In this edition of Hood Health 101 we will show you simple steps that make a healthy food regimen

You, yes you, can eat better! I don’t mean that you will automatically start eating super-sized extra healthy meals or that you will start drinking purified water from Lake Minnetonka. I just mean that a few small tweeks will bring more nutrition into your life. Being healthy is not a university course. The root of being healthy is realizing that once you know better you can do better. Your health is your responsibility. It is based up on the choices you make daily. Act accordingly. Once you know better make it your business to do better.

Weight is often a reason a lot of people want to adjust their health. Weight is not the indicator of health yet it can be one. Sadly many people are only concerned about their weight due to cosmetic reasons even though when one approaches the obese realm there are dire health consequences of being over weight. If you go into any bookstore and look at the New York Times bestseller list you will always find some new diet book within the top ten. Even that word diet resonates with “die.” Diets are often successful at enabling a person to loose weight yet the majority of the time it is only for a limited amount of time. Loosing weight is not an event. It needs to be about changing one’s mentality, adopting new habits and embracing a new lifestyle.

Being concerned about your overall health is centered around the fuel (food) that you put in your body. It needs to be nourishing,give you energy and provide the proper building blocks for your body to build itself up into its optimum self. You don’t have to become a health superhero overnight. Take some small steps that will lead to a longer journey into treating yourself better. Below are some simple steps that one can take.

1.) Eat less C.R.A.P. Carbonated Drinks, Refined Sugars, Artificial Sweeteners and Colors, Processed Foods)

2.) Eat more F.O.O.D: (Fruits & Veggies, Organic Lean Protein, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Drink Water)

3.) Eat canned foods only as emergencies: Often things such as beans are cheaper dry anyway. Canned foods are robbed of their nutrients and are loaded with sodium

4.) Cut down on fried foods: Up your baking and steaming game. If you must fry use coconut or olive oils.

5.) Cut down on junk food: In reality junk food isn’t even food. It’s just junk and has no nutritional value.

6.) Buy a blender: You can blend certain veggies and beans into purees that can be effortlessly added to certain sauces. They will increase the nutritional value of the sauces and often won’t even change the taste profile of the sauce.

7.) Buy the majority of your food from the outer ring of the grocery store: This is where the real food is at. When you go into the center of the store that is where the processed stuff is at.

8.) Cook more often: Cook over eating fast-foods, or if you don’t know how to cook make it your business to learn how.

9.) Take some time during the week to bulk prep food: Buy some cheap plastic containers and prepare your lunch for the week. Try preparing dishes such as rice and beans or noodles that will last for a few days.

10.) That microwave…cut down its use or get rid of it all together: They got you thinking that everything needs to be microwaved. I mean honestly how long does it take to warm up a burrito or cook popcorn? Stop that madness.

11.) Try not to eat anything that your grandparents or great grandparents wouldn’t recognized as food

12.) Work to eat things in which you only recognize the ingredients: Trying to decipher ingredients shouldn’t be like trying to read a science text book.

13.) Work to pay attention when and why you eat: Work to see if you are an emotional eater or eat out of boredom.

How we eat is often deeply embedded within us. It is not easy sometimes to change our habits. That is why it is important to start small and celebrate each small victory that you make. Once you have mastered hacking one part of your eating habits move on to another challenge. If you keep addressing small portions of your eating in time you will have overhauled your whole eating style. Take your time, be gentle on yourself and start your way off to a better you.

C’BS ALife Allah is the co-editor of the Hood Health Handbook and co-creator of the HoodHealth concept. Check him out at ALifeAllah.com and follow him on twitter @alifeallahor IG @Alifeallah