Nutrition is a strange subject area. On the one hand, it can be very simple. We all have a reasonably good idea of what we should put in our bodies and what we shouldn’t. But, on the other hand, actually following through on this simple advice is really tough. Hence, the global obesity epidemic. 

The mission of the Supermorning Nutrition chapter was to automate healthy eating. And it all starts with some food groups that are not only healthy but also tasty, convenient, and affordable. 

Five groups of superfoods

Here they are in all their glory:

• Nuts, seeds, and berries: The unbeatable breakfast combo.
• Raw green veggies: The nutrient density champions. 
• Cooked veggies, mushrooms, and beans: The key to healthy warm meals. 
• Fish and eggs: The protein kings. 
• Avocado (and other fruit): The perfect combo of nutrition, taste, and convenience. 

These guys can give you all the nutrients (and enjoyment) you need from food. But making them a permanent part of your life requires some proactive action.

Making super the new normal

Here are some proven guidelines for making these superfoods a permanent part of your life:

• Nuts, seeds, and berries: Buy your seeds in bulk and select packs of mixed nuts and mixed frozen berries. Together with some yogurt, they create the perfect breakfast.  
• Raw green veggies: These green nutrient bombs taste rather bland, but things like a green drink and smart combinations with other tasty foods can make them regulars in your diet.
• Cooked veggies, mushrooms, and beans: Here, we focus on the “meat as a vegetable dressing” idea. This will give you very tasty cooked meals with a huge amount of vegetables. 
• Fish and eggs: The convenience of smoked and canned omega-3 fish and scrambled eggs or omelets can make these high-quality protein sources regulars in your diet. 
• Avocado (and other fruit): Here we discussed the fine art of avocado ripeness management together with several ways to make fruit consumption even easier. 

Putting these ideas in place takes a bit of effort and experimentation. But once it’s up and running, you’ll have yourself a lifelong zero-compromise healthy diet 🙂 

Healthy, tasty, convenient, and affordable. It sounds like the perfect happy ending! But sadly, this story also has some bad guys who do their best to make us fat, sick and addicted.  

Four food villains

Here are the bad guys in the nutrition story:

• Empty calorie carbs: The “White Death” and its spawn. 
• Empty calorie fats: The White Death’s greasy relatives. 
• Convenience-first foods: The master instigators of unhealthy overeating.  
• Excessive meat and bread: The beloved staples where moderation is key. 

It is possible to keep these villains at bay. But this does not happen by itself. We need to take the time to construct some super-powerful defenses. 

Building the fortress

Our healthy eating fortress has four layers of defense:

• Refuse to pay for self-destruction: Trading time, effort, vitality, and life expectancy for fleeting endorphin highs is a truly terrible deal. Realizing this on a deep level is a great first layer of defense.  
• Healthier snacking: Sometimes really tasty treats can have some longer-term benefits. For these rare occasions, choosing healthier alternatives makes all the sense in the world. 
• Home-made meals: Taking care of your health becomes a lot easier when you take direct control of what goes into your body. Home-made food also makes overeating much less likely. 
• Whole foods: Buying more whole produce is a great way to keep self-destruct foods out of your life. Getting into the habit of reading food labels can also add many good years to your life. 

Making change stick

This chapter conveniently coincided with the end of the year, so I framed this as a New Year’s resolution. But you certainly don’t need to wait until the end of the year for making healthy nutrition permanent:

1. Understand why diets have such a high failure rate.
   • Permanent changes in eating patterns can only come from permanent changes to your environment and habits. 
2. Intelligently shape your environment.
   • Permanently reduce calorie intake by allowing only the right foods into your home.
3. Intelligently shape your habits.
   • Take ownership of your personal healthy eating regimen.
   • Master meal timing to manage energy, cravings, and sleep. 

It takes some time and effort, but lifelong healthy eating habits are possible. Setting this up will add many years to your life and much life to your years 🙂