{STEP 3} Healthy Diet Foods for the Grocery List
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Healthy diet foods provide a wide-variety and high-density of nutrients. They are the best choices you can make to benefit your body and we'll often refer to them simply as: Superfoods.
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Nutrients Most People Need More Of, or Want to Add More Of
Taking in enough protein, fats, and total carbs to prevent deficiency diseases in the modern diet is often not a problem. It is estimated 1.4 billion adults are overweight and over 1/3 of those are obese. In the United States, over 60% of the adult population falls into these categories.
These stats are alarming but many people are aware of this epidemic. So, how do we go about making a positive change? We can start with the nutrients we don't get enough of. Fiber is at the forefront of this conversation.
High-fiber foods help maintain our digestive tract and give us a feeling of fullness which helps in weight loss. It has even been shown to help lower cholesterol and control blood sugar levels. Check out our complete list of Foods High in Fiber and get your fiber intake to a healthy level.
Another that is all too often overlooked is Water. Despite what the name suggest, superfoods can be in a liquid form and water is arguably the most indispensable nutrient of all which our bodies requires. It is the transportation infrastructure of our bodies. It allows other nutrients to get where they need to go in a timely manner.
Unfortunately, we have a tendency to chronically deprive ourselves of water. Read about Water's Uncanny Abilities as a Superfood and why it must be a staple of any healthy diet.
On the other hand, many people have enough protein in their diet but for one reason or another may want to increase their intake amount so they have a positive protein balance in their diet. As we've learned, protein is the engine of your body. It serves a variety of functions and we can get it from plant and animal sources.
However, it is equally important to remember that not all sources of protein are created equal. Moving forward, we are going to focus on protein-rich foods that are not only of high-quality, but also easy to absorb. Browse our complete list of Good Sources of Protein to include on your grocery shopping list.
"Special" Superfood Groups
Antioxidants are known to help our bodies in the fight against free radicals. There have been several ways of measuring antioxidant levels in different foods over the last few decades.
The most popular and acknowledged one is the ORAC scoring system which lists the highest scoring antioxidant-based foods. Learn more about Antioxidant Superfoods and why to include them in your healthy diet plan.
We also need to talk about the infamous nutrient in our diets. Yes, we're talking about fats and oils and they are one of the special healthy diet foods because intuitively they seem to be unhealthy. Here are the facts:
Our body needs only about 5% of its calories from fats and oils to survive, while in the modern diet they can account for the majority of calories we take in daily. In the process of consuming our high-fat diets, we are consuming large amounts of fatty acids that our body doesn't need.
While this might seem obvious, we're actually not consuming enough of the essential fats and oils our body needs to survive. Including the right amount of fats in our diet is only half the picture. The other half is choosing the right ones. Take a look at the list of Healthy Diet Foods that are Essential and Beneficial Fats and Oils.
Three Tips for Choosing What to Eat
First, adding healthy diet foods is more important than eliminating foods right away! The progression of adding good comes first, and eliminating the unhealthy choices will naturally follow.
Second, do not be afraid of trying something new! Look at this as your personal journey to happiness through a healthy lifestyle and well-being. There are countless ways to incorporate these foods and even more resources for recipes.
Third, do not get down on yourself! If you follow this plan and incorporate these healthy diet foods, you will create a sustainable diet. But there are going to be challenges. There will be days when you just don't care. Rest assured, we all have them!
Don't look at it as 'cheating' because this isn't a diet designed for one particular purpose. We have goals we want to help you achieve, but they are long-term goals. Our must-read article on How to Eat Healthy will help to quick-start your healthy diet.
With these resources shopping for healthy diet foods will be much easier. It may require a little experimentation and occasionally leaving your comfort zone but follow these three important tips of advice and you'll be eating healthy in no time. And finally...
Don't forget to use the Daily Food Guide's traffic light system to help you focus on the right proportions of each food group. The word cloud below summarizes which groups belong to which light. Click on the image to review the guide while making your grocery list.
**As always, feel free to use the navigation below to backtrack and get an overview of Healthy Diet Mentor and our plan to get you on your way to a lifelong healthy diet.