It’s never too late to create healthy habits around what we eat. For all too many people, creating healthy eating habits is difficult because first you have to learn to shop in a healthy way. We tend to create food habits based on the food we buy and we buy what’s convenient or what we’re used to and comfortable with. The good news is that it is just as easy to shop healthy, once you know how and get into a routine.

Buy a Healthy Foods Cookbook 

If you don’t know where to start pick up one of the many cookbooks available that are full of healthy, easy recipes. Start simple and choose a recipe that looks good. Then go shopping with the list of ingredients as your shopping list. Check out reviews or ask for recommendations for good healthy cookbooks that include simple, straightforward recipes that you might use on a daily basis. As you learn more recipes, you’ll be able to branch out.

What’s the Deal with Organic and Local? 

Organic foods are grown or raised without the use of the most dangerous and toxic pesticides and fertilizers. Local foods are often grown in small batches with more care and nutrition added into the soil to create healthier foods. Vegetables grown in healthy soil and animals raised eating healthy feed translate into foods that are full of vitamins, minerals, and are the building blocks of a healthy diet.

Eat Real Food 

The best way to stay healthy, no matter what age, is to eat real food. That means whole grains, whole vegetables, and fresh, local, or organic meats. Cut out processed foods, even if they’re ‘low fat’ or ‘low carb’. Your body works best if it gets foods that can be found in nature. A rule of thumb is that if you can’t pronounce the ingredients (and if there are more than 3 ingredients) it’s probably not the healthiest choice.