Top 5 Ways to Eat Healthy and Stay Fit

1) Engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to intense exercise on most days of the week.

Studies have shown that when exercising, our bodies release endorphins which can elevate mood and lead to higher levels of self-esteem. Generally speaking there is about 3500kcal per pound of fat. Thus if you decrease your intake by 300kcal and perform exercises that cut an additional 200kcal everyday, you're total loss will be 500kcal per day. This comes out to a loss of 1lb per week. The recommended amount of weight loss is 10% of body weight over 6 months.

2) Decrease the amount of saturated fat, and trans fat and increase polyunsaturated and mono unsaturated fatty acids.

The tropical oils (Coconut, Palm) are very high in saturated fat. Olive oil is of course the best to use. Saturated fat is also found in all junk food, so instead of eating the crunch bar as a snack, try having an apple.

3) Consume more fruits, vegetables and grains throughout the day.

Fruits, Vegetables and grains have abundant amounts of nutrients that are needed for our bodies to function. It is best to consume a variety of fruits and vegetables. Also try limiting fruit juice to 1 8oz glass per day due to the high content of added sugar.

4) Cut back on the red meat-->high in saturated fat.

In the US, obesity and overweight is so high that it is a public health epidemic. Studies indicate that 34% of Americans are overweight and 31% are obese. This means that only about a third of our population is considered healthy. Instead of the Big Mac, grab a healthy sandwich from your local deli, or just make your own. If you're worried about meeting the protein requirement, don't fret. Americans are intaking about 100 grams of protein every day. The recommended amount is 50 grams of protein every day. The excess protein will be stored as fat.

5) Eat foods that are high in carbohydrates.

When examining the food label, try this quick calculation: Take the total amount of carbohydrates and subtract it from the amount of sugar present. This value will give you the amount of complex carbohydrate present in the product. If the amount you calculate is 0 then all the sugar that is present is naturally occurring, which is what is desired. Also, our main source of energy in our diets is glucose, thus our body will oxidize carbohydrates and create energy.

Also as a general rule remember that body weight is just a measure of energy in and energy out. Thus if you are intaking 2200 kcal in a day of which 1100kcal are carbohydrates and 1100kcal are fat, and you are burning 2500kcal per day due to a high metabolism or exercise, you will lose weight. It is however advised not to eat high saturated fat diets as they increase the risk of Chronic Heart Disease, Type II Diabetes, hypertension, etc.