Skip to main content

How to eat healthy: 9 effective diet tips to fuel your fitness goals

Essential tips to feel more energized

Portrait of a handsome sports man showing muscles, eating healthy vegetarian salad on the kitchen at home
rh2010 / Adobe Stock

Healthy eating is important for reaching your fitness goals and maintaining overall well-being. Without a balanced diet, any progress made in the gym can be undone.

A healthy diet supplies the body with vitamins, minerals, complex carbs, good fats, and plenty of protein for muscle growth and repair. It also complements physical activity and enhances the results of fitness training. So, by adopting a healthy eating plan and making mindful food choices, you can fuel your body with the nutrients it needs to stay energized and strong.

Recommended Videos

Various methods can be applied to help reach fitness goals diet-wise, and there are also many theories on how to eat healthily. With this in mind, here are nine effective methods to apply to your diet to help you achieve your fitness aspirations.

Plan your meals

Person writing in notebook that has a meal plan template inside.
Andrey Popov / Shutterstock

Creating a meal plan ensures that you have various nutritional options available. This can prevent food boredom, reducing the temptation to reach for unhealthy foods and snacks.

The most successful meal plans include a variety of healthy foods and offer something different daily; this prevents the plan from becoming monotonous. If this does become the main problem, then the occasional treat can be added as a reward for eating well or as an incentive to hit healthy eating targets.

Planning meals can also help supply the body with nutrients before and after exercise. Days dominated by resistance training should end with a protein-heavy meal to aid muscle repair and growth. A complex carb lunch or breakfast can supply the fuel needed to get through such sessions on a cardio day involving running, jogging, or time on a treadmill.

Only complex carbohydrate meals should be eaten as they tend to be healthier and release energy slowly. Avoid quick-fix simple carbs that spike blood sugar levels rapidly. In response, the body produces insulin to bring blood glucose levels back down, which can leave you feeling hungry more often.

Slowly released energy from complex carbs does not require the body to produce large amounts of insulin to control sudden glucose spikes — the result is that you feel fuller for longer and have a consistent energy supply to tap into when needed.

Practice portion control

Man and woman eating healthy
Mikhail Nilov / Pexels

Monitoring serving sizes helps manage caloric intake and prevents overeating, supporting weight loss goals.

Overeating should be avoided, even with healthy food options. Being too full can affect the type and amount of exercise performed before a training session commences.

Incorporate whole foods

Various healthy foods on a table
Getty Images

Whole foods include fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds, beans, and lentils. Most remain in their natural state with little processing. Whole foods tend to be packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants and should make up a large percentage of a healthy diet.

Stay hydrated

Man drinking water
PNW Production / Pexels

Hydration is vital because every cell in the body needs water to function and survive. Drinking according to climate and activity levels so lost fluids and electrolytes can be replaced is advised. Consuming plenty of mineral water is the healthiest way to stay hydrated.

Dehydration can cause fatigue, headaches, and nausea. These symptoms can affect exercise performance levels, and good hydration planning can prevent their onset.

Read nutrition labels

Man checking label
Kampus Production / Pexels

Understanding food labels enables you to make informed choices and select products suited to your fitness goals. They can make you aware of the nutritional profile of the food you choose to eat.

Furthermore, they can help consumers avoid additives, large amounts of salt and sugar, and even dietary allergens such as lactose and gluten.

Practice mindful eating

Shaped and healthy body building man holding a fresh salad bowl
FS Stock / Shutterstock

Enjoying what you eat in a relaxed atmosphere and savoring the flavors and experience can aid digestion and make you appreciate your food choices.

Prepare meals at home

man in kitchen cutting healthy food vegetables
Jason Briscoe / Unsplash

Cooking at home allows you to control ingredients, cooking methods, and portion sizes, contributing to a healthier diet. This method of food preparation is also best if you want to avoid chemical additives and preservatives.

Snack smart

greek yogurt with berries and granola
Life Of Pix / Pexels

Choosing nutrient-rich snacks like fruits, nuts, or yogurt provides sustained energy and helps curb unhealthy cravings for junk foods high in simple carbs and saturated fats.

Limit added sugars and unhealthy fats

Person holding up an apple and a donut
Andres Ayrton / Pexels

Reduce the intake of sugary and fatty foods to support weight management, avoid inflammation, and lower the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Sugars and unhealthy fats are frequently found in sweets, fast food, and packaged food.

Frequently asked questions

Healthy low carbs products. Ketogenic diet concept. Top view
Yulia Furman / Adobe Stock

What is the healthiest food to eat every day?

Eating a variety of whole foods and lean protein is the healthiest because it guarantees the intake of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, complex carbs, and protein. So, lean cuts of meat, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and grains should be included.

How do I train myself to eat healthy?

Start by gradually incorporating healthier choices into your diet, setting realistic goals, and slowly removing unhealthy foods — this has a higher success rate than going ‘cold turkey.’

What is a basic healthy diet?

A basic, healthy diet balances macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and adequate hydration support overall health and well-being.

Christine VanDoren
Christine is a certified personal trainer and nutritionist with an undergraduate degree from Missouri State University. Her…
Does your fitness level, BMI, or body weight affect your risk of heart disease?
Does staying physically active really help protect your heart health?
A man bending down on one knee in the middle of a workout.

Research reveals that several factors affect your risk of heart disease, including a lack of physical activity, high blood pressure, diabetes, prediabetes, and obesity. Staying physically active has been shown to protect your heart health, and it’s an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Recently, researchers explored whether your body weight or your fitness level is a better predictor of your heart disease risk. Let’s delve into the research.
The study

In a large meta-analysis of cohort studies published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers reviewed 20 studies, including 398,716 adults from multiple countries. If individuals had an exercise test score higher than the 20th percentile in their age group, they were categorized as ‘fit’.  

Read more
Does the V Shred diet actually work? Everything you need to know
Calorie restrictions, carb cycling, and more
An overhead shot of a bowl of grilled chicken salad on a table.

V Shred is one of the most popular outlets in the fitness industry, with over a million followers on Instagram. The V Shred diet is lauded for its fast weight loss approach, and many people sing its praises with tales of how many pounds they have lost so far. 

However, can we trust V Shred and the V Shred diet? Let’s do a deep dive into how V Shred helps people achieve their fitness goals and whether the V Shred diet is healthy and sustainable for you. 
What is V Shred?

Read more
How to lose a beer belly: Simple strategies for success
Discover the causes and how to get rid of it
Man with overweight and big fat belly in jeans and shirt

Kicking back with a cold beer after a long day feels amazing, but if you’re starting to show a beer belly, you might be worried. Can you still drink beer? What actually causes beer belly? And how can you get rid of it?

In this article, we’ll share some useful tips for getting rid of beer belly, explain where it comes from, and discuss how bad it could be to keep drinking beer. All your most pressing questions about beer belly will be answered, so let’s get started!
What is beer belly?

Read more