Many experts agree that the key to healthy eating is the tried and tested advice of balance, variety and moderation in your diet.
What this means is that you can eat a wide variety of foods without getting too many calories or too much of any one nutrient.
Below we provide you with some advice on eating healthy while still enjoying the foods that you eat.
1.
Eat a variety of nutrient rich foods.
You need more than 40 different nutrients in order to stay in good health and no one single food can supply them all.
Also how much you eat depends on how many calories you need.
It is therefore a good idea to use the nutrition fact panels on food labels as a handy reference when trying out just how many calories each portion would provide you with.
2.
Eat plenty of whole grains, fruit and vegetables.
There have been surveys carried out which show most Americans do not enough of these foods.
So take a look through all those cook books you have at home and you may find a recipe that tempts you to try something a little different.
This is perhaps the best piece of advice on eating healthy you can get! 3.
Eat moderate portions.
Keep them to a reasonable size.
In creating a healthy diet for yourself, it is easier to eat the foods you like, but in smaller quantities.
4.
Eat Regular meals.
Do not skip meals as this can lead to you only binging later on.
Unfortunately when you get hungry enough, the tendency is to forget about good nutrition and to eat the sugar and fat-laden snacks instead.
You can snack between meals but do not eat so much that your snack in fact becomes an entire meal.
5.
You do not need to eliminate foods.
It is a better strategy to instead reduce favorite foods that are high in fat, salt or sugar.
Eating them in moderation will improve your health without making you feel deprived.
6.
To reduce your fat intake, used skim or low fat dairy products and lean cuts of meat.
But if you happen to love fried chicken you do not need to give it up entirely.
Just eat it less often.
When you are dining out with a friend, share a portion of the meal, ask for a take home bag or even better - get a smaller portion than you would normally have.
It is important that any changes you make to your diet should be done gradually.
Do not expect to be able to totally revamp your eating habits overnight.
Hopefully this simple advice on eating healthy will help you on your way to leading a much healthier life.