A Healthier Diet for a Healthier Life
By Donna Stark
When it comes to your overall health and wellness, nutrition is one of the most important things to focus on. And, in many cases, it's one of the easiest things to modify. Making just a few small changes to your meals can deliver more positive outcomes than you ever could have imagined, and you won't even have to sacrifice the amount you eat or your favorite flavors in the process! Don't believe it? Take a look at the following suggestions and give them a try this week!
Become a Plant Lover
Adding more fruits and vegetables to your meals will definitely increase the number of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water you consume each day, but that's not all! It will also help lower cholesterol levels and improve heart health. The easiest way to do this is to "eat the rainbow." Fill your cart with plenty of deep greens, vibrant reds, and bright yellows. The more color in your cart, the better. Need some ideas on how to use them? Go online and find some meatless Monday recipes or a few quick and easy smoothie combinations.
Choose Whole Grains
Did you know that brown rice may be healthier for you than white? Or that whole-grain bread should be at the top of your grocery list? If you didn't, give this simple change a try too! The nutrients that whole grains contain are often lost during the refinement process of those other products, so consider incorporating more brown and wild rice, oats, quinoa, and barley, as well as whole-grain bread, pasta, and crackers. Who knows, you may even like them better!
Get Fishy
There's something fishy going on with your diet, but you know how to fix it, right? Fish are a great source of the anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids you keep hearing about and are far better than those gigantic horse pills you take every morning. From salmon to tuna to trout to even sardines, you can't go wrong by adding more fish to your diet.
Add Flavor, Not Salt
We've become so accustomed to sprinkling salt on our meals, but if the food we eat is seasoned correctly, we wouldn't need to grab that shaker at all. And on top of that, the risk of hypertension could be reduced for so many people, including yourself and the ones you love. It may take some experimentation in the kitchen, but it won't be long before you are comfortable enough to replace your salt with different herbs, spices, homemade vegetable broths, and vinegar.
A Healthier Diet for a Healthier Life
Paying attention to what you eat and modifying your meals to include more vegetables, fruit, whole grains, fish, and spices is the best, and most flavorful, way to improve your overall health and wellness! Good luck and get cooking!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Chino Hills, Calif.