Most of us would like to eat better. We'd love to have more energy, be healthier, and lose weight, but healthy eating can be daunting. A visit to a health food store can almost be like going to another country where you don't speak the language, and the idea of swapping your favorite food for endless brown rice, vegetables and baked fish fillets can be depressing. It doesn't have to feel that way! There are simple things you can do to take steps toward eating more healthfully in a way that works for you.

Cook at Home

With a few exceptions, restaurant food contains way, way more calories than you need, and more sodium than anyone should be ingesting. Cook at home more often, and you’ll save calories and cash.

Add Veggies and Fruit

Find a way to add vegetables and fruits to the things you already eat. Do you eat eggs for breakfast? Scramble in a handful of baby spinach and some mushrooms. Oatmeal? Top it with bananas or berries. Turkey sandwich for lunch? Load it up with salad greens, sliced red onion, and tomato, and have an apple with it. Lasagna for dinner? Add in shredded zucchini, eggplant, or butternut squash. Serve grilled pineapple or a fruit salad for dessert. Think of it as a daily challenge. With every food you eat, ask yourself, "How can I add vegetables to this?" Need more ideas for adding veggies to your diet? Here you go!

Put Away the Salt

Stop putting salt on the table! If it’s not in front of you, you won’t use it. Make food with an appropriate amount of salt, and eat it that way. After a while, your taste buds will adjust, and you won’t need so much salt anymore.

Leave it Out

Leave healthy snacks out in plain view. At home, have a bowl of fruit on your kitchen counter, and keep cut up veggies (bell pepper, jicama, celery, etc.) at eye level in the fridge. Bring a bag of baby carrots or some roasted almonds to work and have them out on your desk. Make it easier for yourself to grab a healthy snack than to grab junk food.

Whole Grains

Swap out your simple starches for complex carbohydrates. Complex carbs give you more energy and more fiber. There are so many different ways to do this, and you can pick and choose what you swap if you want. For example, I hate whole grain pastas, so I eat white pasta, but I eat whole grain bread, cereal, and brown rice instead of white. When selecting products with whole grains, make sure you check the ingredients. It should say “whole wheat flour” or “whole grain flour” otherwise it's not 100% whole grain and you should spend some more time looking for the real thing.

Omega 3s

Omega 3 fatty acids are good for your brain and vascular system. The easiest way to add more of them to your diet is by eating fish a few times a week, but if you aren’t a fish lover, there are other options. You can eat Omego 3 fortified eggs, walnuts, and flax seed. Fish oil supplements are also an option, but it's better to get Omega 3s from the food you eat.

Less Meat

Meat contains more saturated fat than vegetarian protein sources such as beans and tofu. Try to have at least one dinner a week be meat free. Easy options? Have bean tacos instead of beef tacos, or vegetarian chili instead of your usual meat version. You could also whip up a stir fry with marinated tofu instead of chicken.

Fiber

Fiber helps you lose weight, can help prevent bowel cancer, and lowers your risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It also helps you feel full, so eating fiber can help you lose weight. Make friends with fiber! Swap out your usual morning cereal for a high fiber version, or try high fiber breads. Most fruits and vegetables are high in fiber.  There are lots of ways to add fiber to your diet. Just find what that works for you.

Soda and Juice

We all know that drinking soda is bad for us, but it’s so tasty! If you really love soda, switch to diet, and limit yourself to one a day. Juice is tricky, because it can be healthy in small amounts, but only if it’s 100% juice. A lot of juice you see at the store is not 100% juice and is a big sugar bomb. If you drink a glass of orange juice (8oz), that’s 112 calories, almost 21g of sugar, and almost no fiber. It’s much better to just eat whole fruit instead. One orange still has that juicy flavor you love, has only 60 calories, 12g of sugar, and 3g of fiber, which will make you fell fuller than a glass of juice will. Look up your favorite juice and compare!

Drink Water

Staying hydrated is great for all of your body systems. If you’re not a big water drinker already, there are ways to get chugging! Try keeping a bottle of water on your desk at work. Keep a pitcher of water in your fridge. If you don’t like the taste of water, try adding wedges of citrus fruit, sliced cucumber, or mint leaves.

What healthy foods do you like? Any tips you'd like to share?