5 healthy eating habits all experts agree on

While it might seem like health and nutrition experts can’t agree on anything, here are 5 healthy habits that all experts can agree on.

1) Eat just enough. That means eating less calories than you burn most of the time. Intermittent fasting is one approach, controlling portion size is another. The latest science suggests that how much you eat may be even more important than what you eat.

2) Eat more fruits and vegetables, especially GREENS. In fact, eat as much of these foods as you want. Stuff yourself silly! I’m not kidding. Seriously. Now I’m not talking about a little bit of baked potato here with your serving of butter and sour cream. I’m talking good honest wholesome steamed or raw fruits, vegetables, and herbs. If you’re looking for health (both mental and physical!) this is the most important habit you can start. If you’re looking to lose weight, fruits and vegetables are where it’s at. Eat as much as you want and don’t allow yourself to go hungry, then watch the pounds melt off.

3) Do NOT drink your calories. The problem with drinking your calories is that your brain doesn’t get an appropriately loud “I’m full” message from liquids. That means you are more likely to take in more energy during the day than you need. This is especially true for alcoholic beverages, which have been shown to cause us to eat more.  This rule applies to fruit juice, fountain drinks and alcoholic beverages, but not smoothies. Why? Smoothies are chock full of fiber which sends that “I’m full” alert to your brain loud and clear.

4) If you aren’t willing to do the diet for the long term, don’t do it at all. This includes ANY diet (even “fill in the latest miracle diet here”?! YES.). The fact is that the pounds pile back on as soon as you go back to old habits, even worse – many people will gain more pounds than before the diet. Make small lifelong changes and don’t give up – you’ll reach your goals and never look back.

5) NO ADDED SUGAR. I know you’ve heard it before and I know it isn’t easy. This one requires practice. When you’re feeling strong, set a goal of a specific number of days to take a break from all added sugars and keep practicing. Eventually you will make it long enough to lose the craving. GOLD!