The Healthy Diet Checklist: Simple Habits for Long-Term Success
With countless diet books and experts out there claiming to have the “best” approach to eating, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and stuck on a never-ending diet hamster wheel. The truth is, chasing after the perfect diet is a losing game, and it’s one of the main reasons so many people struggle with their weight.
If you’re ready to break free from the cycle of restrictive eating plans, it’s time to shift your focus from specific diets to common, sustainable habits. A decade-long study involving over 17,000 people revealed that good health boils down to a few key eating behaviors—regardless of your genetic predisposition.
The study highlighted that achieving less body fat, more lean muscle, and better overall health doesn’t require cutting out carbs, avoiding gluten, or going on a detox. Instead, it comes down to embracing a handful of simple, proven dietary habits:
- Eat more than 400 grams of fruits and vegetables daily: This is roughly equivalent to 3 pieces of fruit and 2 cups of vegetables.
- Keep total dietary fat under 30% of your daily calories: For a 2,000-calorie diet, this allows for up to 65 grams of fat per day.
- Limit saturated fat to 10% or less of your daily calories.
- Keep sugar intake to less than 10% of your daily calories.
- Consume at least 25 grams of fiber each day.
- Ensure you’re getting more than 3500 mg of potassium daily: Potassium-rich foods include potatoes, avocados, bananas, oranges, green vegetables, dairy, cashews, beans, lentils, and salmon.
These guidelines offer solid advice without dictating exactly what you should eat. The best part? They remind us that the most effective diet is the one you can stick with over the long haul. Instead of obsessing over a particular eating style, focus on these broader, science-backed habits. They’ll guide you toward better health without the stress of trying to follow a rigid plan.
