The Nutritionist's Guide to Eating Right on A Budget

People don't generally link the terms nutrition and healthy together. Most people eat to live rather than live to eat. But nutrition is just as important as exercise, in order for your body to function at its best. Nutrition affects our health as well as how we look and feel. Eating well is one of the most important factors in living a healthy life.

Good nutrition is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Combined with physical activity, your diet can help you to reach and maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk of chronic diseases (like heart disease and cancer), and promote your overall health.

Eating healthy is easier said than done. It can be tricky to find the time and energy to shop for and prepare healthy meals, especially if you aren't used to it. Also, eating well costs more money. Once you know what foods make up a healthy diet, you can plan your meals around them. You can also save money by looking for low-cost sources of good food at farmers markets and community supported agriculture programs.

There's a lot of conflicting information out there about what to eat, how much to eat and when to eat. We all know we should be eating healthy, but it can be hard to know where to start. Here are a few basic tips that will help you get started on the right path toward healthy eating.

Don't go on a diet. When people use the word "diet," they're typically referring to an overly restrictive meal plan that requires them to cut out entire food groups, eliminate most carbs or only eat raw foods. Dieting is not fun, and it doesn't work for long-term weight loss anyway. Instead of depriving yourself, focus on making small changes that you can stick with for life.

Eat more fruits and vegetables. Fruits and veggies are packed with nutrients that can improve your overall health — but Americans don't eat enough of them. It's easy to incorporate more fruits and veggies into your diet:

A healthy diet is necessary for overall good health. It helps build and maintain strong muscles, bones, and teeth. It also keeps your heart and blood vessels in good working order. If you have diabetes or high cholesterol levels, eating a balanced diet may lower your chances of a heart attack, stroke, or death from heart disease. The following are some strategies that might help keep your meals healthy:

.Eat a variety of healthy foods each day.

.Eat lots of vegetables and fruits.

.Include whole grains in your daily diet. Choose grain products that are made with 100% whole wheat or another whole grain, such as oatmeal, brown rice or barley.

.Eat meat, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts. These foods give you protein, B vitamins, iron and zinc.

.Drink milk every day. It has calcium for strong bones and teeth. Choose fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1%) milk to reduce the amount of fat in your diet. If you do not or cannot drink milk, choose lactose-free milk or other calcium-rich drinks or foods.

.Eat foods that are low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, salt (sodium) and added sugars; look at the labels because the first listed items on the labels comprise the highest concentrations of ingredients. Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals - and choose the foods with lower numbers.

.Limit solid fats like butter, stick margarine, shortening and lard - they have high levels of saturated fat or trans fat. Choose soft margarines that are low in saturated fat and free of trans fats;

Everyone's body is unique, and your diet should reflect that. Take a few moments to really think about how your body reacts to certain foods. Is it more sensitive to fats? Does it love alkaline foods or does it prefer a more neutral pH balance? Is caffeine a friend or an enemy? These are all things you should consider in order to create the ideal diet for your body.