Eating healthy requires a lot of effort, discipline and it isn’t always fun. So, why bother? At some point in your life, you will realize that the health of your body is the sole determining factor for what kind of lifestyle you can and wish to lead. Just like a smoker faces a possible future of emphysema and lung cancer, if you neglect healthy eating habits, you not only face a possible future of being overweight or obese, you also run the risk of depression, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, bowel complications and much more. The choices you make each day – from what to eat for breakfast to whether or not to have that extra slice of pie – affects how you feel and how you perform, which as you may be able to guess, affects everything you do.

In general, we should include a range of nutritious foods in our diet and eat plenty of breads and cereals, fruits, vegetables and legumes such as chickpeas, lentils and red kidney beans. We should also switch to low fat milk and consume sufficient amount of dairy products. It is also important to drink an adequate amount of water.

Mindful eating is paying more attention to what you can eat, how you eat and how much. If you get the mindful eating down, you will have an easier time creating new healthy habits. Some of the measures include:

• Stop eating in front of the TV or computer, avoid all distractions, and actually pay attention to what you’re putting on your plate and in your mouth.
• Pause before taking a bite, and chew slowly and intentionally.
• Avoid as far as possible the amount of packaged foods you consume and try cooking your own fresh food as much as possible.
• Eat only when you are hungry and never overstuff yourself.