A simple rule of thumb for choosing nutritious foods is to focus on those that are eaten with only slight changes from their original form. Processed foods are usually high in fat and contain ingredients that are not always healthy for your body.

When people talk about nutrition, it often conjures images of bland salads with iceberg lettuce and grainy tomatoes. Eating well doesn’t have to be miserable. Simply learning about nutrition can actually open you up to a world of food choices. Try these simple tips to jump-start your efforts towards improving your nutrition, and start appreciating food as nourishment for your body.

Try to get your daily protein from more than just meat. There are many other sources of protein. These sources include: beans, soy, cheese and nuts. A lot of these can be added to your favorite recipes or be made into stand-alone dishes. Get proteins of all kinds into your diet so you don’t get bored.

Instead of using ground beef, try using ground turkey breast. This reduced calories and also helps you not eat as much saturated fat. Just make sure you are purchasing ground turkey breast, as dark meat turkey is only slightly different than beef. Certain ground turkey has both dark meat and breast, meaning there is still saturated fat.

Keep your digestive tract healthy to promote weight loss. Keep yourself well hydrated, eat a diet high in fiber and add a serving of yogurt that is rich in probiotics.

A useful tip would be to eliminate sugar from your meals and replace it with artificial sweeteners. A diet high in sugar can cause diabetes and other health concerns. Stevia is a popular herbal sweetener, and it is a much healthier option than refined sugar. The difference in taste is difficult (or even impossible) to notice.

Eat the entire color spectrum in food! Vibrantly colored produce are often low-calorie foods with lots of nutrients. Try and include a brightly colored food or two in every meal that you prepare. Much of the antioxidant properties are found in the skins. So, if you can eat the skin, do not peel it from the fruit or vegetable.

A smoothie makes a delicious and nutritious snack. The following tip will help you make an even more nutritious smoothie. Try adding a little antioxidant-loaded cocoa powder or some omega-3 filled flax seed oil to your smoothie. Using this pair of ingredients can add great flavor and also inject additional nutrients that strengthen immunities.

Eating out? Share one entree with your guest. Even when you choose carefully, you can end up with more food (and more calories and fat) than you need. Splitting it lets you save money and calories. This is one trick you can use to eat out without betraying your commitment to good nutrition.

A vegetarian meal a few times a week can help you with your nutrition efforts. Eating this way will reduce your consumption of fats and help you stay healthy.

It doesn’t matter whether you eat fresh or canned vegetables, just that you eat some. The give your body essential minerals and vitamins, and leave you with a full feeling. Try to include many servings of vegetables into your daily diet. Find new and creative ways of combining this food with other things that you enjoy, like salads or soups.

Ginger is a good natural remedy to motion sickness. Ginger conveniently comes in easy to swallow capsules. Take a thousand milligrams an hour prior to your trip, and then more every three hours. Ginger will help you get rid of nausea and an upset stomach in air travel. Try some ginger candy or some ginger tea.

Make a fun meal of kabobs for your family. This meal is fun for children because they can control which veggies and meats are added to their kabob. Provide veggies with bright colors so the kids will want to use a lot of them to make their kabobs pretty.

Ground Turkey

Eat your fruit; don’t drink it. Fruit juice is usually artificially sweetened, while fresh fruit is 100% natural. Believe it or not, some fruit juices contain more sugars than a can of soda. Fresh fruit has all sorts of healthy nutrients that make it less likely that you will have a heart attack or suffer a stroke.

Using ground turkey instead of ground beef brings many health benefits; however, people often dislike the dryness. When you have this issue, try adding a bit of olive oil or onions when you cook the ground turkey. By doing this you will get excellent flavor with little fat.

They are the perfect backdrop for such dishes as eggplant parmesan and baba ghanoush. As a bonus, eggplant is rich in antioxidants, potassium as well as many other nutrients.

If you suffer from sleeping disorders, adjusting your nutrition values may be beneficial to you. Some foods can ease your stress and help you relax. Others may perk you up and have you rarin’ to go. Eating right before bed is a bad idea, so avoid doing so whenever possible.

If you want to eat less meat, but are worried about not getting enough protein, you can substitute with legumes and beans. Exotic dishes made with black beans and lentils are both tasty and healthy. You can include beans in different forms such as salads, soups and burritos.

If your goal is to cut down your sugar intake, you need to avoid foods that have corn syrup in them, because that is a form of sugar. This ingredient is found in many popular condiments, so read the nutritional labels carefully.

What you drink is as important as what you eat. You should find out the calorie count of your daily beverage consumption. Don’t drink as much coffee, soda, juices, or alcohol; the empty calories in these drinks can really add up.

Use wholegrain bread instead of white or potato bread for sandwiches. The glycemic index of this bread is low, which helps to reduce hunger pangs, protects against heart disease, and aids weight control. Also, whole grain bread has a lot of fiber and healthy fat.

Consuming less meat and increasing plant-based foods can improve your nutrition. Meat and other protein sources are a necessary part of your diet, but make sure you are consuming the right proportion of meat in relation to other foods — a normal meal should have a portion of protein about the size of the back of your hand.

Make sure you have your doctor’s permission before you drink alcohol if suffer from diabetes. Drinking alcohol while living with diabetes lowers your sugar levels, so make sure that you are careful.

Learn how to know when your appetite has been satisfied. Young people eat fast and burn calories fast, but this ability decreases as you get older. Understanding your body signals will reduce your overeating.

Fresh Fruit

Eating fresh fruit is wiser than drinking fruit juices. Fruit juice can have added sugar and lacks fiber, too. Fresh fruit contains only natural sweeteners and high levels of fiber and nutrients. Fruit juices often times have more juice than sodas do. Fresh fruit supplies the fiber, minerals, and vitamins that can provide support against certain chronic conditions like cardiovascular issues.

Broccoli is an important vegetable to include in your diet. Not only does it have lots of cancer-preventing phytochemicals, but it’s full of Vitamins A, C, K, fiber and lots of minerals. Cooking broccoli can lose its nutritional value so eating it raw or steaming it is best. Don’t grind it up into gray mush, though, as this has no nutritional content.

When it comes to healthy, tasty snacks, raw veggies simply cannot be beat. They can decrease your hunger levels while providing valuable nutrients that your body thrives on. They take as much time to store and prepare as junk food. They’re also not as messy as typical convenience foods. Raw vegetables can be a great bridge between meals during the day without messing up your diet.

Don’t forget to eat your meat! To maintain strong, healthy muscles, you should consume more proteins. You can vary the types of meat you eat as long as your focus is on nutritional value for you body. It is recommended to consumer ten ounces of meat daily.

It will happen, so simply remember that you should not get depressed when you slip up and fall off the horse when it comes to your nutritious diet. If you are hard on yourself, you’re not likely to keep trying. Let it go and begin again. Don’t feel like a failure, instead, just keep moving forward.

As you can see, eating a balanced, nutritious diet is easy and fun. There is a lot of room for creativity in the world of food, so it is a wonderful way to enhance your quality of life without limiting yourself. These tips are only the beginning to a new, healthier you!