We eat to live and not live to eat. Though finding ways to balance eating and a healthy lifestyle may seem like one of the biggest feats to accomplish, it doesn’t have to be; especially if you follow these tips.

Eating is Believing

Whether we pile our plates up with our favorite foods are not, we can sometimes fall prey to bad eating habits. Does it mean this will always be the case? No. Does this mean we can learn how to make healthier choices? Yes. Here’s how:

1. Remember: Rome wasn’t built in a day, so start slowly and make changes to your eating habits gradually.

Why? Making changes to your diet at once usually leads to cheating or abandoning your new meal plan altogether. You can be best benefited by taking baby steps, for example, add a salad to your diet once a day or switch from white bread to whole wheat bread, because it has more nutrients. As your dietary changes become routine, just add more healthy choices to it.

2. Know that you do have a bevy of options when it comes to food choices and that healthy carbs and unhealthy carbs are a part of your choices. What are these? Healthy carbs (good carbs) include your beans, whole grains, vegetables and fruits. Healthy carbs are important because they are digested slowly, which can help you feel full longer. They also can keep blood sugar and insulin levels in check. Don’t be afraid to be creative when it comes to picking your meal, just as long as it is healthy.

We’ve taken a look at healthy carbs, now for the unhealthy ones. Unhealthy carbs (bad carbs) are foods like refined sugar, white flour and white rice. Unhealthy carbs are bad because they have been stripped of all fiber, bran and nutrients. And, yep, unhealthy carbs digest quickly and cause spikes in blood sugar levels and energy, too. One possible reason why many flock to unhealthy carbs is because they are tasty, but many don’t realize that healthy carbs can be just as satisfying, in fact.

3. Water makes up a large percentage of our bodies, more than 60 percent, to be exact. What water does is help flush our systems of toxins and waste products. By drinking water, we also can make healthier choices when it comes to food, because water may help you stay fuller for longer periods of time. Many people confuse being thirsty with being hungry, but they may not necessarily be famished.

Making Everyday a Healthy One

There are many cooking shows on television that demonstrate how to eat healthier. Now, it’s time to take what you already know and practice doing. One month, six months down the line, you’ll be glad you did.

Web Links:

http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_diet.htm;

http://www.waterinfo.org/resources/water-facts

-Kimberly Williams