5 Ways to Make Healthy Eating More Interesting

Eating healthy sometimes seems boring. As a culture, we've become inclined to associate good food with foods and dishes that are not always the best choices. Meals that contain oils, cheese, refined sugars and even trans fats have seeped into our daily diets. These high caloric and high sugar foods have us coming back for more but these choices are not the best for our health. Good news is on the way! Eating healthy doesn't have to be boring. Fresh fruits, vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats, nuts and spices are great ways to make meals interesting and tasty. Follow these easy tips to spice up your food for healthy eating that's good for you and satisfying to the taste buds.

1. Use spices. Use spices for every meal. Yes, that even means you can spice up your breakfast! For breakfast, eggs cooked in olive oil and spiced with rosemary and garlic add a whole new flavor and sophistication to an early morning meal. Lunch salads can be freshened up with lemon juice and sea salt mixed with a bit of cilantro as a low cal dressing. Fish or chicken at dinner can be marinated in fresh juices and garlic to add flavor.

2. Add color. Use as many colors in your meals as possible. This means adding vegetables and fruits of all different colors. Try to incorporate at least 4 different colors at each meal. Blueberries and strawberries, bell peppers, tomatoes, eggplant and yellow squash are just a few colorful ingredients that can help make your food tasty. In addition, the colors are eye catching which will make any dish more appealing.

3. Fatten up your food. Using healthy fats will add flavor to food. Fats such as olive oil, coconut oil, avocado and nuts add depth to the flavor of food providing a richer taste in a dish. In addition, the role of fat is to slow the absorption of sugar into the blood stream and signal the brain that you are full. So not only will you benefit from a taste enhancer, but you'll also be doing yourself a favor nutritionally.

4. Serve it sassy. Dress up your food! Use garnishes such as parsley on the side of the plate, a piece of bibb lettuce under a fresh piece of fish or fresh fruit on top of your protein as a flavor enhancer and pretty finisher. At most restaurants, your food comes out on the plate looking beautiful. There may be a subtle or sophisticated plated presentation. Making your plate pretty can help make your meal seem more enticing.

5. Try something new. We tend to get into the habit of eating the same foods over and over again. The biggest reason for this is because we know we like these foods so they are our "go to" foods. Trying new things can help keep your healthy meals new and exciting. Try a new piece of fish for dinner such as sea bass, halibut or pick the freshest piece of fish at your local grocery store that you haven't tried before. Cook your vegetables in a different way. Summer time is the perfect time to grill vegetables instead of roasting or baking them. Add in one new vegetable or fruit to mix things up. Try a new recipe to give you inspiration. Whatever the "new" component is, keeping your meals interesting will help make eating healthy fun and keep you focused on healthy choices.