3 Easy Ways to Make a Healthier Plate
By Genevieve Cunningham
One of the hardest parts about healthy living is the diet. Just the word alone makes many run in the opposite direction. Go on a diet? No thanks! But going on a diet and eating a healthy diet aren't the same thing. Going on a diet requires restriction. Eating a healthy diet requires thought into what goes into your mouth on a regular basis. And if you want long-term health, you'll want to focus on making a healthy diet a part of your life. But how? How do we go from eating what we eat now to filling our plates with healthy food? If you need some help getting moving in the right direction, take a look at these tips for making a healthy plate at every meal.
Add Greens
Greens are such an excellent food to keep in your normal diet. They're nutrient dense, filling to your stomach, and they help your digestion after every meal. The easiest way to eat more greens is to add a salad. Choose lots of leafy greens -- kale, spinach, and various kinds of lettuce -- and you have a nice side dish with very few calories and lots of yummy flavor.
Make It Smaller
In America, we eat gigantic portion sizes. One portion is actually two or three servings of a particular food. But because we've slowly been conditioned to eat more in one sitting, it's what we expect. If you want to eat a little healthier, just use a smaller plate. Fill your plate, eat, and don't go back for seconds. This is one of the easiest ways to lessen the amount of food that you're eating without weighing or measuring your food every time. It's quick, easy, and effective, making it a great choice for your daily life.
Look for Color
The first color that you should add is green, as already mentioned above. But you can also tell how healthy your plate is with just a glance. Is most of your food beige or brown? That's not good! Make sure that your plate is colorful, as the more color you have, the more diverse the nutrient content will be. Add yellow food -- squash, bananas, or bell pepper. Add red food -- tomato, chili pepper, or berries. Make your plate colorful, and it will likely be healthier too.
You don't have to seriously restrict yourself to maintain good health. You just have to pay attention to your plate! Use these tips to make each meal a little healthier, and you'll probably notice an improvement in overall health moving forward.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Glen Carbon, Ill.