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To keep our bodies up and running in perfect condition, we must be extremely cautious of what we put into it. We poison our bodies in innumerable substances, things like junk food, preservatives, MSG, tobacco, alcohol, sugary colas and so much more.

All this ruins our health in more ways than we are aware. Like laughter, eating healthy is good medicine. Our bodies need all kinds of good things to stay healthy, and if we want to get the most out of what our bodies can do, then we need to drink lots of water and eat healthy food.

Eating fruits and vegetables gives our bodies the vitamins and minerals it needs to fight off sicknesses, diseases and cancers, and they help to lower blood pressure too.

They also have fiber like whole grains do, and fiber is what cleans out our intestines so they don’t become clogged or sick with infection or cancer.  Nutrients found in dairy and meat proteins help build and strengthen bones and muscles, but eating less saturated fat is just as important for fighting off sicknesses, diseases and cancers, and lowering blood pressure.

The nutrients from all of these categories give us energy and keep our hearts beating, our brains alert and active, and our muscles working.

If you are very set in your current lifestyle but want to start taking baby steps towards a healthy future, here are a few tips –

• Avoid processed foods – Many of the packaged foods we buy today are aimed at convenience and involve the minimum of preparation time on our part – but they’re not that healthy. They often contain high amounts of preservatives, man-made colourings and other added chemicals. Get into the habit of preparing meals from unprocessed foods and you will reap the health benefits. This means cooking with fresh vegetables, lean meat, eggs and milk and eating plenty of fruit, nuts and legumes.
• Switch to healthy whole grains – As a fast and simple way to improve your eating habits, choose wholemeal or wholegrain bread next time you hit the bakery. And in the supermarket, buy brown rice instead of white, and wholegrain pasta. Adding whole grains such as quinoa and buckwheat to salads and other meals will add a heap of nutrients.
• Adopt healthy cooking methods – The more you “do” to your food, the less it does for you. So avoid things like deep-frying, which drenches your food in unnecessary calories, and boiling vegetables until they’re drained of colour, as this will sap them of nutrients. Switch from frying to grilling, steaming and using light olive oils or cooking sprays.
• Eat healthy portion sizes – For the ideal lunch, a quarter of the plate would be taken up by lean protein, another quarter would be filled with low-GI or wholegrain carbs, and the remaining half would be filled with salad or vegetables. For dinner, eat a little less than at lunch. The chances are that all you’ll be doing after dinner is watching TV or going to bed, so you don’t actually need a lot of energy.
• Hydration is key – Water is essential for life, it’s required for digestion, absorption and transportation of nutrients, for elimination of waste and to regulate body temperature. According to studies, a healthy amount for men to drink is 2.6 litres per day and women should have 2.1 litres (or 8 to 10 cups per day).