A Balanced Diet For Better Health

   I'm really happy to have Mathews back on the blog today! The last article he wrote for us was really well-received, and it did a lot for me, personally, too! And now he's back to share with us some simple tips to make a transition towards a balanced diet - which, I've found personally, isn't something that is easy to do. It's been hard enough getting in my 5-a-day, but I've made a bit of a game out of it and I'm getting there! The trick I've found is to sneak things in, and find fun brands like nakd and BEAR if the idea of an apple doesn't cut it, and my salmon omelettes are always accompanied by peas or carrots. It started as a conscious effort, but that, along with hot lemon water every morning and filling a water bottle every three hours has turned into a set of habits I don't have to think about anymore.
   So take the easy road to a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle by picking out even just a couple of things from this list - it will make a massive difference, and once they become a subconscious habit, it'll be easier to make more changes. Baby steps!


   Over the past few decades, our lives have become frantically busy. Our lifestyles do not always allow us to rest and eat well. It may not seem like a problem at first, but have you noticed just how long it takes us to recover from a simple case of common flu? This happens as a result of our busy lifestyles and bad eating habits. What can you do to make sure you stay healthy even with all these road blocks?

Good morning, Sunshine!

   Not many people are aware that they get thirsty overnight, and they head straight for their cup of coffee first thing in the morning. However, if you feel like you could try something else instead, something that is beneficial in more than one way. Try drinking a glass of hot lemon water instead of coffee. Lemon water will do wonders for your immune system, it will hydrate your body (this is incredibly important during hot summer months), and it can even help beat obesity.  

Hack your food cravings

   You know those days when you feel like you are going to lose your mind unless you eat some 

chocolate or a bag of chips? Learning to understand your food cravings and what is actually behind them can help you keep your weight under control. Craving for chocolate usually means your body needs magnesium, and you can find it in fruits and raw nuts, while craving for salty, oily snacks indicates you need calcium, and you can get it from raw cheese, turnip, and broccoli. 

Swap that sugar for something better

   Sugar is important, it ‘fuels’ us up and tastes divine; no wonder so many people love it. However, when you’re trying to keep your weight under control, adding sugar to your food is going to make the process difficult. So, instead of adding a spoon of white sugar to your coffee, creams, or strawberries, try adding raw organic honey instead. Honey tastes much better, it’s super-healthy, and can even help you if you have skin problems. It’s a known antioxidant and even has antibacterial traits, so you can use it in your diet and skincare routine alike, and by choosing locally-sourced, organic honey and having a little bit a day can even help build up a resistance to hayfever!

More vitamins for better immune system

   Eating plenty of fruit and vegetables sounds like the easiest thing in the world to do, but it is not always so. We are busy and seldom have the chance to eat a decent meal, so our immune systems can be in pretty bad shape. For those who do not like taking chances with their health and who want to make sure they get everything they need, multivitamin supplement Legion athletics' Triumph will provide enough vitamins for your body to stay healthy even when you are really busy and barely have time to sleep. Alternatively, Teami's Profit tea is another natural way to boost the immune system first thing in the morning.

Junk food withdrawal

   Junk food can become an addiction, and to stop this addiction, you should ‘program’ your brain into liking other things as much as it enjoys junk food. There are several ways to ‘trick’ the brain such as: swapping pizza with extra cheese for vegetarian one, or making your own pate with tuna and mustard, or even by swapping a candy bar with a homemade smoothie made of fresh fruit and honey. You can still eat things you like, just try to do it occasionally instead of every day. After a while, you will notice you’re not even thinking about cheeseburgers; it just takes time and patience to get there.

   Taking good care of health of your body and mind will make you realize just how busy you can be. Admittedly, you will slow down your pace, adopt a healthy habit or two, and start making small changes which will eventually give great results. Over a period of time, you will notice that you sleep better, move more, and you will definitely lose some weight as a result of all that.

About the Author

Mathews McGarry is passionate about many forms of strength training, and spent years lifting, dragging and flipping all manner of heavy objects. After graduating from the Faculty of Health Sciences, he started writing about his experiences, and sharing tips for better life at highstylife.com and other health blogs. Follow him on Twitter.