Eat more fruits and vegetables. Cut back on salt, saturated fat, and sugar. Switch to whole grains. Get your body moving.
Legumes are packed with fiber, protein, potassium, magnesium, folate, and iron. That helps explain why beans (and lentils) are so good for you. Bonus: they’re delicious. Warm up your winter with this French Lentil Stew from Kate Sherwood, The Healthy Cook.
Nuts and seeds offer a little plant protein and plenty of healthy fats, plus nutrients like magnesium, zinc, and vitamin E. So sprinkle them on salads instead of croutons, which are usually salty white-flour bread. (For more flavor, toast the nuts first.)
Add a pound of steamed broccoli or other veggie to your favorite Chinese or Thai take-out. Mix a bagged salad kit with a bag of undressed lettuce. Add a bed of baby spinach or kale to frozen meals. That way, each mouthful ends up with more potassium and less salt.
You can’t go wrong with some fresh fruit plus plain Greek or regular yogurt, which has no added sugar. Try mixing in frozen wild blueberries or mango or stewed cinnamon apples. Mmm.
The best coffee drinks mix espresso or coffee with milk, water, or ice, not sugary syrups, cream, or whipped cream. That means a regular latte or cappuccino, or an Americano (espresso plus water), black coffee, or iced coffee.