When you enter grocery food stores you are bombarded by advertising all around you. The advertising can be very misleading as to what is really healthy for you and what is not. There is an old rule that holds true most of the time when trying to shop healthy at the supermarket. That rule is to shop for your food items around the perimeter of the store. The perimeter of the store is where they have all the fresh fruits, vegetables and meats, the natural items. When you start moving up and down the isles you find bags, boxes and cans which equals some sort of processing which also equals not good for you.
Eating right isn't as hard as some people would have you believe. You have many choices as well. If you are stuck in the habit of making everything from a box, you really can change. There are cooking shows on TV that show you very easily how to cook up simple healthful meals using mostly fresh ingredients. There are tons of online recipe sites that you can use for free to get new ideas of what to cook and how to do it.
Eating properly also includes the amounts of food you eat and the timing of your meals. Most people are eating too much food at one time. Our bodies were designed to utilize food by eating smaller meals more often throughout the day. Most people eat three big meals and snack in between with sugar and fat. This is the fastest way to becoming overweight. The best way for your body to work properly, you should eat five to six smaller meals evenly spaced throughout the day. It sounds like a lot of eating but it really is very easy. It almost feels like you are snacking all day, only it is with good snacks. It gives your body the energy it needs throughout the day and removes that stuffy, lay around feeling you get after a big meal. Eating this way also keeps your metabolism at its highest so you are able to burn more fat.
Portions sizes are as simple to figure out as making a fist. Your clenched fist should be about the right portion size for you. At each meal you should have a portion of protein, carbohydrates and vegetables. They work together. I'll give you a list of some healthy choices. Pick one from each list and you will have a meal. The fats list should be used minimally.
PROTEINS
• Nuts
• Low-fat cottage cheese
• Egg whites
• Egg substitutes
• Whole eggs
• Chicken breast
• Turkey breast
• Lean ground turkey
• Tuna
• Haddock
• Salmon
• Orange Roughy
• Swordfish
• Trout
• Shrimp
• Crab
• Lobster
• Top round steak
• Top sirloin steak
• Lean ground beef
• Buffalo
• Lean ham
• Veggie burgers
• Vegetable protein
• Tofu
• Tempeh
VEGETABLES
• Artichoke
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Lettuce
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Green beans
• Green peppers
• Mushrooms
• Onion
• Peas
• Spinach
• Tomato
• Zucchini
CARBOHYDRATES
• Apples
• Baked potato
• Barley
• Beans
• Corn
• Fat free yogurt
• High fiber cereals
• Kidney beans
• Melons
• Oatmeal
• Oranges
• Pasta
• Pumpkin
• Squash
• Steamed brown rice
• Steamed wild rice
• Strawberries
• Sweet potatoes
• Whole grains
• Whole wheat bread
• Whole wheat Tortilla
• Yams
HEALTHY FATS
• Avocado
• Cold water fish
• Flax seed oil
• Low fat cheese
• Low fat salad dressing
• Natural peanut butter
• Olives
• Olive oil
• Pumpkin seeds
• Raw nuts
• Sunflower seeds
AVOID OR USE SPARINGLY
• Butter
• Fried foods
• Mayonnaise
• Sweets
• Whole fat dairy products
Health food stores offer you items you can't always find in the traditional food store. But remember, everything you find on the shelves of a health food store may not be totally healthy for you. They sell things that are healthier for you and offer up advise on different health issues, but you must be the one to exercise control in your eating habits. You can buy a bag of low fat baked chips, but if you eat the whole bag at one sitting, there is nothing low fat or good about it.