It seems like summer has crept up on us this year. Just a few weeks ago it was freezing cold and all anyone wanted to do was curl up under a duvet and forget the world exists, but now the sun is shining and everyone has realized their beach-ready body has long gone! Given the highly stressful year and a half the world has experienced, you are probably eating a lot less fresh fruit and veg than you would have normally -but don’t worry! There are lots of easy ways you can help yourself out.

Why Make Healthy Changes? 

We have all heard ‘You have to live life as it comes’, but with a diet and lifestyle that feels right for you, the time to make healthy changes in your life is always right now, and you are never too old or too young. 

By eating better, you will feel better, the energy you save will help you feel fresher and your mind will be clearer too. So how do we make it all easier? By taking some practical steps that will make it easier for you to invest in your healthier habits. 

Here are ten small changes you can make from today that’ll help you start seeing positive changes in your health.

Eat More Protein

Protein is crucial to weight loss and keeping the weight off, but how much do you need really?

As a guideline, the average person needs at least 0.8g of protein for every kg of their body weight. So, for example, someone who is 70kg would need around 60g of protein per day.

It can be tough to get in this amount of protein from just regular food alone. To boost your intake try adding a supplement such as a protein powder from Myprotein to your smoothies.

Make Fruit A Regular Addition

Even though you are probably super busy this summer, why not try out a few new ideas and add fruit to your diet? Fruit is full of amazing vitamins and minerals that will make you feel better.

Packed full of fiber, fruit also helps keep your bowel regular and can help your digestive system in so many ways! It is not only great for helping to boost your energy levels, but it can also help to make your skin look and feel amazing.

Switch To Brown Rice and Pasta

Switching to brown rice and pasta for meals like your spaghetti bolognese or your homemade Chinese-style fried rice is a great way to bulk up on the good carbs too.

Not only does brown rice or pasta taste great, but it is also very filling! Big bowls of noodles are also great for lunch and dinner, and you could always add some chicken or fish if you want something more substantial.

Eat More Soup

Soup, the ultimate comfort food! Soup is warming and can be very filling, especially when you are craving something to eat. 

If you are not a fan of adding a huge, heavy bowl of soup to your diet, why not try out a light broth to start off with? Broth is great for boosting up your immune system with all those vitamins and minerals!

Cut Out Refined or Processed Sugars

You are probably already aware of the bad stuff that refined or processed sugars can do to your body. Just as an example,e too much refined sugar is known to cause the breakdown of collagen and elastin fibers within the skin, which makes your skin sag.

Eating lots of refined and processed sugars also makes you crave more sweets, which leads to eating fewer fruits and vegetables, which means you are not getting the vitamins and minerals you need, and are more likely to gain weight.

Do yourself a favor and break the habit now.

Switch to Olive Oil

If you want to keep your skin looking youthful and glowing, then you should stop eating as much vegetable oil and start using more olive oil.

Extra virgin olive oil has anti-inflammatory properties and it is shown to have a positive effect on skin elasticity. If you look at countries that use olive oil the most (Italy, Spain) they tend to have even younger-looking skin than Americans do. It really works!

Do not just use it for cooking either! You can use olive oil for moisturizing your skin before bedtime as well.

Fresh Fish Is Your Friend

When it comes to eating less meat, fresh fish is a good choice. If you have trouble with seafood, you can try canned tuna in oil, salmon, or shrimp. They are all good sources of omega-3 fatty acids which are excellent for your skin and heart health. 

Or, if you do not like cooking fish or eating fresh fish, simply take a fish oil capsule. They are tiny so you will not even notice them!

Buy Organic and Local Produce 

Locally grown food is more nutritious than food imported from long distances. It is also better for the environment as you are not contributing to global emissions.

Buying organic foods is great because it means they are free from pesticides, herbicides, and hormone-filled animal feed.

Going organic is a great way to make healthy changes in life.

Go For More Veggies

Vegetables are not only low in calories, but they are also full of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants which are vital for keeping your skin clear, glowing, and youthful (and we all know that is important!).

The best thing about veggies is that you can add them to any meal! You do not have to do anything fancy to make them taste great.

Grow Your Own Food

You do not have to go all out, but growing your own food is a rewarding experience. If you have a garden or balcony, you can grow some herbs for your salads and fresh fruit to snack on.

You can even plant some tomatoes or strawberries outside, they will grow in almost any soil and are pretty easy to build up to be huge, and who does not like fresh tomatoes or strawberries?

There are also lots of great gardening blogs out there that tell you how to grow just about anything in a pot! You could even add avocado trees to the mix – talk about superfoods!