Beauty starts with health: achieving a good body and good skin starts with a healthy lifestyle. This means eating and living healthily. Find out how to eat your way out to a healthier and more beautiful you.

Tip#1: Change The Snack Ratio

Healthy eating starts by changing what we call the snack ratio. This means eating healthier treats and going less for high-calorie junk food. This step is best done slowly and gradually: for example, you can have a small bag of candy bars and junk food as long as it is coupled with three types of fruit. You can also trade in granola bars, peanuts and oatmeal bars for the junk food and candy bars.

Tip#2: Shop Healthily

Avoid the temptation of buying junk food, chocolates and sweet treats. You can do so by following a simple shopping psychology: shop on the outer aisles, where you’ll find fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and the like. If you don’t see the things that tempt you, you are simply not tempted to buy.

Tip#3: Read The Labels

Start the habit of reading the labels of the food you eat and of fully understanding what these labels mean. We are often attracted by the “light” or “non-fat” label but these are not always healthy choices. The food might be low in fat but high in sodium, or it might have a low amount of sugar but be high in fat. Start to read the “nutrition facts” section of the product: it is usually at the back of the can, box or bag.

This task is, in fact, tedious, and probably most of you will find it difficult or “impractical”. You don’t have to read every label: you can start with your favourite foods and snacks. When you get in the habit, you’ll notice the differences in the amount of sodium, carbs, calories and sugars per serving for the different food packages. Once you’ve established this orientation, you can make the slow adjustment of looking for alternatives with less sodium, fats and calories.

Tip#4: Selecting The Right Portion

One way to eat your way to beauty and health is to develop the habit of choosing food portions that are sensible in size (not too much, not so few). Many use the “cup of your hand” method when it comes to measuring the amount of food that goes onto the plate. If a cup of rice doesn’t seem to fit your cupped palm, the amount might be too much for you.

Tip#5: Train Your Brain And Your Taste Buds Towards Healthy Choices

Put simply, this means developing an attitude that goes towards healthy food choices. Many times we choose sweet snack bars and chocolates over sweet fruits because of their taste. We have to admit that the sweet taste of fruit can’t give you the same sweetness as a candy bar, but we can change our attitudes when it comes to this. We can retrain our tastes buds and our brain to simply get used to the taste. Once you’re used to it, choosing it over candy bars becomes an easier task.

This article on beauty and wellness is written by Jenny Higgins, a writer of articles on make-up tools such as the Susan Joy Design Brushes, make-up tips, skin-care tips and other beauty and wellness tips.