How to eat healthier – 10 simple tricks that work

When it comes to deciding what to cook, it’s easy to get overwhelmed – and it’s no wonder.
Whether it’s on social media, on TV or on the food packaging itself, we’re constantly bombarded with complex and often conflicting advice on what and how we should eat.
But it doesn’t have to be that hard.
Here are 10 simple tips to help you eat healthier – and feel better.

Table of contents

Good, healthy food should be easy to prepare – and it should be quick and affordable. Most of us can probably agree with that. 

For ABC News, Sandro Demaio, a doctor and researcher with a keen interest in nutrition and health, shares his top 10 everyday tips to help you eat healthier.

1. Eat ingredients, not products

One surefire way to eat well is to choose clean foods over processed products. This doesn’t mean you have to make everything from scratch, but choosing more fresh food and less pre-packaged food can make a big difference to your health.

Fresh foods are generally higher in micronutrients and fiber, and help you avoid hidden added fat, sugar and salt.

2. Start with vegetables

Make it a habit to fill your plate with at least 50% vegetables. Eating more vegetables is one of the most important things you can do for your health.

Taste around to find the vegetables you like and enjoy them regularly instead of trying to eat them all. And when it’s time to eat, start loading up on the vegetables too.

A good tip when it comes to snacking is to cut up vegetables have them close at hand to make a healthy choice easier.

3. Embrace diversity

Eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes will give you plenty of vitamins and minerals. Go for lots of different colors, add lentils and beans to dishes, and try a new leafy vegetable in your salad every week.

Embracing diversity in your food choices also reduces the need for, in many cases, expensive supplements.

4. Do away with sugar

Eliminating the sugar added to products or concentrated in products, either by the consumer or the manufacturer, is a good step towards better health.

Some simple ways to quickly ‘cut out sugar’ include cutting out sugary drinks and eating whole fruit instead of drinking juice.

It is important to learn the many other names used for sugar in the table of contents, such as fruit juice concentrate or glucose. Also, question the claims usually made on pre-packaged foods where the manufacturer often tries to distract you from reading the nutrition label.

Sugar is not banned. It’s fine, but not all the time.

5. Be fat-smart

Although fats have had a bad reputation in the past, healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fats are essential for our health – they are needed for brain development and heart health, among other things.

Our bodies cannot produce these fats on their own and we can only get them from our diet. That’s why it’s so important to choose the right fats.

Oily fish such as salmon and tuna, avocados and nuts and seeds (such as chia seeds, pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds and cashew nuts) will do the trick.

6. Eat with your loved ones

It’s scientifically proven that we eat less, and maybe even healthier, when we eat with others.

Eating dinner with friends and family tends to slow down our eating, allowing our stomach to send a message to our brain when we are full. Eating together also gives you a chance to spend time with your loved ones, which is good for mental well-being.

7. Keep an eye on portions

Even if you eat right, you can overeat and still do your health a disservice.

Simple ways to prevent overeating are to go for smaller portions. And should you want more – have a second helping. Eating on smaller plates is another trick. Also, make sure to eat slowly and really feel if you are still hungry before taking more.

8. Go easy on the salt

A high intake of salt is linked to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

Much of the salt we consume comes from processed products such as snacks, fast food, ready-made sauces and processed meat.

An easy way to keep track of your salt intake is to live by the first point on this list – choosing clean foods over processed products. You can also check the nutrition label when shopping and aim for products with less than 120 mg of sodium per 100 g.

9. Choose water

Drinking water is good for all bodily functions. It is satiating, hydrating and helps with concentration and focus. Drinking water is also one of the easiest and cheapest things we can do for our health.

Start every morning with two glasses of water, drink water with every meal, and invest in a reusable water bottle so you always have free water available.

10. When it comes to alcohol – “less is more”

Most of us enjoy a drink now and then, but the thing to remember is that alcohol is associated with several dangers. It increases the risk of a number of cancers, heart disease and mental health problems, among others.

A simple rule of thumb is therefore to make sure that most days of the week are alcohol-free.

To sum it all up…

This may seem like a long list just to eat healthier, but it is far from impossible to follow. If it still feels like too much at once, pick a few points and start with them.

And give yourself time, be flexible and understanding. It’s okay to “cheat” sometimes.