Eating a healthy diet isn’t about giving up on strict restrictions, unrealistically skinny or your favorite foods. Rather, it’s about feeling better, more energy, better health, and better mood.

A healthy diet should not be too complicated. If you feel overwhelmed by all the conflicting nutrition and diet regimens, you are not alone. For every expert who says that certain foods are good for the body, there seems to be another food that is exactly the opposite. The truth is that while some specific foods or nutrients have been shown to have a beneficial effect on mood, it`s your overall dietary pattern that is most important.

The cornerstone of a healthy diet should be to replace processed food with real food whenever possible. Eating food that is as close as possible to the way nature made it can make a huge difference to the way you think, look, and feel. By using these simple tips, you can cut through the confusion and learn how to create—and stick to—a tasty, varied, and nutritious diet that is as good for your mind as it is for your body. While some extreme diets may suggest otherwise, we all need a balance of protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals in our diets to sustain a healthy body. You don’t have to exclude certain food categories from your diet but choose the healthiest option in each category. Maintaining a healthy diet doesn’t have to mean all-or-nothing.

You don’t have to be perfect; you don’t have to give up your favorite foods completely, and you don’t have to change everything at once. This usually leads to cheating or giving up on a new meal plan. It is best to make several small changes at once. Keeping your goals modest can help you achieve more in the long run without feeling deprived or overwhelmed by bulky diets. Think of it as a few steps you can take to plan and manage a healthy meal, like adding a salad to your diet once a day. When small changes become a habit, you can keep adding more healthy foods. To be successful, don’t overcomplicate your work.

Eating a healthy diet is not difficult. For example, instead of worrying too much about calorie counting, think about your diet in terms of color, variety, and freshness. Avoid packaged and processed foods and focus on choosing the freshest ingredients possible.