50 Things You Can Start Doing Today to Improve Your Health

Written by Dr. Randall Hansen, Ph.D.

The premise: The vast majority of the foods and drinks we consume are unhealthy for us, both in the short-term and long-term. These items are often saturated in sugar (a toxic, addictive substance), chemical additives, and seed oils.

Just about everyone who wants to live a long and healthy life needs to make changes in their diet; some of us have to take more drastic steps than others.

Those changes can be daunting and overwhelming, but know that you do NOT need to change your entire diet and eating patterns in one day.

Instead, think about one change you can make each day moving forward. Simple steps you can repeat the following days, and then adding another healthy habit… and eventually, all these little steps will morph into a healthier lifestyle.

This list is just about changes with food, which is the primary driver of health and weight, but once you fix your food, you’ll want to examine all the other aspects of your lifestyle.

With apologies to Paul Simon, but here are…

50 Ways to Leave Your Imposter Foods

Start One Today!

Swap out soda (regular or diet) with water. Add natural flavorings and/or carbonation to make your water more interesting, if needed.
Swap all “vegetable” seed oils with olive and/or avocado oils.
Ditch the cereal and eat scrambled eggs.
Ditch the juice, including “no-sugar added” juices; drink water infused with lemon or other citrus.
Toss all sugar and artificial sweeteners (especially the pink, yellow, and blue). Consider no sweeteners or see#40.
Stop using coffee creamers and use real milk/cream or coconut milk.
Stop eating by 8 p.m.
Start reading ingredient labels.
Pack a homemade lunch.
Plan/make a crockpot meal.
Skip breakfast today… or tomorrow.
Throw away all candy stashes.
Buy more organic produce and organic foods.
Shop at your local farmers market.
Find a healthy recipe to make for dinner.
Skip one sugary snack.
Swap a savory snack (such as roasted macadamia nuts) for a sweet snack.
Skip the expensive and unhealthy coffee drink (full of sugar and other toxic chemicals).
Skip dessert.
Make an egg dish for dinner.
Swap the sandwich for a salad.
Try (or add) a fermented food.
Switch to using butter.
Try roasting or air-frying a favorite meal instead of frying.
Don’t stop for takeout.
Stop buying low or no-fat foods.
Swap out Gatorade (and similar brands) with healthy electrolytes (such as Ultima Replenisher or LMNT Electrolyte Powder)
Skip the pasta.
Eat more protein at dinner.
Skip the beer, wine, or other alcohol.
Eat (and savor) a meal without electronic distractions (mindful eating)
Ditch the highly processed lunch meats.
Swap out conventional meat with meat from pastured or wild animals.
Add more nuts and seeds to a meal.
Swap a healthy in-season fruit for a sugary treat.
Quit the fad diet.
Don’t shop in the chip/snack aisle.
Swap healthy vegetables for rice, pasta.
Skip the gravy or sauce.
Try stevia or allulose as a healthy sweetener.
Make a double recipe of a favorite healthy dish so that you’ll have leftovers for lunches or second meal.
Add a wild-caught fatty fish (such as salmon or trout) for dinner.
Skip the morning donut and/or afternoon cookies.
Swap the frozen dinner with one made from scratch.
Ditch a creamy soup for a healthy broth.
Swap a sugary treat with a stevia-sweetened variety (such as Lily’s)
Try making your own salad dressing – without sugar or other unhealthy ingredients. (See my Ranch dressing recipe.)
Start meal planning with healthy choices.
Add organic mushrooms to a favorite recipe.
Stop counting calories and weighing foods (and yourself) and focus on healthier choices.

Final Thoughts on Eating Well, Eating Healthy

You can do it! I believe in you. I also understand how hard it is moving toward a healthy diet – because the food and restaurant industries are all working to keep you addicted to the ultra-processed imposter foods. It may also be hard to find any real foods at parties and public events; one suggestion is always to pack a few healthy items (such as nuts, veggies) and extra hydration whenever you are away from home.

Your mantra: One step at a time; one day at a time! Build upon each day.

Remember that healthy foods are our friends, but that junk and ultra-processed foods are evil, deadly, and dangerous and should be avoided.

One final note. In conducting the research for my new book, The Healing Revolution Diet, I was stunned by the bad advice on so many so-called medical and nutrition sites, including:

Only eat low-fat or no-fat;
Reduce consumption of all red meat;
Avoid all saturated fats, especially butter;
Eat only plant-based foods;
Use vegetable oils, such as canola, corn, vegetable, safflower, sesame, and sunflower;
Never skip breakfast as it is the healthiest meal of the day (which was a marketing slogan)
Keep your daily calorie count below 2,500 (or some other random number);
Make sure to eat snacks throughout the day to reduce eating big meals;
Limit egg consumption;
Drink at least one glass of milk daily;
Eat only lean protein;
Allow yourself cheat days to eat what you like;
Most foods are best consumed in moderation;
Don’t ditch carbohydrates; you need carbs at each meal for energy.

Please be very careful with the nutrition and food advice you get – even when it comes from what sounds like experts. What we know about food, nutrition, the gut, health, and so much has changed dramatically over the last 20 to 30 years. Much of the advice on many mainstream health and nutrition sites is either outdated or wrongly influenced by corporate donations (from food manufacturers).