Having a healthy diet does not only mean you should eat less. More than anything, it means eating enough of what you need to eat every day in addition to eating less of what you don’t need to. Before you begin planning out your diet, you should do some research about what foods to include in your meals for each day, and how they would affect your body.

Some of the best foods to include in your diet are legumes. Peas, beans, and lentils are some of the best sources of clean carbohydrates you can find. Apart from that, they are also high in fiber, which helps in cleaning your digestive system. Not only that, it also makes you feel full longer after eating. Legumes are also high in protein, which is needed for building muscle. A simple meal you can make in ten minutes is to boil the legumes, and then add some tomato sauce and a little pepper for flavor. You get a meal that’s high in protein, fiber and antioxidants, and filling for a long time.

For quick snacks, you can eat peanuts or nuts such as almonds and walnuts, which are all high in protein as well. While these foods also have higher fat content, they help a lot in losing weight because they are filling, and the fat found in them is of the healthy kind that helps in faster muscle recovery after intense workouts.

Fish is also an important part of your diet. It is a good source of protein, and contains good fat that will not cause heart problems later on. It also contains omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce the risk of heart problems even more. To avoid heavy metals, eat smaller fish such as sardines and mackerel, which are also high in calcium and very easy to prepare. They are usually canned, but they are also available in bottles – try to get these as much as possible.

If you can find organic sources, dairy is also a good source of protein for a healthy diet. Milk is high in protein and calcium, and is great after a heavy workout. Eggs are also a good source of protein, among other things. Boiled eggs are excellent for breakfast, along with some fish and brown rice.

A healthy diet will not be complete without daily servings of fruits and vegetables. Bananas and apples are very good before a workout. Grapes and berries provide a good amount of antioxidants. Broccoli is a good source of fiber and calcium. Oranges and pineapples have lots of Vitamin C. Sweet potatoes are good sources of high-quality carbohydrates.

White rice and white breads are not ideal for healthy diets, as the carbohydrates found in them digest too quickly, causing spikes in blood insulin. This simply means you will feel sleepier after eating a meal of fast-digesting carbohydrates.

Fast food, while very convenient, is also not ideal. It is usually very high in fat, and often fried or cooked in vegetable oil, which may mean there is Trans fat in the food. That kind of fat is harmful to the body, as it can clog arteries over time, and is not easily removed by the body.

Some foods you should have as little of as possible are chips and french fries. These are the ultimate fattening foods – you can eat a lot of it and still want more. They are high in sodium and fat, and could contain trans fats if they are fried in hydrogenated vegetable oil.

It takes a little time and patience to plan out, but once you have everything written down and you get started, you will feel the difference in as little as a week. You will be stronger, more alert, more energetic, and you will feel incredibly better when you have a healthy diet.