How to Eat Healthy

Many people want to eat healthy, but believe that it's just too expensive. More than two thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. When you are on a tight budget, the thought of preparing healthy meals each day can seem daunting. Healthy eating could save Americans over $200 billion a year in medical costs. The good news is that eating a balanced diet doesn't mean that you always need to buy expensive foods. Here are a few simple tips on how to eat healthy on a budget:

Eating healthy is easier than it sounds. Arm yourself with knowledge and you're halfway there. If you think of eating healthy not as a sacrifice, but more as an opportunity for self-improvement, you're almost at the finish line. Because you don't need someone to tell you the numerous health benefits that putting away the donuts and hamburgers will get you. You want someone to show you how it's done. Here's a glimpse.

Plan Your Meals

Meal planning is a key factor in eating healthy without breaking the wallet. It helps ensure that you always have foods prepared. Make a grocery list and plan your meals ahead of time. Don't shop when you are hungry. Summer is a great time to buy those foods that you would like to eat year round. Go to the farmers' market and stock on inexpensive, nutritious foods like cherries, peaches, and green beans.

Choose the right carbohydrates. Simple carbs, like sugar and flour, are quickly absorbed by the body's digestive system. This causes a kind of carb overload, and your body releases huge amounts of insulin to combat the overload. Eat these in moderation. Complex carbs, on the other hand, are slowly digested by the body. They include whole-grain flour, hearty vegetables, oats, and unprocessed grains like brown rice. These foods are usually higher in vitamins and other nutrients that are beneficial to the body, and they are higher in fiber (which keeps your digestive system running smoothly).

Consider eating leafy greens like kale, collard greens, mustard greens and swiss chard. They are packed with nutrients and will fill you up very quickly. A simple sauté with olive oil, garlic, a little salt and pepper and you have a surprisingly tasty meal that is very nutritious..

Eat Less Meat

Buying high quality meats but eating less of them is a great way to reduce costs. Most people eat more meat than they need to. Grass-fed, organic animal products may cost more, but they will help you stay healthy.

Drink More Water

Water is healthier and cheaper than any other drink. Quit the soda and drink more water. If you consume carbonated drinks and alcoholic beverages on a regular basis, look at the percentage of your food bill that they take up.

Choose wheat (brown) bread instead of white bread, and whole wheat pasta instead of "normal" pasta. Processed carbohydrates such as those found in white bread are harder to draw nutrients from, and therefore constitute empty calories.

Eat lean, mean protein. Shoot to get between 10% and 35% of your daily calories from protein.[1] Protein helps you build muscle and gives you lasting energy throughout the day. Some examples of healthy proteins include:

Lean fish such as flounder, sole, cod, bass, perch, and halibut

Try Plant-Based Protein

Plant-based proteins are a healthy way to replace meat in recipes and improve nutrition. They also take less time and effort to cook. According to The China Study, a book by T. Colin Campbell, PhD, and Thomas M. Campbell II, MD, more than 8,000 important associations between disease and diet were discovered during their research, leading to the primary conclusion that "people who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest and tended to avoid chronic disease."

Plant based proteins come from vegetables, grains, and nuts. Vegetable sources of protein include beans and tofu. Tofu is soybean curd and is usually cream-colored and sold in small 8 oz packages in the supermarket. Grains that supply protein include quinoa and buckwheat. Although quinoa is not a true grain, it is prepared in the same manner and takes only 15 minutes to cook. Most nuts provide high amounts of protein including almonds, pistachios, and walnuts.

Use Less Salt

Reducing salt in meals is a simple way to make food healthier. We generally eat way too much salt. According to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, too much sodium raises blood pressure increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. The maximum daily amount of sodium recommended is 2,300 milligrams, about a teaspoon of salt. For some people including those over the age of 51, it should be even lower at 1,500 milligrams. However, most Americans consume on average 3,400 milligrams per day. Most of the sodium comes from packaged or process foods including fast food and restaurant meals

Take Fresh new

Eating clean implies generating produce the key training. Fresh vegetables, particularly when they are with time, have excellent flavour which enable it to create having much more useful. Good American Dietetic Connection, a vegetable method to having tends to be reduced condensed weight in addition to cholesterol. In fact, food preparation with no meat or dairy food eliminates cholesterol coming from food completely. Vegetables raise soluble fiber absorption also. Most research indicate that a balanced meal made out of a variety of veggies products proper nourishment. It's not hard to create a few more produce towards grocery list to help you easily make a couple of clean food during the week. Creating vegetable a pot of soup, salads, in addition to stews results in a great deal of clean appropriate food choices having hardly any substances.

Know the difference between good fat and bad fat. You need to consume fat for your body to function correctly. However, it's important to choose the right kinds of fats. Here's a quick primer.

Monounsaturated fats and omega 3 fatty acids are good fats, which you should try to consume regularly. They help lower the bad cholesterol in your body by raising "good cholesterol." Foods that are high in fatty acids are olive oil, nuts, fish oil, and various seed oils. Adding these "good" fats to your weekly diet can lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease.

Avoid trans fats and saturated fats. Trans-fats are a form of unsaturated fat commonly found in processed foods, and consuming them raises your risk of heart disease. Read the labels of what you eat, and look for "hydrogenated" anything on the ingredient list.

Stock up on superfoods. So-called superfoods may have a misleading title, but some truly are a cut above. Superfoods may have the ability to fight heart disease, stave off cancer, lower cholesterol, and even boost your mood.[2] Here are just a few of them:

Blueberries. Blueberries may facilitate brain health.[3] If you don't have access to blueberries, try fresh berries, raspberries, or cranberries.

Algae. It may not sound appetizing, but then again when you read the list of health benefits you may think again. Rich in vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, as well as beneficial in managing natural flora in the gut.[4]

Salmon. Another creature of the sea makes the list, and for good reason. Salmon is rich in omega 3 fatty acids, a good type of fat. Omega 3 fats are good for blood pressure, brain function, and heart health

Practice moderation. Don't over-consume any one food or type of food. Instead, try to vary your diet so that you eat a little bit of everything in a moderate amount.

Some people might be great at giving up meat, sugar, alcohol, or other foods. However, most of us are likely to give it up for awhile, then break down and binge. Avoid this deprivation-binge cycle by allowing yourself to have small "cheats." For instance, if you want to eat less sugar, allow yourself to eat one dessert each Friday night and abstain for the rest of the week. Having a break to look forward to can help you power through the other days.

 Consume 80% of your calories before 5 pm.  So eat a good breakfast, snack, lunch, and snack again in between lunch and dinner.  You should consume the least amount of calories during dinner

 Do not eat 3 hours before going to bed.  Eating right before going to bed is hard on your organs and digestive system, and you are not using up the calories so you will tend to gain weight if you have late evening eating habits

 Consume animal products modestly and when you do, eat the healthiest natural version of the animal sources.  Example include grass fed organic meats, eggs from your local farmer, raw milk, etc.

 Try to include as many natural sources of plant food as possible:  fresh vegetables and fruits, legumes, beans, and wholesome grains.

Avoid tied in goods. They may be full of surplus salt, chemicals, chemical preservatives and many terms that you just can not pronounce.

 Replacing one meal a day with a a healthy green juice or smoothie will do wonders for your energy and keep your weight in check while providing you with a maximum nutrients.  A great  example for juice recipe is kale, celery, cucumber, and an apple or carrot.

  Absolutely take out all sources of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) from your diet.  That includes sodas, many packaged products, and commercial cereals.  There is no exception to this rule.

 Do not eat commercial fried foods.  Fried foods in general are bad for you but if you have to fry, do it at home.  Most restaurants and fast food places reuse their oils multiple times and you are literally eating the worst foods ever.

Participate in Meatless Mondays. Meatless Monday is an international campaign that encourages people to give up eating meat one day per week. Eating less meat can have several health benefits, as most people already have enough protein in their diets. [13] In fact, vegetarians and vegans weigh less than meat-eaters, and live longer on average,

Stay away from fast food. We all know fast food is "bad" for our health. Yet it continues to remain a weekly staple for too many people. For one, fast food is often fried, processed, and excessively salty. Add soft drinks and fries and your meal could easily burn through half of your suggested caloric intake for the day. To add insult to injury, much of the fat contained in fast food is trans fat, the worst kind of fat

Adopt a healthy attitude towards food. Take a hard look at your eating habits. Do you eat more when you feel stressed? Do you withhold food from yourself in order to feel like you're in control? Try to evaluate whether you have an unhealthy emotional attachment to food. If you do, here are a few steps to consider:

Find a healthier replacement. If you find that you tend to gorge on unhealthy foods when you're stressed, find a substitute activity — for instance, you could instead go for a walk, take a long bath, or call a trusted friend for a chat. Whatever you choose, it should be something that helps you decompress so that you no longer feel the need to binge.

See food as sustenance. A lot of Western culture is rife with messages that food is for entertainment or for relieving boredom. Break yourself of this cognitive habit by consciously evaluating food in terms of what it can do to keep your body healthy. Ask yourself if what you're about to put in your mouth is good for you, and if it will help your body function as it was designed to.

Consult a medical professional. Eating disorders are classified as mental illnesses, and you can't always just talk yourself into stopping destructive behaviors.  If you suspect that you have an eating disorder (whether it's over- or under-eating), ask your general practitioner to refer you to the appropriate care.