The saying you are what you eat may sound trite, but it’s true. You could eat the most nutritious foods in the world, but they’re not going to be absorbed and used by your body if you don’t maintain cleanliness during their preparation and consumption. The best ways to increase your health and wellness is to clean up your life. If you’re ready to start living cleaner, That doesn’t mean you have to wash your hands after every time you touch food, though!
1) Choose foods with fewer ingredients
When it comes to foods with lots of artificial chemicals, our taste buds are out of sorts. Eat healthy and slim down by opting for foods with less ingredients. Pick snacks with a single ingredient, like apples and peanut butter or carrots and hummus, instead of snacks with a list of ingredients, like chips or crackers. The cleaner your diet is, the easier it will be to lose weight and keep it off. Not only will you feel better about what you’re eating, but you also won’t be consuming all the chemicals that have a negative effect on your health.
When preparing food, try to make sure it has as few ingredients as possible to make it more nutritious and satisfying. There is one simple way to do this – becoming an informed consumer. For example, when buying packaged food at your local supermarket, you may notice some with more than 20 ingredients listed on their label. In that event, make another choice. You need to take care of yourself so don’t compromise on your health!
2) Avoid Snacking Before Bed
In theory, having an evening snack seems like it would help you lose weight, but that is not usually the case. If we eat when our body is in a resting state, the food is more likely to turn into fat than if we ate it when we are more active. One study showed that those who had an evening snack were more likely to be obese than those who did not have an evening snack. To maintain a healthy weight, avoid eating in the evening.
Although evening snacks are more likely to turn into fat than snacks eaten at other times of the day, eating before bed also interrupts your sleep. Researchers have shown that food eaten within 3 hours of bedtime causes levels of the amino acid tryptophan to rise in your brain. By eating near bedtime, it may be harder to fall asleep. On top of that, if you eat something unhealthy near bedtime then you are more likely to make a worse food choice, which can lead to weight gain. In order to have a better sleep, try not to eat a meal before going to bed.
3) Skip the soda and juice
Soda and fruit juice are full of empty calories that can contribute to weight gain. Drink plenty of water instead; it will help you stay hydrated and slim down your waistline. If you’re craving a beverage with flavor, swap in seltzer water or unsweetened iced tea instead. It’s an easy way to cut hundreds of calories from your daily intake without even missing them! To kick things up a notch, add fresh mint leaves for an extra cooling kick.
You can also get creative with citrus fruits like lemons and limes—just be sure to skip out on any added sugar or sweeteners. Lemons are great because they’re high in vitamin C, which helps improve skin health by supporting collagen production and giving you more youthful-looking skin over time. Or try mixing some fresh lemon juice into your water along with slices of cucumber—it tastes amazing! The extra fiber in cucumbers helps fill you up so you eat less overall throughout the day. That’s another good reason to eat more veggies: They help keep you feeling fuller longer than sugary snacks do!
4) Avoid Processed Foods
Processed foods are both easy and convenient, but they’re never as healthy as freshly prepared food. When you want to live a healthier life, try to avoid processed foods wherever possible and make whole fruit and vegetables your primary selection. Processed foods often contain unhealthy sugars and chemical preservatives that can create issues for your body in the long-term. Eating at home, preparing your own food, is the best way to ensure that you’re having a healthy lifestyle.
For example, healthy foods can also be processed. This doesn’t mean you should avoid all fruits and vegetables; all you need to do is make sure that the artificial enhancements are as natural as possible. To put it in perspective, for example, organic oranges are healthier and cleaner than non-organic oranges, as they do not have any added chemicals or preservatives. To keep yourself healthy, watch how your food is prepared when you buy it, and if there are added preservatives or other ingredients you are unfamiliar with, consult a database before you eat them.
5) Carry hand sanitizer everywhere
Generally, if you’re touching an object that lots of other people have been touching (like a shopping cart), then you should be carrying hand sanitizer with you. You should also use it after touching objects or shaking hands with someone who has been in public. Hand sanitizer wipes that are alcohol-based will be necessary when washing your hands is not an option (for example, while you’re on an airplane). Although this will not get rid of germs entirely, they are a helpful way to reduce the transmission of infection. Just because you are not in your home doesn’t mean you stop washing.
You may not even realize that you are touching something which has been contaminated with germs. It is always better to be safe than sorry. You can buy hand sanitizers which come in easy to carry bottles and no longer do you have to feel weird about carrying sanitizers around with you wherever you go. Hand sanitizers are now affordable enough so that they make great little stocking stuffers as well.
6) Use Natural Detergents (and Read Labels!)
Consider detergents made with natural ingredients like coconut oil or sodium citrate instead of more hazardous petrochemicals like sodium lauryl sulfate. There may not be the perfect store-bought cleaning product for your needs, so if that’s the case, try making your own. Baking soda and white vinegar are great at cutting grease and are versatile, so combine them to make an even more powerful cleaning solution.
Air fresheners and candles should be used sparingly or they might cause more harm than good due to their artificial fragrances. Rather than irritant air fresheners, many people are finding that an essential oil diffuser works much better. A scent diffuser releases soothing, pleasing scents that permeate the air but aren’t strong enough to overcome any surroundings when you enter the room.
7) Get up, move around!
Sitting at a desk all day is as bad for you as smoking and, as a result, standing desks are becoming popular in offices. They help combat our reliance on chairs and they encourage people to be more active throughout their workday. Without access to an adjustable-height desk at work, make a point to just get up and move around every hour or so. Doing so will increase your blood flow, increase your energy levels, and prevent fatigue while adding a few steps to your day.
Office space with an open floor plan is nearly as terrible as an office with cubicles, as people have a tendency to stop in one spot and chat while they work. When this happens, walk around every hour and chat with co-workers while you have your laptop out. You may feel weird at first, but setting a timer or reminding yourself on your phone when it’s time to stand up from your desk will make you more active for the rest of the day.
