Nutrition is often regarded as the first form of medicine. Indeed, it plays a fundamental role in our health! This article presents 10 essential keys to adopting simple dietary habits that can optimize your health and well-being.
1. Have a savory breakfast!
Most of us eat cereal with milk or buttered white toast with jam alongside a tall glass of orange juice for breakfast. But that breakfast is far from ideal in terms of nutrition. Indeed, that kind of overly sugary meal encourages insulin secretion, which should be avoided — especially in the morning.
It’s best to opt for a savory breakfast. Eating protein in the morning promotes the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that stimulates the mind and jump-starts your motivation. In addition to making you more motivated and alert, consuming protein at breakfast can also help you feel full longer and reduce snacking later in the morning.
Eggs are the perfect solution because they contain extremely high quality protein and are rich in vitamins and minerals. But there are other protein sources you can try for variety:
 | Animal protein: one ounce of cheese (preferably goat or sheep milk), a yogurt (goat or sheep milk), sardines or a slice of good ham (from time to time) |
 | Plant-based protein: soy-based vegan pudding packed with protein, chia seeds, nuts (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.) |
2. Eat at least 2 to 3 fruits and 2 to 3 servings of vegetables a day
A daily intake of 28 to 32 oz of fruit and vegetables is ideal, i.e. 2 to 3 servings of vegetables (17 oz) and 2 to 3 fruits. For lunch and dinner, choose at least one raw and one cooked fruit or vegetable.
After all, fresh fruits and vegetables are very high in fiber, which has an essential role to optimizing our health. It contributes to satiety and therefore plays an important role in weight management, it helps regulate our blood sugar levels, and it also facilitates digestion and helps balance our gut microbiota.
Fruits and vegetables are also rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Getting the right amount of antioxidants is particularly important for preventing cancer, degenerative diseases and cardiovascular disease.
Vary the fruits and vegetables on your plate and their colors as much as possible to reap all their benefits!
Warning: fruit juice is not the same as fruit! Juice lacks the fiber that regulates the rate at which sugars are assimilated, so its glycemic index is much higher than that of whole fruit.
3. Eat good fat
The quest to eliminate fat has no scientific or biological basis. In fact, “good fats” are responsible for the proper development of eyesight, brain membranes and neural connections. In addition to being good for the brain, they help reduce cardiovascular risks. So good fat is a crucial ally for good health!
But not all fats are created equal! The problem is not that we eat too much fat these days, but that we eat too much bad fat.
Limit your intake of saturated fats and omega-6, which are currently over-consumed. These fats are found in animal products (meat, butter, cheese, etc.), in some vegetable oils (sunflower, coconut, palm, grape seed) and above all in many processed products (cookies, potato chips, etc.).
On the other hand, make sure you get plenty of omega-3 fatty acids! Omega-3 fatty acids occur primarily in fatty fish (tuna, salmon, mackerel, sardines, etc.), certain oils (canola, linseed, walnut), seeds (chia, flax, hemp) and in some vegetables in very small quantities (watercress, lamb’s lettuce, cabbage). Caution: do not consume tuna or salmon more than once a week, as they generally contain high levels of various pollutants, including heavy metals (mercury, PCBs, dioxins, etc.).
Choose products rich in omega-9 fatty acids. Omega-9 fatty acids occur in large quantities in olive oil, hazelnut oil, avocado, hazelnuts and almonds. In view of the environmental impact of avocados, we recommend eating them only occasionally.
4. Take the time to chew
Chewing may seem like a trivial step and is often neglected; however, it plays an essential role in our health.
 | Better nutrient absorption: good chewing transforms food into nutrients that reach our cells more effectively. |
 | Eating less and managing weight: chewing triggers various hormones that send a satiety signal to the brain during the meal. |
 | Improving digestion: insufficient chewing forces the stomach to produce more gastric juice to break down large pieces. This excess acid can irritate the digestive lining and cause acid reflux. |
 | Protecting teeth and gums: chewing helps prevent cavities by stimulating saliva production, which cleans dental plaque and protects enamel from acidity. It also exercises our gums, essential for good dental health. |
5. Fill up on antioxidants
Antioxidants are extremely beneficial molecules that are crucial to cell protection. They help guard against various afflictions, such as premature skin aging, cancer, degenerative disorders, cataracts, arthritis and cardiovascular disease.
The good news is that these miracle workers occur all around us in our food. Eating generous amounts of fruits and vegetables is usually enough to cover the body’s needs. Here are some foods with particularly high antioxidant properties:
 | Berries: blueberries, blackberries, goji berries, acai berries, raspberries, strawberries |
 | Other fruits: apples, plums, pomegranates, oranges, kiwis, grapes, figs |
 | Vegetables: artichokes, cabbages, broccoli, spinach, bell peppers |
 | Allium family: onion, garlic, shallot |
 | Spices: cloves, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon |
 | Herb: thyme, basil, oregano, parsley, chives, dill, mint, rosemary, bay leaf |
 | Hot beverages: tea and coffee |
 | Cacao and chocolate: pure cocoa powder, dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao) |
You should eat organic versions of these foods because organically grown foods have 20% to 70% more polyphenols (a type of antioxidant found in many vegetables) than conventionally grown foods.
6. Eat mindfully
In our busy lives, many of us eat breakfast at breakneck speed, or gobble up lunch in front of our computers to make the most of our time. We are completely disconnected from our relationship with food.
However, it is important to devote at least 20 minutes to each meal. Mindfulness is about considering a moment in its own right, and paying attention to what we eat.
Applying mindfulness to our eating habits will have several beneficial impacts. First, it enables us to listen to our hunger and satiety signals and ensure that our intake is adapted to our needs. This will reduce the quantities we consume and our cravings for snacks.
Mindful eating also helps develop a preference for healthier foods: when we eat impulsively and emotionally without listening to our bodies, we no longer feel the pleasure of eating, and we are more susceptible to fatty, sweet and salty foods.
Finally, mindfulness also contributes to mental well-being. It allows you to observe your feelings without judgment, and to listen to yourself. Thinking only of the present moment during a meal also helps to still the mind and lower stress and anxiety.
7. Limit your salt intake
Salt is essential to proper body function, but excessive consumption can lead to the development of certain diseases. Today, we consume more than twice as much salt than we really need!
Excessive salt intake increases the risk of high blood pressure. Hypertension itself can lead to heart disease and even stroke. Salt consumption also increases the risk of cancer and stomach ulcers.
There are simple ways to reduce salt intake:
- Limit foods high in salt: ready-made meals, potato chips, cold cuts, pizza, sauces, cheese, etc.
- Opt for alternatives to add flavor to dishes, such as garlic, onion, thyme, chives, basil, lemon, pepper, curry, paprika and all sorts of spices.
- Taste before salting
- Do not add salt to cooking water
- Remove the salt shaker from the table
8. Go vegetarian at dinner
It is recommended to prepare a vegetarian dinner, meaning no meat, fish or eggs. This type of meal will help pave the way for a good night’s sleep.
So, for dinner you should opt for plant-based protein rather than animal protein. Indeed, animal protein encourages the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for alertness and motivation. While it is perfect in the morning to rev you up, at night the body needs to make serotonin, a neurotransmitter associated with soothing and sleep regulation.
Serotonin is made from tryptophan, an amino acid found in plant-based protein, such as legumes, soy, brown rice, sunflower seeds and chocolate. The carbohydrates found in legumes and grain products also help optimize serotonin production.
Some foods promote serotonin production, which optimizes sleep quality:
 | Walnuts and almonds: in addition to tryptophan, they contain magnesium, a lack of which can be linked to sleep disorders. |
 | Carbohydrates (from whole grains and fruits): thanks to insulin secretion, their amino acids will be directed to the brain rather than the muscles. That will make room for tryptophan in the brain, so it is more readily available for serotonin production. |
Furthermore, animal proteins and cooked fats are very demanding for the digestive system: they are made up of molecules that can take a long time to digest.
9. Opt for low-temperature cooking
Cooking at high temperatures erodes the nutritional quality of food: it leads to the destruction of certain vitamins and minerals. Some vitamins are very sensitive to heat, and foods can easily lose 50% of their initial vitamin content during cooking. The longer the cooking time and the higher the temperature, the lower the nutritional content of the food.
In addition, browning food during cooking is accompanied by the production of Maillard bodies, compounds which, in excessive quantities, can increase the risk of developing certain cancers.
Opt for low-temperature cooking, i.e. below 210°F. The most useful method is gently steaming your foods.
10. Eat raw foods and avoid processed foods
Raw food is a product that is sold in its original form and has not undergone any
processing: fruit and vegetables, legumes, eggs, fish, etc. Conversely, processed products
are those that have undergone some form of transformation in order to be sold and which do not occur in this form in nature: ready-made meals, fruit juices and soft drinks, cookies, etc.
Ultra-processed foods have problematic health effects: they are often low in nutrients with a high glycemic load. What’s more, they generally contain little fiber and their texture can be too soft to be satiating.
Finally, consuming processed foods throws the gut microbiota out of balance. As a result, the intestinal microbiota has fewer good bacteria, which are essential to proper body function since they fight pathogens (e.g. parasites and bacteria) and perform essential functions to prevent lifestyle diseases.
Here are some tips for avoiding processed foods:
 | Go with short ingredient lists, meaning no more than 4 or 5 ingredients. |
 | Avoid products whose ingredient list includes items with complicated names (glucose-fructose syrup, hydrolyzed proteins, modified starch, etc.). |
 | Choose products without problematic additives. Of course, you can use Yuka for this! |
 | Eat as many raw, unprocessed products as possible, that you have prepared and cooked yourself. |
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Co-Author
Anthony Berthou
Registered nutritionist, specialist in systemic food issues, teacher to healthcare professionals.
Insulin secretion is natural, please don’t demonize this. Same goes for “good” versus “bad”…that dichotomy doesn’t really exist either nutrition.
LOVE YUKA!
Thank you for creating a helpful resource for consumers, heaven knows food labels could be simpler but aren’t!
Nice basic article! Would love to see a more in-depth discussion of healthy choices!
Awesomeness Personified! The article mentioned Maillard Effect, Avocados and Canola Oil. Please elaborate when you have time. 75 years young! Loving the app.
I have just begun my journey to becoming more mindful of choosing “cleaner” products in my life. Whether it’s the food I eat, skin care products I use, household cleaners and also the environmental impact of the things I use everyday including all the plastic, paper towels, cookware …etc. I have been scanning everything using the Yuka app as well as EWG. It’s going to take a long time to get there but we have to start somewhere. Yuka will be instrumental in this transition. Thank you. I loved this article and look forward to more helpful advice from Yuka.
What about bananas – potassium source?
Thank you, for the great article
Very much appreciated!!! Keep up the great work.
Please can you explain about advacados .you mention environmental issues affecting advacados.
Can you explain on more detail.
As l eat an advacado each day.
Thank you.
A really interesting read especially a out different foods to eat each morning and evening
I am enjoying the app when shopping and it helps me make sensible choices
Great article and very informational. Thank you for the dedicated research and work you all are doing!
Like Sandra, I’m also curious about your comment re ‘the environmental impact of avocados’. Would you please explain in further detail. 🤔
Canola oil is NOT a healthy oil. It is made from a flower (grown plentifully in England, where I live) and is toxic. That means it must be highly processed to make it safe for human consumption. Any oil, or food for that matter, that is or must be highly processed is not healthy.
very interesting thankyou
So interesting and a lot to think about, thank you.
I am enjoying your app and I appreciated this article. I am curious about the “environmental impact of avocados” that you refer to in the article. Please explain what this is.
Love your app it has been so helpful for me.
It very nice 👌 perfect
Thank you for all your hard work in bringing the knowledge of healthy eating to your subscribers!
I was told about your organization 2 weeks ago. Since then I’ve been super diligent in scanning all the bar codes in my pantry. What an eye opening procedure! I’ll continue to pass to others your good work and app!
Great information! Using the Yuka app has been eye opening! I’ve lost a few pounds by simply scanning better quality foods. We have a Trade Joes and they offer quality foods at a good price. Greatly appreciate this app!
The app is very good and does what it’s supposed to do but the biggest problem is the food it recommends to eat isn’t even sold nearby most of the time so we can barely use it.
Thanks for these tips. We do try to incorporate good eating habits in every meal. For me, it’s the craving for a sweet/savory snack that is my downfall.
I’ve shared the Yuka app with several friends and they were all very excited. I also shared it with my daughter who has a teen boy on the spectrum. I’m convinced that good nutrition habits would be extremely beneficial for him…but I’m just “mom.” I’m hoping this app will make it easier and fun for her to adopt better food shopping habits.
K
GREAT info!! Very helpful! I love this app so much. There are always new and interesting things to find out. You three are doing a fabulous job running this! What an amazing idea for you to come up with this app! Thank you! I know you’re helping a lot of people!
This is a fantastic resource, I love it!!
Thank you
Can’t get enough of this app…me and my son have Crohn’s so finding food without the risky gut additives is helpful… thanks 👍
Thank you, great read!
Very useful info: re: healthy eating tips which I will definitely take on board. I love scanning food products to check their
health score. One thing that did shock me is I have been purchasing the Ella delicious apple fruit oat bar quite a lot and the
score is poor 34/100, so not as healthy as I thought. So glad I can now check on your wonderful app. Now I no longer purchase
them. Well done 👍😁
Thank you for a great article, we need all the advice and help that we can get these days, as food is so messed about with.
Your app is so very helpful to guiding us in the right direction to eat healthily