Top 22 Tips for Eating Healthy

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I hosted a podcast called Health Matters where I interviewed leading health experts. Believing that Bible study and prayer are to the spirit what eating healthy and exercise are to the body, I asked each expert for a “quick tip” for the four disciplines of Bible study, exercise, eating healthy, and prayer.

I share excerpts from interviews with top health experts on healthy eating.

1. “One of the benefits of healthy eating is the psychological boost that comes from knowing we’re doing something good for ourselves. Even before we see results, eating healthy is good for us.” ~Steph Beth Nickel
2. “If you find yourself really breaking your boundaries of not eating cookies (or other unhealthy foods), it’s easier to just give them up altogether for a season. It’s not like you have to give them up forever.”
   ~Barb Raveling
3. “I’m all about balance — protein, carbs, and fats. I’m not a stay-away-from-carbs guy. You know, I’m not going to go overboard either. But our bodies, our brains, need our first source of energy as carbohydrates. You know as well as I do that Doritos are not your best source of carbohydrates. And sugar and ice cream are not your best source of carbohydrates. A lot of times people already know what they need to do or not do. So healthy and clean, and again, consistency.” ~Rusty Nokes
4. “My quick tip on eating healthy is to go green. Look for ways to add in green foods, whether it’s going darker in your salads, adding greens into a smoothie, or making some purees and adding them to your family’s favorite dishes that you’re already eating.” ~Rachel Almstedt
5. “For eating healthy, think colorful meals. Really fill your plate with colorful foods. I also suggest serving two or three vegetables at dinner instead of just one traditional vegetable.” ~Jennifer Waddle
6. “Make changes one at a time. One of the basic things you can do is add fruit and vegetables to every meal. It’s really important to have fruit and vegetables. Everybody knows that. Just add a banana, an orange, and a cup of green beans to your day. And it’ll help fill you up as well.” ~Brenda Wood
7. “For me, smoothies have been a huge help and you can always keep ingredients in your freezer whether it’s frozen fruit or ground flax seed. Smoothies can really help give you some of the most nutrition you can get in one little sitting. And it’s quick. You just throw those things in your blender and blend them up.” ~CJ Hitz
8. “Stop counting the calories, just eat in moderation. Look at what you used to eat and then cut it in half. That’s one, cut in half what you used to eat.” ~Renee Wiggins
9. “The quick tip to eating healthy is to understand your sugar consumption. It’s everywhere and it’s hard to escape. And a lot of people don’t understand how much sugar they actually consume. There’s a lot of sugar that is added in most of the grocery store items that you can purchase and so it’s important for everybody to understand their sugars.” ~John Hayden
10. “The quick tip is to plan. Definitely, you have to plan what you are going to eat. If you know that you are going out to eat you have to look at that — go to the Internet and find out what the menu is and find out what the numbers are and what you can order.” ~Sabrina Memminger
11. “Carry something with you that is healthy. Because as we are busy and in life, we are always going to need something to eat and the first thing we see is the first thing we’ll grab so we have to plan. Put your little lunch bag together, your little snack bag together, put some apples and some nuts in there, and be prepared.” ~Sabrina Memminger
12. “I promise you that God wants to be involved in your health and wellness. If you begin to move away from the world’s wisdom and begin to ask God what your diet should look like I promise you that He will speak to you and He will lead you on the path that you should go. And take a little bit of time to just sit down with a journal and a pen and your Bible and ask the Lord what your eating plan should look like. I promise that He’ll answer you.” ~Laurie Graves
13. “I think the best thing that somebody can do is add one healthy thing to their life. One healthy food or one healthy thing that is positive in their life and then take away one negative. When you do something like that it makes it on a smaller scale and then over a year you’ve added five or six healthy things and taken away five or six unhealthy things and it’s something that’s doable.” ~Summer Breskow
14. “Eat more sensibly. We all have a pretty good understanding of what’s good food and what’s bad food and usually, it’s the bad food that tastes the best. So enjoy life, enjoy food but be sensible. Having dessert every single night is probably not the best thing to do. You need to make sure that you’re eating very well as you can during the week but during the weekend you can treat yourself and have that dessert, have that thing that you love but in moderation is always good.” ~Nicole Swiner
15. “If it comes in a box don’t eat it. God didn’t make it in a box. Eat your food closest to the form that God made it.” ~Liz Faison
16. “I always say, “If you can’t measure it you can’t manage it.” So track what you’re eating. Take the time, write it down, plug it into one of the many apps available but you’ve got to track what you’re eating in order to stay on top of your health.” ~Cathy Morenzie
17. “If you are able to do a quick smoothie or a green smoothie or a shake really packed with vitamins and minerals and nutrients that you need, I found that those are the best and the healthiest, especially for breakfast.” ~Angel Barrino
18. “I start a checklist that I check off every day. I didn’t do this, or I did do this. I planned ahead or I ate this instead of this. Because there’s something about seeing that you checked it off and you’re much more likely to do it if you have that accountability with yourself. And you’re more likely to stick with it rather than, ‘well I messed up today I might as well mess up again tomorrow.’” ~Kimberly Rae
19. “Getting acquainted with your body’s signals for hunger and satisfaction is going to be super helpful. Fuel your body when you’re physically hungry and then stop fueling it when you’re physically satisfied. It’s amazing how efficiently God has made our bodies. It doesn’t take much food. We are made fearfully and wonderfully.” ~Heidi Bylsma
20. “As far as eating healthy, make sustainable changes in your life as you go along. Diets aren’t going to work unless you’re going to eat like that for the rest of your life. Basically, whatever change you decide to make, make small incremental changes because that change will be sustainable throughout your life. And over time you will see results.” ~Linda Williams
21. “One of the simplest things I try to do is add greens. It’s as simple as that. Instead of trying to figure out what to take out or what other kinds of specific foods to add just simply add greens to each meal. Whether that’s spinach or romaine, or whatever it is, just try to add greens to as many meals as you can throughout the day. Because it’s the greens that are going to help alkalize the body. That would be my simple tip for people out there. Simply add greens to your meals.” ~Adam Luckey
22. “Make a list of all the whole foods that you like, like apples or eggs or chicken. And then create recipes from those very simple foods. It’s a great way to jumpstart your clean eating lifestyle.” ~Julie Endl

Although the podcast is no longer available, if you’d like a copy of any of the full interview transcripts, please send me an email.

This has been an excerpt from the Health Matters Podcast, believing that prayer & Bible study are to the spirit what exercise and healthy eating are to the body.

Blessings on your journey to health.

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