3 simple tips for eating healthy

One of the greatest rewards of healthy eating is an immediate upgrade in your body's health. Research shows that eating a healthy diet can help reduce "bad" cholesterol, lower blood pressure and improve overall heart health. The bottom line: it's never too late to reap the benefits of a heart-healthy eating plan. To get you started, here are three simple tips for eating healthy.

A healthy, 100 g (3 1⁄2 oz) portion of lean beef is good for you because it's packed with vitamins B6 and B12, both of which help control levels of homocysteine, a substance linked to heart risk.

Plus, beef today has significantly less artery-clogging saturated fat than in the past. Just be sure to look for lean cuts to make sure you're getting beef with the least fat possible.

Don't miss out on the heart benefits that omega-3 fatty acids provide. These acids are found in fish, and can now also be found in omega-3 eggs or omega-3 dairy products.

For other omega-3 sources, choose walnuts when you're snacking on nuts. Or try a sprinkle of ground flaxseed (another source of omega-3s) on your cereal.

You should also develop a better understanding of how to use fruits and vegetables. It's easy to stock up on lots of delicious fruits and vegetables, then run out of time or opportunities to eat them before they rot. And that seems such a waste of money.

Give these four solutions a try to combat this problem:

1. Calculate your vegetable and fruit needs for the week and shop for just that amount. That may sound obvious but many shoppers tend to buy what looks good at the grocery store that particular day, without a specific use in mind. Picking up produce like this inevitably leads to overshopping (or, for those without a vegetable habit, undershopping).
2. Try making fresh fruits and vegetables more user-friendly. Take an apple and a bag of baby carrots to work, cut up that cantaloupe and keep it in the fridge in a covered container, and put cut-up raw vegetables on the table before dinner.
3. Make soup each weekend with whatever vegetables haven't been used during the week. Throw in a can of beans, lots of vegetables, plenty of herbs and, if appropriate, leftovers from the week, and you'll have an improvised minestrone soup that will feed you and the family all weekend.
4. Keep a stock of frozen vegetables and frozen or canned fruit in unsweetened juice that will last much longer than fresh produce.

Remember these three simple tips for healthy eating to help you on your way to a healthier body and better quality of life.