Healthy eating is often associated with some kind of boring diet, and the perception that you need to deprive yourself of the foods that you love. These are misconceptions. Healthy eating is a way to fuel your body feel better, increase energy and improve overall health.

For most of us, engaging in healthy eating will require some changes in what we eat, when we eat and how we prepare what we eat. The following are some tips to get you started:

• Avoid Processed Foods: Read labels—fewer ingredients usually means less processed
• Prepare Food Differently—instead of fried chicken, try grilled chicken or fish
• Eat the rainbow—try to incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables of every color through out the day. Brighter, deeper colored fruits and vegetables have higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants
• Prepare Smaller Portions—use a smaller plate, a serving of protein (chicken, fish, meat) should be about the size of your fist, a serving of carbohydrates/starches (pasta, rice, potato) should be about the size of a standard light bulb. The rest of the plate can be filled with fresh vegetables
• Drink Water—Drink plenty of water throughout the day in lieu of sweetened drinks
• Reduce Sugar Intake—Gradually decrease your sugar intake
• Plan Ahead—Prepare healthy snacks so they are easily accessible and make a plan for your meals for the week

These tips are just a few ways that you can get started on a path to healthy eating. The goal is to create healthy habits, not restrictions!

CEEK Wellness Challenge of the month

We challenge you this month to pick one or more of the tips from the list above to embrace healthy eating habits. Incorporate them into your routines. Remember, you don’t have be on a ‘diet.’ Eat better, feel better, feel better, increase your energy and…CEEK a Better Way®!