it is easy for your body processes to break down and they hold little nutrients for your body other than the sugars from which they are made. Your digestive system breaks down these carbohydrates rather quickly and what is not needed immediately for energy use is converted to fat and stored in the body.

Staying away from simple carbohydrates is what most diets recommend, since they have little nutritional value when compared to complex carbohydrates.