8 Tips to Make Good Nutrition Easier

Be mindful about choosing heart-healthy foods. For example, try to eat more:

• Plant-based diets low in fat, salt and added sugars 
• High fiber and whole grains 
• Lean protein 
• Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids (flaxseed, salmon and other fish, certain oils and nuts)

The labels on the side of food and beverage packaging provide a lot of useful information about the nutritional content, including calories, sodium, cholesterol, fat, sugars and key vitamins per serving. 

Many of us eat too much without really knowing it. Portions at restaurants—even the size of bagels, baked goods and other prepared items—have grown over the years.

Know how much is too much, and which foods are better to load up on.

You may find it helpful to visually divide your plate and measure out portions of healthy foods for the week.

How you prep your food is important.Try to avoid frying food and replace unhealthy fats with good fats when possible. It’s also best to make snacks and meals from scratch and limit processed foods, which often contain hidden sodium and added sugars.

When you do eat out, try to reduce your calories, fat and salt by asking for: 

• No added butter or salt 
• Half of the portion to be boxed up before the server plates it for you 
• The dressing for your salad on the side

Experts advise limiting alcohol to one drink a day for women and two for men.

If you go to the grocery store hungry, you are more likely to make unhealthy impulse buys.

This is one of the best ways to look critically at your patterns of eating over time. Based on this information, you can make healthy changes. Nutritional and food tracking apps also can help.

Don’t go it alone or attempt to cut out major food groups or make too many changes at once because your efforts can backfire.

Talk with your health care professional or nutritionist about how many calories you should consume each day and come up with a realistic eating plan that fits your life.

Ask your partner or family members to help you stick to a healthy diet.