Staying Healthy

Eating healthy seems fairly easy, but when it comes to actually doing it, it can be a struggle. Having a healthy relationship with food and maintaining a consistent exercise regimen can all get a little confusing to keep up with when trying to live a better lifestyle.

Trying to fulfill one's needed nutrients each day can be a struggle. Here are 9 healthy foods you can incorporate into your diet that are packed with healthy macronutrients!

1. Vegetables: These should play a fundamental role at most meals. They are low in calories yet full of important micronutrients and fiber.

2. Fruits: A natural sweet treat, fruit provides micronutrients and antioxidants that can help improve health.

3. Meat and Fish: Meat and fish have been the major sources of protein throughout evolution. They are a staple in the human diet, although vegetarian and vegan diets have become popular as well.

4. Nuts and Seeds: These are one of the best fat sources available and also contain important micronutrients. The total protein content is relatively high, which makes them a good source of plant protein (especially for vegetarians).

5. Eggs: Considered one of the healthiest foods on the planet, whole eggs pack a powerful combination of protein, beneficial fats and micronutrients.

6. Dairy: Dairy products such as natural yogurt and milk are convenient, low-cost sources of protein and calcium.

7. Healthy Starches: For those who aren’t on a low-carb diet, whole food starchy foods like potatoes, quinoa and Ezekiel bread are healthy and nutritious.

8. Beverages: Water should make up the majority of your fluid intake, along with drinks like coffee and tea.

9. Herbs and Spices: These are often very high in nutrients and beneficial plant compounds.

3. Sweetened Breakfast Cereals: Breakfast cereals are processed cereal grains, such as wheat, oats, rice, and corn. The main downside of most breakfast cereals is their high added sugar content, with certain cereals being so sweet that they are more akin to candy.

4. Fried Foods: Deep frying adds lots of bad fats and destroys good nutrients in food, so we end up eating empty calories. There is nothing in it that our body can use to enhance its functions.

5. Processed Meat: Meats preserved by smoking, curing, salting, or that contain chemical preservatives, are linked to an increased risk of colon cancer. These products also tend to have lots of salt, fat, and cholesterol, and very few nutrients.

You can maintain a healthy diet if you steer clear of the processed, high-sugar items mentioned above. If you focus on whole foods, you’ll be well on your way to feeling better and reclaiming your health.

Having a healthy relationship with food is also very important. Having a healthy relationship with food ensures that you will intake the proper nutrients to keep your body happy and running smoothly, making your overall life better. Here are some tips to keep your relationship with food happy and healthy.

1. Mindful Eating: Our body has some pretty significant built-in cues to tell us when we are hungry and when we are satisfied. However, we're not always listening, and we may end up overeating. The practice of engaging these cues is called mindful eating, and can significantly benefit our eating habits.

2. Eat Whatever You Want, But in Moderation!: No food is necessarily forbidden, as it’s only our experience that can end up affecting our perception of certain foods. Although some foods are unhealthy, eating them in moderation is completely ok. If you ignore your cravings it can lead up to binge eating other foods when you could've just eaten that cookie!

3. Eat When You Are Physically Hungry: Emotional eating is typically done to soothe unpleasant emotions. Unfortunately, stress and anxiety often cause us to crave higher-calorie, fattier foods. When we use food to try to soothe an emotion, we mask what that emotion is trying to teach us, and instead replace it with regret or guilt for eating whatever we grabbed.

4. Eating Breakfast: Routine breakfast eaters tend to have more energy, a better memory, and lower cholesterol, compared to those who don’t eat breakfast every morning. They also feel healthier overall and are typically leaner than people who don't eat breakfast.

5. Snacking: Letting yourself get too hungry is a recipe for overeating -- especially those foods you most want to keep to smaller portions. Snacking is a smart way to make sure you're not ravenous come dinnertime. But snack choice is crucial to both keeping you full and keeping your healthy eating plans on track. A snack is something you eat between meals to stave off hunger, like nuts or fruit.

Although eating healthy is a huge consideration in discussions of health, exercise also plays a key role when it comes to feeling and being better.

When you lose weight, you lose both fat and muscle.. A cardio workout burns more calories than a weight-training workout, however, your metabolism may stay elevated for longer after weights compared to cardio. By doing weight-training first, you can burn the majority of your glycogen stores. Knocking out your cardio after you crush weights, will result in more total fat burned.

Pros of cardio include, improved cardiovascular health, increased endurance, and requires little to no equipment. Cons of cardio include, decrease in muscle mass and it requires long and arduous workouts in order for it to be effective.

Pros of strength training include increased strength, improved bone density, and increased metabolism. Cons of strength training include increase in risk of injury, and it requires very good form or else you can have long term injuries.

Health is something we're all striving toward, but with all of the conflicting information out there, it can get confusing. remembering these simple tips and practices can help you on your health journey.