11 Ways to Know if Your Diet is Healthy or Not

When it comes to eating healthy, there are many variables to keep in mind. Understanding how your body reacts to different foods is essential in selecting appropriate foods. Everyone’s bodies are different, so this requires you to really pay attention to how your dieting and lifestyle changes impact you on a physical level. These specific benchmarks can help you determine if your strategy is working, or if some tweaking is in order. To learn more about eating right and getting healthier, check out these 11 ways to know if your diet is healthy or not.

Blood Sugar Levels

One of the first ways to determine if your diet is healthy is by checking your blood sugar. Do you get hungry between meals often? Do you notice that your blood sugar falls and rises quickly? These are all questions to find answers to, because healthy blood sugar reflects a healthy body. If the answers are not positive, you may need to adjust your intake of things like simple sugars, carbs, and protein.

Food Cravings

If you are always craving things that are not healthy for you, you may be consuming too much or too little of these things. For example, if you are not consuming enough carbs, then you will go into craving mode and likely eat too many. Pay attention to your consumption throughout the day to stave off cravings.

Energy Levels

Having a sustained amount of energy throughout the day is a telltale sign that your diet is working well. Making sure you get at least 1200 calories a day is a great benchmark to hit — this will ensure you have enough fuel in your body to get through the day.

Sleeping Habits

Insomnia, constantly waking up throughout the night, or lack of energy after a full night’s sleep: all indications that you may need to readjust your diet. While all sleep issues are not food related, what we eat has a huge impact on our ability to rest and digest.

Mood Fluctuations

Do you often feel moody and a little out of sorts throughout the day? This could be due to your diet and food choices. The brain and gut are directly connected, and what you eat has a huge influence on your mood and mental disposition overall.

Libido

You may not have realized this, but what you eat also affects your libido. If you have noticed a downward slump in your sexual drive or desire, this could be linked to your diet. Surprisingly, diets that are totally void or low on carbs and fat can ruin your libido.

Weight Changes

How has your weight shifted since your diet started? Are those changes in alignment with your goals for your weight? Whether that be to lose or gain weight, the scale and how you look and feel about your weight should reflect what you want most.

Your Hair

Healthy hair is a great indication of a healthy diet and lifestyle. If your hair is healthy, that means your body is being supported and nourished by the proper nutrition and vitamins in your food. If not, you may need to increase your intake of vitamins and vital minerals.

Your Nails

Check out your nails. Are they strong or brittle? Are they smooth or rippled? Nails are another key indicator of your health. Healthy nails require adequate amounts of protein, zinc, iron, and B vitamins to keep them strong and well-maintained. Constant breakage and lack of growth is a sign to get more of these vitamins into your daily food intake.

Your Skin

Your skin is the body’s biggest organ and is always going to show just how healthy things are inside of your body. Dull, dry, and lifeless skin can be an indicator of internal problems like a clogged liver, exhausted adrenals, and a body begging you for more nutrients and minerals. To keep your skin well nourished, as well as your body, be sure to consume plenty of antioxidants, micronutrients, and anti-inflammatory foods and liquids.

Extreme Restrictions

Lifestyle changes will always come with some limiting parameters and healthy substitutions. But no diet should be cutting out entire food groups. This is a red flag and will undoubtedly come back to bite you in the long run. If you are dieting with extreme restrictions, you can be guaranteed that your body will eventually be in desperate need of more nutrients.