When it comes to creating a healthy diet plan, small changes can make the biggest difference in the long run. If you are going to try to change your current food choices overnight, chances are you won’t last long and will end up feeling discouraged and frustrated. By making a commitment to try and improve 1% each day, you set yourself up for gradual success, all while making healthy, nutritional lifestyle choices. Crash dieting is one of the worst things you can do to your body, and can come with very real risks over time such as metabolic damage. What you need to do is write out a plan. It’s going to be near impossible if you don’t have one, especially with food. I’ve got many different diet plans, along with meal plans in the members area. Become a member today and let’s start you on a path to nutritional success!

Are you currently training for a fitness competition or photo shoot? Click here for my thoughts on how to properly execute a fitness competition diet. Or check out my pages on the Paleo Diet, Gluten Free Diet, Vegan Essentials and Raw Food Diet, which my family and I often pull ideas from when planning our food for the week. Check out some of the benefits of eating a raw food diet!

Add To Your Life

The moment you start to tell your body what it cannot have, the fight is on! Everything inside your mind and body is going to want to cheat! Instead of restricting yourself and making a metal list of all the things you can’t have, start focusing your energy on the things you want to add to your new healthy diet plan. Instead of just eating pasta for dinner, focus on having a large salad or some raw veggies during your meal. Don’t skip dessert, choose a healthier option like homemade chocolate or a fruit smoothie. It will be much easier to focus on the healthy additions than the unhealthy subtractions!

What To Look For In A Healthy Diet Plan

If your long-term goal is to feel better, have more energy, fight disease and enjoy food…you are in luck! This is all achievable, and the power to make this happen is completely in your hands. Remember, this is a journey, not an overnight fix. Check out my Raw Food Diet page for practical ways to boost your energy and fight disease. Here are some basic things to look for in a healthy diet plan.

Nutritional Balance

You want a good combination of healthy fats, proteins, carbohydrates and vegetables to achieve a healthy nutritional balance in your healthy diet plan. Protein is essential for muscle growth, delivering amino acids to the muscle, and having a healthy immune system and organs. Females should consume 1 gram of protein for every pound of weight. So if you are 135 pounds, you want to consume 130 grams of protein. Here are some great proteins to add to your healthy diet plan.

• Beans: Black beans, navy beans, garbanzo beans, and lentils are good options.
• Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and pecans are great choices.
• QUINOA!
• Avoid salted or sugary nuts and refried beans.
• Avoid processed soy products and dairy

Un-Trendy

When you hear the word diet, you might start thinking about the latest craze you read about in a magazine. Maybe you even tried it for a while, but in the end it just “didn’t work out”. The problem with many trendy diets is that they end up being short-lived because they aren’t sustainable. The word diet comes from Old Frenchdiete and Medieval Latin dieta meaning “a daily food allowance”. The Latin worddiaeta and Greek word diaita mean “a way of life, a regimen”. This implies that a diet is not a short-term change in your eating habits, but a complete paradigm shift on how you view and consume food…for the rest of your life. Wondering where to begin? Check out some amazing meal plans in our members area that will jump-start this process!

Achievable

The most important thing when setting a goal for yourself and creating a healthy diet plan is to make it achievable. Unhealthy expectations breed an unhealthy lifestyle. Is it weight you want to lose? We’ll help you create a healthy diet plan to achieve a 2 pound loss per week, not 10. Is your goal to simply eat healthier? Intentionally add more fruits,vegetables, healthy fats and proteins to your meals. Don’t starve yourself by exclusively eating egg whites, spinach and chicken. Set yourself up for success! Check out my Paleo diet page and find out how this particular diet can greatly assist in burning fat and fighting disease.

It’s Not Magic…It’s A Choice

Many people are searching for the magical diet pill or the overnight fix. The reality is if you really want to see your life change, it takes hard work and dedication. If this was easy, everyone would be doing it. What I can guarantee you is that if you make a decision to add healthy food choices and physical activity into your daily routine, you will see positive change. Removal of certain things like Gluten, or even meat (check out Vegan Essentials) may also help your body to function better. Take back control of your life and choose to be healthy!