A Food Plan to Follow for Healthy Eating

When it comes to eating right, there are a multitude of forces aligned against you. These include marketing campaigns, peer pressure and false advertising. The bottom line of companies vying for your money shouldn't stand in your way. In order to have a truly healthy diet, you must have the resilience and the know-how to resist these cultural forces. Do what is best for your diet.

Micro-meals

Eating five smaller meals a day--rather than three larger ones--spreads the daily intake of calories out. This helps the body burn energy, rather than store fat.

Fat, Salt and Sugar

The traditional western diet is overloaded with these items. Limit saturated fats, sodium and sugar as much as possible. Cut out trans fat entirely.

Processed food

Avoid overly processed food. It's hard to do in an industrialized society, but the less processed a food is, the more your body is prepared to handle it.

Natural food

If you can't pronounce it--or it wasn't a food two centuries ago--it's not as good for you. Natural foods are best: fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

The ingredient test

When comparing food products, look at the list of ingredients for each one. The shorter and more natural the list, the better for you the product.

Snacks

For healthy snacking, consider pumpkin seeds, raw almonds, dried fruits, non-trans fat chips, and salsa. Always check the added sugar and sodium content of snack foods.

Color

There's a simple rule for natural plant-based products: the darker the color, the better it is for you. Darker fruits and vegetables contain more antioxidants than lighter ones.