With the start of the new year, your thoughts have likely turned to how you can improve your life and health. Remember, your dietary choices not only affect your weight and physical health but also affect your mental health, reproductive health, and ability to avoid disease as you age. Here are a few ways to make better diet choices to improve your health. 

Eat Complex Carbs

One change that you can make to your diet to improve your health is to eat complex carbs instead of refined carbs. Complex carbs consist of long chains of sugar molecules and contain lots of nutrients. On the other hand, refined carbs are full of sugars and refined grains and all nutrients, bran, and fiber have been removed from them. 

Complex carbohydrates are found in foods such as whole unprocessed grains, beans, starchy vegetables, peas, and brown rice. Including complex carbs in your diet will help you to feel full, energized, and satisfied when you eat. Instead of avoiding carbs altogether, make sure you’re eating healthy carbs, like complex carbs. 

Reduce Fatty Meats

Another healthy diet choice that you should make to improve your health is to reduce the fatty meats in your diet. While all kinds of meats include protein, which is essential to your health and development, some types of meat are quite fatty. 

A few examples of fatty meats are red meats such as pork, beef, and lamb, particularly fatty cuts such as bacon. Eating lots of fatty meats can raise your cholesterol and increase your risk of developing diseases such as heart disease. Eating more lean meat can improve your heart health and reduce issues as you age.

Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

When you’re trying to improve your diet, don’t forget to eat more fruits and vegetables. The majority of adults don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables, which can be quite detrimental to your health. Fruits and vegetables contain many vitamins and nutrients that are essential to the growth and development of your body. Even if you take daily vitamins and supplements, you likely won’t receive the amount your body really needs. Eating more fruits and vegetables each day can lower your blood pressure and your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, chronic kidney disease, and other issues. It can also improve your digestion and energy levels. If you have difficulty eating fruits and vegetables, find creative ways to work them into your diet. 

So, if you’ve realized that you need to take your health into your own hands, remember these healthy diet choices you should be making. Try to eat complex carbs instead of refined carbs, reduce fatty meat intake, and eat more fruits and vegetables. These are just a few changes that you can make that will have a huge impact on your long-term health.

Did you enjoy reading this article? Here’s more to read: Who is the Paleo Diet Best For?