Top 5 Diet Hacks For A Healthier Life
Simple Changes to Your Diet That Will Make You Feel Better Instantly
1. Increase Fiber
Dietary fiber is an indigestible carbohydrate that comes in two forms: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber, found in oats, barley, legumes, citrus, apples, and some vegetables, dissolves in water to form a gel. It lowers cholesterol levels and moderates blood sugar. Insoluble fiber mostly keeps things moving through your gut at a good pace. All fiber slows down digestion so that even sugary foods spike blood sugar less. Fiber also fills you up so that you feel less hungry, even after consuming fewer calories.
2. Eat Your Veggies
Vegetables contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, and numerous phytonutrient compounds that we have only recently begun to recognize. Human beings evolved to eat a lot of vegetable matter. And while there may be some extreme populations that get by without vegetables, by and large, the more veggies that are included in a diet, the healthier its people tend to be.
3. Eat Healthy Fats
Fats can be saturated or unsaturated. Generally speaking, unsaturated fats are considered healthier than saturated fats, particularly the omega-3 fats from fish and seafood, as well as walnuts and flax seeds. Polyunsaturated fats, such as olive oil, avocados, sunflower seeds, and cottonseed oils, seem to have heart-protective qualities, especially when they replace saturated fats.
4. Discover Fermented Foods
Diets rich in fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, pickled olives, and cheeses seem to have a host of health benefits. A study published in 2013 in the Journal of Medicinal Food tracked 100 young men who ate an identical diet except for the amount of kimchi they consumed (none; approx. 1 ounce; approx. 8 ounces). After one week, the kimchi-eating groups had lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose than the control group—and those who ate the most kimchi had bigger drops.
5. Eat More Fresh Fish
Many of the world’s healthiest diets include a lot of fish. Fish has quality protein and healthy fats, particularly omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce CHD through their anti-inflammatory and other properties. Fish and seafood are also seen as beneficial because they typically replace red meat in a meal, which often has a less desirable fat profile (i.e., more saturated fat).
Do you follow these diet “do’s”?
