Sustainable diets include a wide variety of foods, focusing on plant-based options such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, alongside responsibly sourced seafood and modest portions of meat, dairy, and eggs. They minimize consumption of high-fat, high-salt, and high-sugar foods.

These diets promote responsible food production practices. Embracing sustainable eating not only offers health advantages but also plays a crucial role in addressing environmental concerns. Plant-forward meals serve as the foundation of sustainable diets, optionally incorporating small amounts of sustainably sourced animal products or entirely excluding them (plant-based).

Gut health refers to the overall well-being of your digestive system and the microoganisms residing within. In most instances, your gut maintains balance without any additional probiotics needed, especially if you are consuming foods that naturally contain probiotics like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and miso.

Gut health is affected when you have more bad bacteria in your gut than good.  If you are currently taking an antibiotic, it is beneficial to consume probiotic supplementation.

Functional foods may provide a specific health benefit beyond basic healthy eating. Minimally processed whole foods, alongside fortified, enriched, or enhanced foods, can collectively be classified as functional foods. These types of foods typically offer potential health benefits when consumed regularly and in appropriate quantities. For example:

• Walnuts or salmon are excellent sources of omega-3 fats, which may be associated with reduced risks of heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s.
• Yogurt, a fermented food that, when containing live cultures, may help balance gut bacteria and aid digestive issues.
• Turmeric may reduce inflammation and in turn aid in conditions such as indigestion/gastrointestinal conditions, joint issues, and seasonal allergies.

A balanced eating plan that incorporates a diverse range of foods from all food groups, prepared in a healthy manner, can effectively fulfill your nutritional requirements, and lower your susceptibility to chronic illnesses.

Not every processed food is unhealthy. The term “processed” is broad, and includes various techniques, some of which, like canning or freezing, make eating a balanced meal more convenient, or safer, such as pasteurizing raw milk.

However, other processing methods create foods that are high in added sugar, sodium, saturated fat, and artificial ingredients. The most highly processed foods are called ultra-processed foods. Examples include frozen meals, soft drinks, hot dogs, cold cuts, fast food, packaged baked goods and most salty snacks. Minimally processed foods like bagged spinach, precut vegetables and roasted nuts offer the nutritional benefits of eating the same foods in their original form. Canning and freezing lock in peak nutrition after harvest, with little nutrient loss.

While Mindful focuses on whole foods and minimally processed foods, you don’t need to completely avoid other processed foods.  Life is busy and always preparing food from scratch can be difficult.  Also, some ultra-processed items such as breakfast cereals and fruit-flavored or sweetened yogurt aren’t necessarily unhealthy; they also contain whole grains and dairy.

Instead of focusing on the degree of processing, Mindful recommends understanding the fundamental ingredients and gradually introducing replacements for ultra-processed foods. For example, beverages such as seltzers, kombuchas, water and some teas have less processing and sugar than soda.  For frozen meals, aim for less than 500 mg sodium and ensure they contain whole grains, vegetables and lean proteins.  It’s okay to enjoy chips and candy – just don’t let them push out the more healthful foods. No food has to be completely off limits; as always, moderation is key.

Plant-based meals only use ingredients from plants such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts. They may also include honey and sugar.

Plant-forward meals emphasize plant-based ingredients but still contain animal products. At least 75% of this dish is plant-based, with a maximum 25% of animal products.

Sugars that are added during food processing are found in cakes, candies, cookies, pastries, pie, ice cream, regular carbonated and fruit drinks, as well as energy and sports drinks.

Sugar occurs naturally in healthy foods such as dairy products, fruits,100% fruit and vegetable juices, and vegetables, and are not usually sources of added sugars.

The Food and Drug Administration requires manufacturers to include the amount of added sugar on food labels and packaging. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting calories from added sugars to less than 10% of total calories per day. That’s 200 calories –  about 12 teaspoons – in a 2,000 calorie diet.

To calculate how many teaspoons of sugar a product contains, divide the total grams of added sugar by four. For example, If a product contains 16 grams of sugar, that is equivalent to 4 teaspoons of sugar.

Excess consumption has been linked to an increased risk for heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. According to The American Heart Association, many people consume more added sugar than they realize. Be sure to check nutrition labels for these possible hidden sources of added sugar:

• Sucrose
• High fructose corn syrup
• Syrups (maple, corn, rice, etc.)
• Molasses
• Cane sugar
• Honey
• Agave
• Maltodextrin
• Fruit juice concentrates

Sleep is essential for optimal health and directly affects your mental and physical wellbeing. Achieving adequate sleep will promote increased productivity and energy, immune system function, emotional balance, brain and heart health, and healthy weight management. Healthy adult individuals need 7-9 hours of sleep during a 24 hour period.

The sleep cycle consists of two recurring phases, Rapid eye movement (REM) and non-rapid eye movement (NREM). If the cycles are interrupted throughout the night then we miss out on vital body processes, such as tissue growth and repair, processing and consolidating emotions, memories and stress. If you wake up feeling well rested and perform well throughout the day, it can be assumed that you obtained an adequate amount of sleep. In contrast, if you need an alarm clock to wake up on time, rely on the snooze button, and feel sluggish in the afternoon, chances are you’re sleep deprived.

Important sleep hygiene tips include removing screens from the bedroom, refraining from exercising late in the day, avoiding caffeinated beverages in the evening and following a consistent and relaxing bedtime routine.

Exercise is beneficial no matter what time of day you choose to work out. It can help you improve your brain health, maintain a healthy weight, improve sleep, reduce risk of disease, strengthen bones and muscles, and generally improve your ability to do daily activities.

Being consistent is key – choose a time of day that fits with your schedule and make it a routine habit. People tend to stick with their workout routine when they work out in the morning, as there are fewer distractions and less chance of scheduling conflicts that require cancelling a workout.  Morning workouts can also increase your energy and productivity throughout the day, with the added benefit of freeing up your evening for other activities.

A big benefit to afternoon or evening workouts is that you may have more time, and can use exercise to de-stress and leave the day behind you. By working out in the evening, you can get extra sleep in the morning.