If you want to improve your health, start with these simple, small changes! Mix up your meal routine with these healthy alternatives to add to your diet.
Everyone wants to be more healthy. A balanced, nutritious diet can protect your immune system, give you more energy, improve your mood, and fill your days with delicious, enriching meals.
As great as that sounds, finding and maintaining a healthy diet that works for your body and your busy lifestyle isn’t always easy. Fortunately, you can make a few simple, small changes to the foods you eat – which can make a big difference in your health.
If you’re new to my work, let me quickly tell you a bit about my background and why I’m writing this article.
I’m a research geek on health and happiness. I wrote a bestselling longevity book called Life is Long which is jampacked with research based insights on how to live longer, younger, healthier.
I wrote this book because I’m a late in life mom to an awesome son – and I’m passionately committed to protecting my mental clarity and physical health so I’m around for him in a meaningful way!
I’m also committed to helping as many people as I can to live their healthiest lives too – so I passionately share all the cutting edge research I learned and embrace.
Below are some simple, small changes that you can start making today – which can greatly improve your health.
What are your go-to spices when you’re making a meal?
Pay attention to what’s in your spice cabinet and make sure it’s more than just salt and salt-based ingredients – so you’re not overloading on sodium to get your flavor.
Try to use fresh herbs and spices in your meals – to cut down on sodium – while boosting the yumminess of whatever you’re eating.
Consistently studies show that specific spices actually help to protect your health.
In my longevity book Life is Long I recommend healthy seasoning like turmeric, ginger, garlic, oregano and cloves. Those are a few which are on the top on my health boosting seasoning list – but there are many more!
Bonus Idea: Start an herb garden to grow your own fresh herbs. If you can’t buy fresh, dried herbs and spices also work fantastically.
In my book Life is Long I have a chapter called “Delete Meat” – where I recommend that you either remove or reduce the amount of meat you consume.
Beef contains more saturated fat than other forms of meat.
Consuming too much beef or other red meats can raise your cholesterol and worsen heart disease.
So I encourage you to cut back on the amount of beef in your diet. Try replacing it with fish, vegetables and bean alternatives.
You can make still make your favorite recipes with delicious twists, such as zucchini enchiladas or portobello mushroom teriyaki stir fry! (Psssst….Portobello mushrooms when cooked with teriyaki taste a lot like meat!)
Of course, you can still splurge now and then—just make sure your burgers and other meals contain extra-lean and grass-fed ground beef.
In my health boosting book Life is Long, I emphasize the importance of eating foods without a bar code! Meaning? You gotta eat more real, unpackaged, unprocessed foods!
With this in mind, I’ve pretty much cut processed and packaged foods out of my diet.
But it’s also beneficial to go one step further – and eat locally grown foods.
The trend of eating locally has gained popularity for a reason. Locally hand-picked vegetables, fruits, and eggs taste better— plus they’re better for you. They tend to have more vitamins and nutrients.
For example, farm-fresh eggs have many benefits over their store-bought companions, including more nutrients and a richer flavor.
Finding a reliable source of locally grown or raised produce might take a little more money and effort, but the products you’ll receive are more than worth it.
Eating locally allows you to buy seasonal products, avoid produce with a long shelf life, and purchase ethical, organic foods for your meals.
Invest a little extra in finding local produce, and you’ll be making a small change that can truly improve your health.
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