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Here are just a few basic nutritional guidelines that you can apply today to start eating a healthy balanced diet full of all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients your body needs for optimal wellbeing. If used with a regular plan of exercise  you can lose fat, increase your energy levels and give you a better sense of wellness.

1. Eat a mixture  of foods, especially colorful fruits and vegetables for a wide variety of nutrients and a small amount of calories per serving. As well condiments such as low-sugar tomato sauce and salsa can help increase the nutrient content and taste factor of a meal. Fruits that are nutrient dense include raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries, while other fruits such as grapefruit, oranges, and apples contain high levels of the soluble fiber pectin that helps  slow digestion and gives you a  sense of fullness. 

 2. Food choices should include  a large nutrient-to-calorie ratio. Some examples of this approach include, consuming a piece  of whole fruit instead of drinking fruit-flavored beverages, eating green vegetables instead of potatoes, and snacking on nuts instead of potato chips.

3.Avoid  overeating or combining sugar and fat within a meal. One easy  way to improve your health and lose fat is to stop eating “fast food” and stop drinking soda pop. It’s also extremely important to control portion sizes, especially when eating out. 

4. In your daily diet try to eat  ample  portions of good quality lean protein. Your choices include lean beef, chicken breasts, turkey breasts, trout, low-fat cottage cheese and other low-fat dairy products. Nutritionists advise eating between 0.6 and 1.0 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. 

5.Consume healthy fats from olive oil, nuts, salmon, and omega-3 fortified eggs. Nuts and olive oil are high in monounsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fats are associated  with good cardiovascular health.  Good quality sources of monounsaturated fats include olive oil,walnuts and almonds. Instead of  eating a bag of chips, eat ½ ounce of nuts (10-12 almonds). 

6. Read through food labels. Avoid foods packed with excess sugar, calories, or that contain any trans-fats. As a broad rule, the less processed the food, the more nutritious the product. Remember to  aim for nutrient-dense, low-calorie foods when snacking.

7. Green Tea is a very healthy drink. It’s calorie-free, has a number of health benefits, and can substitutesoda, juice, and coffee to help reduce  unnecessary liquid calories. A can of soda contains 150 calories and a large soda from a fast-food chain contains over 600 calories. Therefore, avoid sugary beverages because they rapidlyincrease your calorie intake and play havoc with your blood sugar levels. 

8. Make small  nutrition changes that add up to big improvements over time. Examples of this include; Switching to skimmed milk from semi skimmed milk. Using only “lean cuts”  of turkey, beef, and chicken to help reduce fat intake. Substituting  high fat condiments for calorie-free condiments. 

Applying all of these tips or just a handful of them can really make a difference when trying to drop weight or looking to feel better. A good balanced diet is more than just about improving your appearance it is vital to maintain a healthy functioning body and mind helping to prevent illness, slow down aging, stay active, combat stress and perform well. With these sort of benefits isn’t it time you changed your eating habits …your body will thank you for it.