4 Nutrition Tips for a Healthier You

You don’t have to go on an all-out diet plan to make healthy choices in regard to your nutrition. In fact, making beneficial changes to your everyday food choices is simple when you have a few tips in your back pocket. That’s why we’ve compiled four nutrition tips to help you modify your diet for better health and wellness. 

Our team at Physicians Weight Loss Center Highlands Ranch, located in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, offers medical weight loss and professional dieting plans that can target your personal nutritional goals and needs. However, you may be able to meet your goals without our services just by making dietary adjustments on your own. 

Weight loss program or not, we want to simplify healthy eating in your day-to-day life. You can start becoming a healthier version of yourself by following these four nutritional tips:

1. Cover the color spectrum

One simple tip for eating better is to make sure you see multiple colors on your plate. Fresh or cooked fruits, veggies, and herbs grow naturally in many colors, so including colors like green, orange, yellow, and red isn’t difficult. A wide range of colors on your plate translates into a variety of nutrients, so you can be sure you get most of the vitamins and minerals you need for energy, immunity, and other benefits. 

2. Include plenty of fiber

Fiber is a dietary component that passes through your body undigested, but that doesn’t mean your body doesn’t use it. Instead, fiber aids the digestive process. There are two main types of fiber that behave in different ways and offer specific health and wellness benefits:

Soluble fiber

Soluble fiber dissolves in water to form a gel-like substance. It lowers both blood sugar and cholesterol. You can find it in many whole foods including beans, brussel sprouts, chia seeds, lentils, and avocados. 

Insoluble fiber

Insoluble fiber stays in its solid form when you consume it. It escorts food through your digestive system to help you avoid holdups like constipation. You can find it in leafy greens, many nuts, and the edible skin of fruits (e.g. apples and peaches). 

The United States Department of Agriculture suggests women under 50 eat 25 grams of fiber every day while men under 50 should consume around 38 grams. After 50, you don’t need quite as much. 

3. Replace unhealthy fats

Despite the fat-free diet trends from the past, you need fat in your diet. However, the specific sources of dietary fat range, with some fats being good for you and others not so much. You should avoid or minimize saturated fats in your diet by skipping them altogether or finding alternative unsaturated fat options. For example, instead of cooking with butter, which is a saturated fat, try cooking with olive oil or canola oil instead. 

4. Cut down on added sugars

Sugar is another dietary component that gets a bad rap, but it isn’t necessarily all bad. In fact, your body relies on sugar for brain function and cellular energy. But most of us are aware that too much sugar is a bad thing. 

An easy way to manage your sugar intake is to start checking food labels for added sugars. Too much added sugar can lead to weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease among other life-threatening conditions. Natural sugars from dairy products and fruits, however, are harmless to eat. 

Commonly added sugars include cane sugar, corn syrup, fructose, and even maple syrup. If possible, try to avoid or minimize sugary beverages, flavored syrups, pastries, and candies. 

Consult us for more tips

Modifying your diet doesn’t have to involve hours of research about nutrition and the human body. For more healthy eating tips, schedule a visit online or over the phone to Physicians Weight Loss Center Highlands Ranch today.