New Year, new resolutions, new food choices and new you, what else do you long for? Getting into shape? Well, to get that perfectly toned body you need to make smart food choices in the new year to keep yourself fit and healthy.
Maintaining a healthy diet might be something tough to keep up, but if you know how to make smart food choices, it is much easier than you think. Incorporate the following foods into your diet and reap the perks.
Eat Vegetables and Fruits
Think of a plant based diet. Leafy green vegetables are packed with essential nutrients that help boost your fiber intake. Spinach, broccoli and asparagus are some of the healthy leafy vegetables that contain calcium, antioxidants, vitamin C and E, beta-carotene and fiber that are essential for heart health. Eat these veggies either raw or steamed.
For fruits there is an array of healthy choices. Eat carrot for fiber and alpha-carotene, oranges for vitamin C, tomatoes for lycopene and papaya for its anti aging properties.
Breakfast with Oatmeal
Oatmeal is one of the healthy foods and a great source of fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. It helps lower your cholesterol and weight. Incorporate oatmeal into your diet and find different ways to eat it every day. Add raisins or some crushed nuts to a bowl of oatmeal.
Sip Green Tea
Drink green tea instead of gulping down soda or carbonated beverages. Green tea is rich in polyphenols that help boost body metabolism and burn fat faster. Moreover, green tea helps prevent heart disease and reduces the risk of cancer. It may also help with weight loss.
Add Flaxseeds into Your Diet
Flaxseeds are the little wonders that are rich in lignans, fibers and omega-3 fatty acids that help lower cholesterol. Store the seeds in the refrigerator to prevent them from going rancid. Either munch them as seeds or grind them to sprinkle some on your cereal.
Munch on Nuts
Nuts and seeds have myriad health benefits. They are high in mono-saturated fat, omega-3 fatty acid and vitamin E which help lower blood cholesterol and reduce risk of heart disease. Grab a handful of almonds, walnuts, peanuts and hazelnuts, and replace those sugary snacks with these healthy nuts and dry-fruits.
Eat Berries
Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cranberries and strawberries, you have got an assortment of these tempting. Picking berries for a healthy diet is the smartest food choice. These berries are the most powerful disease fighting foods and are composed of more than 85 percent of water. Moreover, they are full of potent antioxidants that help with age-related memory loss and arthritis.
Dark Chocolate!!
Get some delicious, rich and sweet dark chocolate. Study proves that dark chocolates can actually do you good. This power packed delicious treat has many health benefits. One of the major reasons is that it helps prevent heart disease. Furthermore, it stimulates the feeling of pleasure that helps improve your mood.
When it comes to the foods for good health, opt for the foods that perform well in protecting your heart and keeping you hale and hearty. Squeeze these healthy foods into your breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner by making smart food choices in the new year to rev yourself up for the year ahead.