4 Rules to Feeling Better and Looking Slimmer

It really is possible to eat your way to good health and improve the way you look and feel. Follow these 4 steps and you're on your way to feeling better and looking slimmer.

1. Vary your diet.

Particular foods can be very effective against certain health conditions, but they shouldn't be eaten at the exclusion of other fresh produce. Most fruit and vegetables will do you good, and their benefits are too wide-ranging to be strictly categorized. The risk of heart disease and cancer is reduced by consuming a wide range of healthy foods.

Many health condition's stem from nutrient deficiencies, so they can be alleviated- and often cured- by eating better. Base your diet on a wide range of fruits and vegetables, backed by whole grain breads and cereals, organic meat and dairy products, with as little processed food as possible.

2. Store Food Properly

Fresh fruit and vegetables lose much of their vitamin and mineral content in storage, so shop where you know food is fresh. Keep them in a refrigerator or a cool place and try to eat them as soon as possible. Keep fresh herbs in a clean screw top jar with a pinch of salt, covered with olive oil. Fresh meat should be covered and placed on a plate at the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

3. Try to Avoid Supplements

It's always better to get your nutrients from a balanced diet, than by taking supplements. No one knows exactly how it works - only that whole fruits and vegetables seem to provide a full range of nutrients in the right balance. Beta-carotene, for example, is so good for the lungs that smokers who get plenty of it their diet reduce their risk of lung cancer. Yet, taking beta-carotene supplements seems to increase their cancer risk. It's near impossible to overdose on the nutrients from fruits and vegetables, but it's easy to unbalance your levels of vitamins and minerals if you get them from the large quantities supplied by supplements. The only exception is vitamin B12. Vegans (people who eat no meat or dairy) who don't get enough of this vitamin from their diet should take a B12 supplement.

4. Eat Organic When Possible

Organic foods are produced in much the same way food was grown for thousands of years, until the twentieth century. Organic farmers don't use synthetic chemicals or sewage sludge. Their animals are given medicines only when they're unwell - not to make them put on weight faster or as a way of counteracting the unhealthy conditions of factory farms. Organic food has not been irradiated or genetically modified.

It's worth paying a little extra to eat organic, although the price difference is narrowing all the time. You'll avoid eating drug or chemical residues, and have a much lower risk of catching food poisoning from chicken. Organic foods are not necessarily more nutritious than ordinary supermarket foods, but they are definitely cleaner and the animals are less prone to disease. Animal welfare standards are higher on organic farms and the impact on the environment is much lower. If you can't afford to buy all organic, prioritize meat products and out of season fruits and vegetables.

Buy as much produce that is in season as possible. Fruits and vegetables are at their most nutritious during the season when they naturally grow, and when they are bought from local sources so they are fresh when they reach you.

Whitney Ells-worth is a certified nutritionist and exercise specialist who has helped over 250,000 people all over the world lose incredible amounts of weight, regain their health and permanently change their lives. If you would like more information on how you can lose weight, regain your health, and change your life forever, including a step by step plan on how to get your health and weight loss journey started, complete with meal plans, recipes, and exercise routines, be sure to check out http://aweightlossprograms.blogspot.com. And remember, nothing tastes as good as healthy feels.