What You Eat Counts

If you’re toying with the idea of starting a new “diet,” it’s important to consider what and how much you eat. By taking an inventory of your eating habits you can focus on eating healthy, realistic, and practical meals to help you look and feel your best.

Don’t ever trust any claims that you can eat unlimited amounts of certain foods and completely eliminate others. Our bodies thrive on a wide rage of complex nutrients and food types. An unbalanced diet can lead to – or worsen – health problems.

For instance, fats are essential to good health. Of course, many people do not need the amount of fat that they get every day, your body requires fat to operate normally. Oftentimes foods that are billed as “low-fat” or “fat free” are still high in calories and low in essential nutrients.

Similarly, your body runs on sugars and carbohydrates. You shouldn’t try to cut these food groups out completely, but you can get smarter about how you consume them. Sugars and starches found in fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains bring additional health benefits to a meal in the form of flavor, texture, and fiber.

The cardinal rule when it comes to gaining good health is not to count calories – but to make your calories count. Choose foods that are rich in nutrients and avoid “empty” foods that are processed, contain few vitamins, and lack beneficial fats and fiber.

Source: “Nutrition: Diets Don’t Work” Wellness Councils of America