Any time is a good time to set aside time to evaluate your eating habits. The easiest way to do this is by keeping a food diary. Simply write down everything you eat (and we mean everything) for at least a week. This will give you a good sense of what you're really consuming and help you to see patterns that you might not have noticed otherwise. Once you've completed your food diary, it's time to see how your eating habits stack up. Here are some general guidelines to help ensure that you're getting the nutrition you need.
Load Up on Colorful Produce
Ounce for ounce, fruits and vegetables contain more nutrients than any other food group. And because they’re rich in heart-healthy fiber, they’re also really filling. For the best ratio of nutrients, eat fruits and vegetables in every hue.
Make Most of Your Grains Whole
Unlike refined white carbohydrates, complex whole grains take a while to digest. And that means they keep you full longer. Whole grains also contain a lot more vitamins and minerals than their refined counterparts. So, you're not only filling up, you're getting a lot more bang for your nutritional buck.
Seek Out Healthy Fats
Don't fall for the myth that all fats are bad. Getting a certain amount of fat in your diet is actually essential for your heart, your brain, your joints and your overall health. The trick is to know the good fats from the bad fats. Whenever you can, avoid unhealthy trans fats and saturated fats, found in things like red meat, margarine, baked goods and packaged foods. Instead, replace them with healthy monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. Good sources of healthy fats include olive oil, nuts and fatty fish like salmon.
In addition to getting plenty of healthy fats in your diet, we recommend taking Schiff® MegaRed® Omega-3 Krill Oil. Just one small, easy-to-swallow softgel per day supports heart health.* That's because MegaRed® provides an optimal combination of omega-3 fatty acids, phospholipids and antioxidants.* Schiff® MegaRed® is quality tested for purity and there's no fishy aftertaste.
Stick with Lean Sources of Protein
Protein is essential for strong muscles and supports energy metabolism, cellular processes and immune function. But some types of protein, like red meat, are high in saturated fat. To get the protein your body needs without the excess fat, stick with lean sources of protein like fish, beans, skinless poultry and low-fat dairy.
Minimize Your Intake of Processed Foods
Our bodies weren't meant to handle lots of pre-packaged, processed foods. In addition to unnatural ingredients like preservatives and trans fats, many of these foods are high in sugar, salt and fat. By filling up on whole, natural foods instead of packaged ones, you'll get more of the essential nutrients you need and less of the additives you don't.
Read Your Food Labels
To make smarter choices when you do buy packaged foods, always read labels before you buy. Pay particular attention to the serving size, which is often smaller than you might think. For example, many individually packaged snacks that seem like single servings are actually two servings. Also note the amount of fat, trans fat, saturated fat, sodium and calories in each serving. Finally, read the list of ingredients, keeping in mind that the ones at the top of the list are much more concentrated than the ones at the bottom of the list.
Eat for Good Health
Nobody's diet is perfect. But by keeping these nutrition tips in mind, you can make smarter, healthier choices. And that can go a long way in helping you to look and feel your best. Also, add a probiotic to your daily regimen. These natural remedies, which contain beneficial microbes, may help support your digestive and immune systems.
Try Digestive Advantage® Daily Probiotics in capsule or gummy form and has 10x better survivability vs. yogurt to deliver good bacteria where you need it most.
*THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THESE PRODUCTS ARE NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE OR PREVENT DISEASE. **SIMOPOULIS 2011/P204/A, B (SIMOPOULIS AP MOL. NEUROBIOL. 2011/44:203-215)
† Supportive, but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA Omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. ♦The MegaRed 3X formulation uses a self microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) technology to support high absorption. Studies show that applying the SMEDDS technology to highly concentrated fish oils dramatically improve the absorption of both EPA and DHA