We all know that to improve our health, we should drink lots of water, eat more fruits and vegetables and exercise, but little is defined beyond that. How much water should we drink? How many fruits and vegetables are in a serving, and what counts as exercise? If you’re wondering where to begin to improve your health, start with the six simple tips below.

Drink more than eight glasses (64 oz.) of water. Humans need a lot of water to function. If you weigh more than 130 pounds or exercise regularly (two and a half hours per week), you need more than eight glasses of water per day. To figure out the right amount of water for you, divide your body weight in two and drink that number in ounces of water per day. For instance, if you weigh 200 pounds, drink 100 ounces, or about 13 8-ounce glasses of water. Remember that most drinking glasses actually hold 12 ounces.

Aim to eat two cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables per day. You’ve probably heard to eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day, but how much equals a serving? Headquartered in D.C., the USDA based serving sizes on the portion sizes people eat, ease of use and nutritional content of fruits and vegetables. For most fruits and vegetables, one half cup or one whole orange, apple, peach, tomato, banana or ear of corn equals a serving. One serving of fruit or vegetable juice is four ounces.

You don’t have to buy all organic produce. Pesticides can’t penetrate through the thick skin of some fruits and vegetables. According to the Environmental Working Group, these 12 fruits and vegetables are the most highly contaminated with pesticides: peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, grapes (imported), carrots and pears. So go organic on those, and stick with non-organic for the rest.

Find a calorie consumption amount that’s easy for you to maintain. Sure, you can consume 1,200 calories per day for a few months and lose weight, but as soon as you move up to a reasonable amount – say 1,600 calories per day – you’ll start to gain it back. Instead, imagine your ideal weight and multiply it by ten. That’s the number of calories you need to eat every day to both lose and maintain your weight. If you exercise, be sure to allow extra calories for those you burned off so you don’t overeat the next day.

It’s not the number of times you go to the gym; it’s how you exercise. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least two hours and 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise (such as brisk walking or swimming) or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity (such as running or cycling) per week, preferably spread throughout the week, and two strength training sessions per week. Ideally, aim for 30 minutes of activity per day, but if you can’t work that in, an hour of cardio twice a week plus two strength-training sessions will suffice. Or, split those two hours into six 20-minute sessions. Also, keep in mind you’re exercising to ward off adult diseases, not just to lose weight. Your efforts might keep you from getting cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

Drink chocolate milk after a hard workout. No, don’t drink chocolate milk immediately after you workout; wait until your stomach settles. Here’s why: water replaces just sweat loss, but low-fat chocolate milk provides carbohydrates, protein, calcium and a little salt and sugar, which perfectly replenish tired muscles after a long bike ride, swim or run. Essentially, chocolate milk is water, plus a whole lot more.

Other health links

10 Health Benefits of Garlic

10 Health Benefits of Lemons

10 Health Benefits of Vinegar

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Grains

Eat eight servings of grain a day for the 1800 calories or seven servings for the 1400 calorie diet.. Choose from: 1/2 whole grain muffin, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 5 to 8 small whole grain crackers, 1 slice whole grain bread, 3/4 cup whole grain high fiber cereal, 1/3 cup whole wheat pasta, one 6 in. whole grain tortilla, 1/3 cup cooked brown rice or cooked couscous, 1/2 cup white or sweet potato, 1/2 cup peas or corn.

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Veggies

Eat four servings a day for the 1800 calorie diet or three servings for the 1400 calorie diet. Choose from: 1/2 cup cooked vegetable such as carrots,broccoli, spinach,eggplant, asparagus, green beans, mushrooms, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts,zucchini, pea pods: 1 cup raw vegetables such as tomatoes, cabbage, cucumbers, salad greens, celery, 1/2 cup vegetable juice.

Fruit

Eat four servings a day for the 1800 calorie diet or three servings for the 1400 calorie diet.. Choose from: 1 small peach, pear, or apple, 1 small banana, 1/2 cup pineapple, 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce, 1/2 large grapefruit, 1/2 cup orange juice, grapefruit juice or apple juice, 3/4 cup blackberries or blueberries, 1 cup melon cubes, 1 1/4 cup strawberries, 8 dried apricot halves, 1/3 cup cranberry juice.

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Meat and Protein

Eat six servings a day for the 1800 calorie diet or four servings for the 1400 calorie diet. Choose from: 1 ounce chicken or turkey white meat, 1 ounce very lean beef or pork, 1 ounce fish, 1 egg or 2 egg whites,1 tablespoon peanut butter, 1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese, 1 ounce cheese, 4 ounces tofu,

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Milk

Eat two servings for the 1800 calorie diet or the 1400 calorie diet. Choose from: 1/3 cup dry fat free milk, 1 cup fat free milk or 1% milk, 1 cup fat free soy milk, 1 cup fat free buttermilk, 6 ounce cup fat free yogurt.

Fats and Sweets

Eat four servings for the 1800 calorie diet and the 1400 calorie diet. Choose from: 1 teaspoon margarine or butter,1 teaspoon canola or olive oil, 8 animal crackers, 3 graham crackers, 1 tablespoon reduced fat mayonnaise, 2 small sandwich cookies, 1/2 cup light ice cream, 1 frozen juice bar, 3 gingersnaps,1/2 cup sugar free pudding, 6 almonds, 10 peanuts.

If you feel you are not maintaining your weight on the 1800 calorie diet them drop down to the 1400 calorie diet. If you are losing too much weight on the 1400 calorie then step up the 1800 calorie diet. Continue with the healthy eating plan to get to your best weight, and maintain it.

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Your first line of defense against weight gain is understanding your eating patterns. Your eating plan doesn’t have to be complicated but you do need to be aware of overeating and the dangers in high calorie content of fat foods. Don’t fall into the trap of mindless eating, such as sitting down with a bag of potato chips or other goodies. If you do, you will eat the bag before you realize what you are doing. Instead sort out the large bags in small sandwich bags and take one. Even better cut up apples, carrots, celery and broccoli and divide into bags. You can grab a bag at any time to munch on. You won’t gain weight and you will be healthier with all those good vitamins.

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It’s a very good idea to choose several menus with fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables and vary them throughout the week. It’s easy to pop on a few veggies to steam and bake a chicken leg. Peel the skin off the chicken leg after baking. You can bake a potato while the oven is on. Baked potato is healthy and isn’t fattening unless you cover it with fat dressings. Instead drop in some chopped veggies and drizzle with olive oil. Eat a piece of fruit for desert. Nothing could be easier.

Always keep canned beans on hand and include them in your shopping list. When you don’t have time for meat, beans are your best bet for protein. Keeping these ideas in mind you will always have healthy food on hand. Practice portion control. Fill your plate with the correct serving sizes and put the rest of the food away at once. Don’t be tempted by having bowls of food on the table. When eating, put your fork down between bites and chew each bite thoroughly. If you eat too fast you won’t have time for a feeling of fullness to set in before you have over eaten.

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You can safely have a healthy snack between meals, but do skip heavy calorie laden foods and go with healthy snacks of fruits and vegetables. Sliced apple smeared with a little peanut butter, a whole wheat muffin, low-fat frozen yogurt, or a bagel with a spoon of jam is fine occasionally. You don’t have to go hungry but being choosy is good. You don’t want to go completely without fat. Olive oil and canola oil is healthy in small portions. Olive oil and vinegar with a little dill and basil makes a perfect salad dressing and has no preservatives or sugar.

Don’t go without breakfast. If you do you will over eat later on. If you don’t have time in the morning to cook you can keep boiled eggs on hand and have one with a slice of whole wheat bread, or peanut butter on a few crackers. A piece of fruit is an excellent choice. You need something to keep you going in the morning. The average person will gain a pound or two every year unless some thought is given to diet. It’s much easier to eat sensibly than to try to lose the weight later when we are set in an unhealthy eating pattern. We can’t start practicing a healthy eating plan too early for our children or ourselves.

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If you begin every meal with a salad, then you won’t have much room for the other stuff. Filling up on greenery first is a good thing, since vegetables and healthy carbs are supposed to be the bulk of the human diet. The other great thing about salads, besides their healthiness is their versatility. You can put almost anything in a salad, lettuce and spinach are just the beginning.Make sure that your salad consists of more than just leafy greens and dressing. Keep this practice at home, as well as restaurants.

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Snack on fruit.

Instead of carrying potato chips or some other bagged and boxed snack, take fruit. You can carry pieces of fruit like apples, oranges and bananas or you can dress natural fruit up. Have sliced peaches with honey or vanilla yogurt, for example. You can also have dried fruit- it like candy.

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Bottom’s Up

You can also drink your vegetable servings. Kids usually like smoothies as much as they like milkshakes- it’s easy to get whole bananas, peaches and strawberries in there. If you are a smoothies Do it yourselfer, then you can get really creative- and really healthy, too. It may also be a good idea to invest in a juicer.

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Raw Fruit For Dessert

Some of the simplest desserts are also the healthiest and the most delicious.  Fruit pairs well with decadent things like chocolate, honey, whipped cream and mascarpone cheese.

Stick With Tradtion

Modern food is a pain- it may be simple but in the long run, it isn’t cheap. A general rule of thumb for someone who wants to eat healthier: the less modern the meal, the more likely it is to be healthy. This is true in many different cultures. Black American “Soul” food for example is full od sweet potatoes, collard greens, green beans and okra. Italian cooking is full of fresh herbs, olive oil, garlic and tomatoes.Even thought

Get Colorstruck

Your plate should look like a Fauvist painting- vibrant with brightness and life. Color is a good indicator of how healthy your meal is.

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1. Leeks

   From the same family as onions and garlic, leeks share many of the same great benefits like Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, iron and manganese. They help fight cancer, raise good HDL cholesterol, and help regulate blood sugar. Their taste is sweeter and milder than onions and they are often used in sauces, soups and sautés.

2. Avocados

   Rich in Vitamin E, Vitamin K, fiber, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, potassium, folate, copper, fiber, carotenoid lutein, monosaturated fat, and oleic acid avocados work hard to protect the body from breast cancer and prostate cancer while simultaneously lowering cholesterol levels. Enjoy them in salads, sandwiches and so much more.

3. Kiwis

   Little, cute these small fruits are packed with potassium, copper, Vitamin C, fiber, Vitamin E, magnesium, and manganese. They are also filled with phytonutrients and antioxidants that work very hard to keep your DNA, heart, colon, and blood sugar levels in check. They also help fight macular degeneration, asthma, and the risk of blood clotting.

4. Broccoli

   The super food broccoli contains Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, C, A, E, protein, zinc, fiber, magnesium, manganese, potassium and phosphorus. It is an exceptional vegetable that helps fight cancer, cataracts, ulcers, heart disease, birth defects and rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, it helps boost the immune system and strengthen bones. Enjoy it raw or cooked.

5. Sweet Potatoes

   Rich in antioxidants, sweet potatoes are anti-diabetic foods that have actually been found to balance blood sugar and decrease insulin resistance. They are offer Vitamin A, B6, C, iron, copper, fiber, potassium, and manganese. Enjoy them cold or hot and use them as a substitute for any regular potato.

6. Green Beans

   This vegetable is packed with Vitamin K (which is highly important for healthy bones). Studies show that green beans may reduce the risk of asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis. It may also protect against certain cancers, heart problems and help keep the skin, memory and immune system in healthy check. They offer Vitamin A, C, fiber, protein, copper, calcium, riboflavin, manganese, folate, magnesium, niacin, thiamin, phosphorous, and omega-3 fatty acids. Serve them in soups, casseroles and side dishes.

7. Pears

   Because of their antioxidant properties, pears help protect the body promoting heart, colon and macular degeneration. They are also known as a hypoallergenic fruit. In other words, they are least likely to cause allergies and because of this they are often the recommended fruit for infants. Pears contain copper, Vitamin C and fiber and are served whole, in salads and a wide variety of other dishes.

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Apples

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Fresh, crisp apples are good sources of vitamin C and fiber. Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that keeps the capillaries and blood vessels healthy, aids in the absorption of iron and protects the body’s cells from damage. Among the health benefits of fiber include: prevention of constipation, aids in weight loss and lowers your risk of digestive conditions. One medium apple has about 4.4 g of fiber.

Strawberries

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Strawberries are excellent sources of vitamin C and manganese. Manganese acts as a coenzyme to assist metabolic progression in the body. The mineral is also involved in forming connective tissues, calcium absorption, proper function of the thyroid, and regulates blood sugar level. This heart shaped fruit is also a very good source of dietary fiber and iodine and a good source of potassium, folate, vitamin K and magnesium.

Cherries

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Red and tangy sweet cherries are packed with vitamins and minerals. They are low in calories and low in fat. This luscious fruit is one of the few food sources which contain a significant amount of melatonin, an antioxidant which has been found to help regulate the body’s natural sleep patterns, aid with jet lag and prevent memory loss. Red tart cherries were found to contain the phytochemical anthocyanin which helps ease the pain of arthritis and gout.

Watermelons

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Aside from its cancer-fighting lycopene, watermelon is also a good source of potassium, folic acid and vitamins B1 and B6. B vitamins in food have been found to reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer. This ultra-low calorie filling fruit is one of the rare food sources of citrulline, an amino acid found to have Viagra-like effects to the blood vessels of the body. A cup of watermelon contains 176 mg of potassium.

Raspberries

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Preliminary medical research showed that regular consumption of raspberries is beneficial in inflammation, pain, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, allergies and age-related macular degeneration. Their antioxidant property is highest among fruits. They are also excellent sources of vitamin C and manganese and are one among fruits with the highest fiber content.

Red Bell Peppers

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Red bell pepper is packed with two powerful antioxidants—vitamins A and C. A cup contains 5244 IU of vitamin A. It is also an excellent source of vitamin B6, an essential nutrient for normal brain development and function, and helps the body make the hormones serotonin and norepinephrine (which influence the mood) and melatonin (which helps regulate the body clock). Red bell peppers also contain lycopene, lutein and zeanthin.

Tomatoes

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Here’s an everyday vegetable that’s loaded with more than 20 vital nutrients. For several years, the lycopene in tomatoes have been extensively studied for its antioxidant and cancer-preventing properties. Lycopene from tomatoes may be beneficial against a growing list of cancers including: colorectal, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung and pancreatic cancers. Tomatoes are also very good sources of vitamin B2 and chromium. Vitamin B2, also called riboflavin has shown to be beneficial in reducing the frequency of migraine attacks, and chromium has been found to help keep the blood sugar levels of diabetic patients under control.

Related reading:

• 10 Most Nutritious Vegetables
• Health Benefits of White Fruits and Vegetables
• Health Benefits of Yellow Fruits and Vegetables
• Watermelon: The Refreshing Way to Good Health

Strawberries

Whether you pick them off the vine or buy them at your local supermarket, strawberries are good inflammation fighters. A study published in Arthritis Today showed that women who ate more than fifteen strawberries per week were less likely to have high levels of c-reactive protein (CRP), a marker for inflammation. Elevated CRP levels are also associated with an increased risk of heart disease – one more reason to eat strawberries.

Apples

The apple may not be the most exotic fruit in the produce aisle, but its health benefits are compelling. Not only are apples a good source of antioxidants, but they’re rich in quercetin, a powerful bioflavonoid with anti-inflammatory properties. Quercetin inhibits production of arachidonic acid, a compound associated with inflammation. The quercetin that’s so abundant in apples is also good for another type of inflammation – the inflammation associated with allergies. It exerts its anti-allergy effect by blocking release of histamine, a chemical responsible for many of the symptoms allergy sufferers experience.

Tart Cherries

Most people buy sweet, black cherries, but it’s their tart cousin that has the most anti-inflammatory benefits. The component of cherries that reduces inflammation are the anthocyanins, phytochemicals that give them their luscious red color. Not only do tart cherries reduce the inflammation associated with arthritis, but they also help to prevent the muscle soreness and inflammation that occurs after a hard workout. The anthocyanins found in cherries also inhibit the cox-2 enzyme, the same enzyme targeted by prescription anti-inflammatory medications.

If you’re looking for a natural way to relieve pain and inflammation, give these three anti-inflammatory fruits a try. They’re a tasty and natural way to fight inflammation.

Dr. Elizabeth Barrett-Connor, of the University of California at San Diego, and colleagues studied 859 men and women ages 50-79 years.  Among their findings, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine:  Men with low-potassium diets were almost three times more likely to die after a stroke than those who had higher potassium diets.   Women who consumed little potassium were almost five times more likely to die after a stroke.

Barrett- Connor says her results indicate that “one extra serving of fresh fruits and vegetables a day may decrease the risk of stroke by as much as 40 percent regardless of other know risk factors.”

She says no one should take potassium supplements without supervision.

Gail C. Frank, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, and an epidemiologist as Louisiana State University at New Orleans, agrees.  “Adding extra banana or half a cup of orange juice is not a bad idea,” she says.  “But when you get into tablets, you risk complications that could affect the kidneys and the heart.”

The recommended dietary range for potassium is 1,800- 5,600 milligrams a day, Frank says.  A small banana has 380 milligrams; one cup of orange juice, 400 milligrams; a small potato, 350 milligrams; one cup of carrots, 150 milligrams.

Potassium is crucial to bodily function.  The average person who eats a well balanced diet with fruits and vegetables will meet the range.

Cantaloupe, also called muskmelon or rockmelon belongs to the same family as the cucumber, watermelon, squash and gourd. Although squashes and gourds are considered vegetables, cantaloupes, just like cucumbers and watermelons are considered fruits. The name cantaloupe originates from the Italian papal village of Cantalup, where it was first cultivated around 1700 AD.

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Cantaloupe is not only deliciously refreshing, it’s also a very nutritious fruit.

Vitamin A

The color of its flesh means that its bursting with vitamin A through its concentrated beta-carotene content. Vitamin A and beta-carotene promotes healthy vision and reduce risk of developing cataracts. A cup contains 103% daily value of vitamin A.

Vitamin A rich foods have also been found to be beneficial for lung inflammation and emphysema. A common carcinogen in cigarette smoke, benzo(a)pyrene, have been found to  induce vitamin A deficiency.

Vitamin C

Cantaloupe is rich in vitamin C, a very important nutrient which fights infection and kills bacteria and viruses in the body. Research has also shown vitamin C to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer. A cup of cantaloupe has 112% daily value of vitamin C.

Vitamins B6 and B3

Cantaloupe is a good source of vitamins B6 and B3. B vitamins performs various functions in the body including support and increase in metabolism rate and reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal forms of cancer.

Potassium, Fiber and Folate

This low calorie fruit is also a very good source of potassium, an electrolyte that’s essential for the body’s growth and maintenance.

Its fiber content softens stools and shortens transit time through the intestinal tract reducing the risk of developing constipation, hemorrhoids and colon cancer.

It also contains folate, an important nutrient for pregnant and planning to get pregnant mothers and for men who are planning on fathering children.  

More on healthy foods:

• Health Benefits of Watermelon
• Papaya: The Most Important Fruit
• Health Benefits of White Fruits and Vegetables
• Health Benefits of Orange Fruits and Vegetables