Five rules for eating healthy

Nutrition can seem complicated and can easily become overwhelming. While there is a lot to know about eating healthy, and a nutritionist is well advised, it's possible to have a great diet by simply, watching out for the basics.

Whether you want to lose weight, lower blood pressure or just feel energetic and fabulous, stick to these tips for healthy eating:

1. Buy Whole Grains

Whole Grain Products keep you fuller for longer, contain fiber, and provide more nutrition like protein and essential fatty acids. Switch white bread, rice, and pasta to brown.

2. Eat Fresh

Eating fresh means you know how the food was made, and what exactly is in it. Frozen and processed dinners are high in sodium and may contain preservatives. Look online to discover quick and easy recipes to replace frozen and processed meals.

3. Watch out for sugary drinks

Too much pop, juice and sports drinks are not only bad for your teeth, but they're bad for your health and physique! Drinking calories are wasted calories! It's possible to accumulate a whole day worth of calories from your beverages alone! Switch to water, and only have sugary drinks occasionally.

4. Use full fat products in moderation

It's a good idea to switch to low fat versions of your favourite foods. If you can't get used to the low fat taste, use the products you enjoy in moderation. Personally, I use butter, and prefer it over Becel. However, I'm only using a little at a time for cooking, and only when necessary. If I was making something that required say, a cup of butter, you can be sure I'd run out and buy some Becel. However, you won't ever see me putting Becel on my toast.

5. Serve every meal with a vegetable and lean protein

Including the main food groups in to every meal is an important step toward healthy eating. A perfect dinner would contain protein, (lean meat, tofu, fish) carbohydrates, (vegetables or a bit of rice) fruits and vegetables (fruit for dessert!) and dairy (a glass of milk, or light cheese on top of vegetables).

Eating properly is easy once you get going, and understand the basics. Take little steps toward changing your lifestyle and in return, see big rewards, in both mental and physical energy!

Eat Healthy!

Kaleena Lawless Kaleena Lawless is a personal trainer in Toronto.
Visit her fitness blog
http://www.kalisthenixfitnessblog.com