Reversing Your Bad Diet

A busy work week and taking care of the kids can make maintaining a healthy diet difficult. But if you haven't been eating as many fruits and vegetables as you can, it may not be too late. "There's probably been a time in your life where you've opted for the extra patty on your cheeseburger or upgraded to the extra large fries. While your taste buds are certainly loving you for it, the rest of your body isn’t. The average person eats out 5 of the 7 days a week, " said Eat to Lose Registered Dietitian Andi Holyfield Five of seven days a week of eating meals that can pack up to 1100 calories in a single sitting. On top of the calories, these meals can pack 6000 milligrams of sodium as well as other unwanted side effects. "If you eat a lot of saturated fats, the elevated LDL can clog the arteries and cause a heart attack and that will lead to a stint,” said Holyfield. Fortunately for people with unhealthy diets, Holyfield believes there are ways to reverse the trends. "If you get about 30-40 grams of fiber a day, it actually drops your cholesterol and can reverse some of that damage,” said Holyfield. Holyfield also recommends drinking lots of water as hydration can boost a person's metabolism as much as 30%. Carrying small snacks in your bag, car, and office, can also help you maintain a healthy diet. You may feel like you don't have time to eat healthy or maybe your diet in the past had too many sweets, but it's never too late to practice good habits. While eating healthy is crucial, getting enough exercise is also important when reversing the effects of a bad diet.