Better nutrition is the first step toward improving your overall health, and it begins with eating fresh, clean, whole foods-foods in their natural state that have not been commercially processed. This may sound simple, but making healthy choices has become increasingly more difficult in today's fast food world. Begin with a high-fiber diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and always pay attention to how your food is prepared.



Meal planning and time management are key components of creating a healthy eating plan. First, review your lifestyle and determine how you can integrate more healthy foods into your daily meals. Try to plan meals for one week prior to visiting the market, and when possible, plan lunches for you and your family ahead of time. Ideally, meal planning for the coming week should be done on the weekend or on a day off. Selections should be written down for better organization and planning, and grocery shopping should be a part of your weekly routine. Get into the habit of washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly before storing them to save time during the week, and if your weekly meal plan includes dining out, select only those restaurants that offer healthy options.

Discarding unhealthy foods from your refrigerator or pantry is also important. These include processed foods, sugary foods and beverages, and foods high in harmful fats that may have been purchased before starting your healthy diet. Always choose whole foods over processed foods, as they have not undergone any harsh procedures designed to extend their shelf life or make them look more attractive. Such processes include enriching, homogenizing, flavoring, preserving, milling, pasteurizing, coloring, irradiating, emulsifying, thickening, stabilizing, and hydrogenating. While these processes may enhance the appearance of some foods and increase their shelf life, they do so at the expense of valuable nutrients. Many food processing procedures involve the application of heat, which destroys beneficial enzymes, as well as vitamins and minerals.

Focusing on fresh produce, preferably organic fruits and vegetables, is recommended when making the transition from processed foods to whole foods. The use of pesticides and herbicides in modern agricultural practice has escalated considerably of late. In fact, as many as 60 cancer-causing pesticides can still be used legally today. Be sure to wash organic produce in either hydrogen peroxide or a special vegetable wash solution, as these foods may carry parasites. If fresh organic produce is unavailable, select frozen over canned for its higher nutritional value.

Organic dairy, meat and poultry products are also recommended, since many farm animals today often carry disease and are given large amounts of antibiotics and growth hormones. When choosing packaged grains, it is best to select those that are not refined. Choose brown rice over white rice, and try adding some less familiar but highly nourishing whole grains such as millet, buckwheat, teff, quinoa, amaranth, spelt, bulgur wheat and barley. Many of these are available in bulk form at your local supermarket or natural food stores. Whenever possible, choose organic grains.

Finally, be sure to read labels and avoid foods that contain artificial sweeteners, chemical preservatives, and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. This man-made oil is found in commercial peanut butter, margarine and most baked goods, and has been associated with numerous health problems