Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is hard to do for most people. Between exercising, trying to choose healthy food alternatives and laying off the sugar, a healthy routine is time consuming and hard to keep up. But if you take it one step at a time, being healthy is easier than you may have thought. It all starts with the food that you eat and when you eat it.
Here are seven healthy foods that will help to get your diet started right.
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Kale
Kale is the one of the most nutrient-dense health foods on the market, chock full of vitamins and essential minerals. What little fat content that kale actually contains is totally made up of omega-3 fatty acids, which are heart healthy. Kale is jam-packed with antioxidants that help boost the immune system and decrease cholesterol levels. Overall, Kale is easily one of the best veggies for your body and should be a cornerstone of any diet plan.
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Lemons
This may not be what you expected to see on this list, but lemons are an underutilized part of a good diet. Just one lemon will provide you with your daily vitamin C. The vitamin C and antioxidants make lemons extraordinarily good for your immune system, as well as inhibiting cancer cell growth.
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Broccoli
This one’s an easy one. We’ve all been at our kitchen table as children staring at a full plate of this notorious veggie, but it turns out that your parents were right about it. Broccoli is essential for healthy bones. It contains an entire daily dose of vitamin K, as well as two daily doses of vitamin C. A quick tip; if you microwave broccoli, 90% of the vitamin C will be preserved.
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Potatoes
Potatoes are a versatile starch, able to make a number of different meals or sides from just one ingredient. They’re an easy and healthy choice to include in your diet plan. Potatoes are a great source of vitamin A as well as antioxidants.
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Nuts
Great for a snack or as an addition to any meal, nuts are full of healthy unsaturated fats. While they contain little to no carbs and only healthy fats, no excess fat will be stored after eating. Nuts are also amazing for helping with cholesterol and heart disease.
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Salmon
Oily fish are going to be your best friend while dieting. Salmon especially not only tastes great, but contains a huge amount of omega-3s. Omega-3s are good for one’s heart, hair, and nails. Salmon is a great choice for dinner that also has amazing health benefits.
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Spinach
While to some it may not exactly taste great, spinach is an important part of your diet. Spinach is full of vitamin K and protein, which is great for after exercising. Include spinach in your meals whenever you can.
If you involve these essential foods in your diet plan, you’ll start to notice results sooner rather than later. Not only do they make you feel healthy, but look healthy as well.