Healthy Tip of the Week:    

 
Healthy-Eating Rules Almost All Nutritionists Agree On

This is the closes thing to an eat-right bible that you're going to find.  

  By Robin Hilmantel 

 Sometimes, eating healthy can seem so confusing. Fat is bad - no, it's good. Snacking should be avoided - but you should eat several mini-meals each day. There's a lot of conflicting nutrition information out there, but believe it or not, there are some general guidelines that pretty much all nutritionists follow and recommend to their clients. 

1. Start Your Day with Breakfast

It's hard to find someone to disagree on this point. Breakfast jump starts your metabolism and gets you fueled up to start your day. 

2. Limit Fast Food

Some fast food places are offering healthy choices, many still are huge portions and, well, not the best. It is best to just avoid all together.  

3. Eat Real Food

Pick up a container of cereal, and look at the ingredients, I bet you can only pronounce half of them. This happens way too often in the supermarket. Cut out the overly processed chemically engineered foods, and go straight to the source. Skip the pre-packed trail mix, and make your own: nuts, some dried fruit, and maybe even some popcorn. It is better to eat whole foods, and have it contain slightly more calories than a bag of veggie chips that contain a zero on the nutrition scale.   

4. Listen to Your Hunger

Eat when your body needs the fuel, and stop when you've filled the tank.  

5. Eat More Veggies

Unfortunately, as a nation, we are lacking in our vegetable intake. It's a shame considering how healthful they are. We can always make more room on our plate for veggies - and the more colorful, the better.  

6. Hydrate with Water

Humans need water to survive. That's a fact. Quenching your thirst by sipping throughout the day is the best way to replenish fluids naturally lost.  

7. Don't Skip Meals

This sets you up for a metabolic double-whammy by slowing down your metabolism and causing you to be starving later on, which can ultimately lead to overdoing it or making poorer choices than you would have otherwise. 

8. Snack When Necessary - It's Not A Bad Thing!

If it's going to be more than five hours between meals, you should grab a snack. It'll give you energy plus help to keep you from overeating at your next meal.  

9. Avoid Soda

One word: SUGAR!

10. It's OK Not to Eat Perfectly

Indulging from time to time is actually good for sticking to an overall healthy diet. Not being 'perfect' with your diet is way healthier than being an overly rigid eater. Enjoy. Listen to your body, and just do the best you can at every meal.  

Source: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/healthy-eating-rules