Health is something that is easy to take for granted. When we start losing it, it's hard to believe we spent so long not valuing it. To ensure that you stay as healthy as possible, we've outlined a guide that should help you do just that -- detailing your physical, mental, and emotional health. Why would you want to live any other way?
Health is something that is easy to take for granted. When we start losing it, it's hard to believe we spent so long not valuing it. To ensure that you stay as healthy as possible, we've outlined a guide that should help you do just that -- detailing your physical, mental, and emotional health. Why would you want to live any other way?
Part 1 of 3: Having a Healthy Diet
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1
Emphasize fruits and veggies. A healthy diet is one that's full of vitamins, nutrients, and color (well, in addition to being balanced). And the easiest way to do this is through piling on the fruits and veggies. They're nutrient dense but not calorically dense -- meaning you can eat bunches and bunches without destroying your waistline and it's good for you. And, of course, the fresher the better!
- Most all fruits and veggies are good for you, but some are better for you than others, arguably. If you really want to zero in on mother nature's power, you'll add kale, spinach, carrots, celery, cranberries, blueberries, and pineapple to next week's grocery cart.[1] That's every color of the rainbow, too!
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2
Add in lean meats, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains. As good as fruits and veggies are, you need some other stuff in their to mix it up and stay balanced. When you go for meat, milks and cheeses, and pasta, make sure you choose leanmeats, low-fat dairy, and whole grain pasta. That generally translates to white meat (without skin), low-fat or non-fat milk, cheese, and yogurt and brown pasta, quinoa, and oats.
- When it comes to grains, the browner the better. White grains shouldn't really be in your diet. If it's white, it's been processed and all the nutrients have been taken out. Then it's just empty carbs.
-
3
Cut out processed junk. If it's in a package, odds are it's not super good for you. And if it's in a package that doesn't go old for years, that goes double. Turns out the FDA doesn't even regulate all the stuff that goes into them and your body doesn't regulate the additives, either! They're not even recognized as food-like things. Your body just stores them away, not knowing what to do with them. Gross.
- The FDA doesn't regulate all labels, either. Words and phrases like "all natural," "free-range," "additive free," and "pure" are just claims companies can make without retribution.[2][3] So if you're buying something packaged that makes a claim that seems unfeasible...it's possible it is.
-
4
Drink up the H2O. If you're looking for a miracle on Earth, water is the closest you'll probably get. Stay hydrated and just about every part of you will stay healthy -- your skin, your hair and nails, your organs, and even your mind. And you can lose weight, too! Studies show that you could lose 5 lbs in a year by just upping your water intake around a liter a day.
- Part of the reason behind the weight loss is that drinking water keeps you full, but drinking cold water also ups your metabolism. In fact, drinking cold water (17 ounces, to be precise) can up your metabolism by up to 30% for 10-40 minutes. So get icy with your workout and you could burn even more calories.
-
5
Cook -- the right way. Since you're cutting out all that processed gunk, you inevitably will find yourself in the kitchen more, finally putting your passive Food Network viewership to good use. Cooking is great for your budget, your skills, and your waistline, but here's a couple things to keep in mind:
- If you can, go as raw as possible. Frozen and canned veggies are all okay, but raw is so much better. None of the nutrients has been taken out in the processing.
- Use the right kind of oils, like olive or safflower. They're full of the good kinds of fat. Do the same with cheeses, butters, and spreads -- try to find a lighter version of their full-fat counterpart.
- Avoid frying and battering your foods. Chicken is good for you, but not if it's covered in bread crumbs, fried in fatty oil, and doused in sugary condiments.
- Don't salt your foods! The American Heart Association recommends keeping salt intake at under 1,500 mg a day. That sounds doable until you realize that ateaspoon is 2,300 mg.[4] Oof.
-
6
Concentrate on the good fats. We've already touched on it with cooking, but there's even more to explore: fats are necessary (especially for your hair to be shiny, your nails to be healthy, and your digestive system working as normal), but unsaturated fats are much, much better for you than saturated ones (that includes trans fats). Sources of good fats? Olive oil, avocado, and nuts. All in moderation, of course.
- These shouldn't be used in addition to the food you normally eat -- they should be used as substitutes. So instead of sauteing up those veggies in vegetable oil, trade it for olive. Instead of grabbing that candy bar, go for a handful of almonds. They're still filling, but your body can process the unsaturated fats much more efficiently.
-
1Emphasize fruits and veggies. A healthy diet is one that's full of vitamins, nutrients, and color (well, in addition to being balanced). And the easiest way to do this is through piling on the fruits and veggies. They're nutrient dense but not calorically dense -- meaning you can eat bunches and bunches without destroying your waistline and it's good for you. And, of course, the fresher the better!
- Most all fruits and veggies are good for you, but some are better for you than others, arguably. If you really want to zero in on mother nature's power, you'll add kale, spinach, carrots, celery, cranberries, blueberries, and pineapple to next week's grocery cart.[1] That's every color of the rainbow, too!
-
2Add in lean meats, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains. As good as fruits and veggies are, you need some other stuff in their to mix it up and stay balanced. When you go for meat, milks and cheeses, and pasta, make sure you choose leanmeats, low-fat dairy, and whole grain pasta. That generally translates to white meat (without skin), low-fat or non-fat milk, cheese, and yogurt and brown pasta, quinoa, and oats.
- When it comes to grains, the browner the better. White grains shouldn't really be in your diet. If it's white, it's been processed and all the nutrients have been taken out. Then it's just empty carbs.
-
3Cut out processed junk. If it's in a package, odds are it's not super good for you. And if it's in a package that doesn't go old for years, that goes double. Turns out the FDA doesn't even regulate all the stuff that goes into them and your body doesn't regulate the additives, either! They're not even recognized as food-like things. Your body just stores them away, not knowing what to do with them. Gross.
- The FDA doesn't regulate all labels, either. Words and phrases like "all natural," "free-range," "additive free," and "pure" are just claims companies can make without retribution.[2][3] So if you're buying something packaged that makes a claim that seems unfeasible...it's possible it is.
-
4Drink up the H2O. If you're looking for a miracle on Earth, water is the closest you'll probably get. Stay hydrated and just about every part of you will stay healthy -- your skin, your hair and nails, your organs, and even your mind. And you can lose weight, too! Studies show that you could lose 5 lbs in a year by just upping your water intake around a liter a day.
- Part of the reason behind the weight loss is that drinking water keeps you full, but drinking cold water also ups your metabolism. In fact, drinking cold water (17 ounces, to be precise) can up your metabolism by up to 30% for 10-40 minutes. So get icy with your workout and you could burn even more calories.
-
5Cook -- the right way. Since you're cutting out all that processed gunk, you inevitably will find yourself in the kitchen more, finally putting your passive Food Network viewership to good use. Cooking is great for your budget, your skills, and your waistline, but here's a couple things to keep in mind:
- If you can, go as raw as possible. Frozen and canned veggies are all okay, but raw is so much better. None of the nutrients has been taken out in the processing.
- Use the right kind of oils, like olive or safflower. They're full of the good kinds of fat. Do the same with cheeses, butters, and spreads -- try to find a lighter version of their full-fat counterpart.
- Avoid frying and battering your foods. Chicken is good for you, but not if it's covered in bread crumbs, fried in fatty oil, and doused in sugary condiments.
- Don't salt your foods! The American Heart Association recommends keeping salt intake at under 1,500 mg a day. That sounds doable until you realize that ateaspoon is 2,300 mg.[4] Oof.
-
6Concentrate on the good fats. We've already touched on it with cooking, but there's even more to explore: fats are necessary (especially for your hair to be shiny, your nails to be healthy, and your digestive system working as normal), but unsaturated fats are much, much better for you than saturated ones (that includes trans fats). Sources of good fats? Olive oil, avocado, and nuts. All in moderation, of course.
- These shouldn't be used in addition to the food you normally eat -- they should be used as substitutes. So instead of sauteing up those veggies in vegetable oil, trade it for olive. Instead of grabbing that candy bar, go for a handful of almonds. They're still filling, but your body can process the unsaturated fats much more efficiently.
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