Six Steps to a Healthy Diet

Most people think that developing healthy eating habits are confusing or  are really difficult but following a healthy eating habit doesnt mean that you give up on your favorite foods. Actually its just as easy as remembering these facts:

1. Eat a broad variety of foods rather than loading up on one food group and ignoring the others.

2. Add more foods that are high in complex carbs and fiber,low in fat and are cholesterol free. Examples of these are fruits,vegetables,grains and legumes.

3.Maintaining a balance between caloric intake and expenditure. Dont eat more food than what your body can use for energy as this will lead to weight gain. Keep in mind that the more active you are,the more you will eat but you will be maintaining the same weight.

As long as a person's overall diet is low on fats and high on complex carbs,there is nothing wrong in indulging in the occasional cheeseburger or ice cream cone. The trick here is on how you limit the frequency of eating these foods and eating them in small portions.

The following steps will help guide you in devoloping a healthy eating habit:

1. Eat a diet that is high in complex carbs - Carb intake should contribute around 55 % of your daily caloric intake. For example, eating 4 or more servings of a combination of fruits and vegetables and 6 or more servings of whole grains or legumes daily.

Make sure that that you include a variety of green,yellow,orange fruits and vegetables like carrots,broccoli and citrus fruits for their anti oxidant properties.

2. Limit your sugar intake - Sugar is a source of "empty" calories and many foods that contain alot of sugar also has alot of fat.

3. Moderate protein intake - Protein intake should only cover 12 % of a person's caloric needs. Choose protein coming from lean meats and other low fat sources.

4.Lessen your sodium intake - 2,400 milligrams a day is the safe limit for sodium (around a teaspoon of salt).

5. Limit cholesterol intake - 300 milligrams is considered to be the upper limit of our daily intake. Cholesterol can be found in animal products such as meats,poultry,dairy products and egg yolks.

6. Maintain an adequate intake of calcuim and vitamins - Calcium can be sourced from low fat sources like skimmed milk and low fat yogurt. Your vitamin intake should come from natural sources like fresh friuts and vegetables and not from supplements that provide more than the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) for any one nutrient.