as a nutrition student - this is a good start but isn't enough information

you don't necessarily have to cut out meat, as long as you're mostly eating fish, chicken or lean meats. avoid processed meat such as hotdogs, lunch meat, etc.

cutting alcohol out can also be beneficial https://twitter.com/Lauradobb23/status/1298954797387780096

but you won't die if you have a glass or two of wine every week. don't binge drink, and drink in moderation.

as humans get older we start to lose lactase enzymes that help us process lactose. honestly you don't really need milk or dairy as a central part of your diet.

oat milk, pea milk, flax milk, etc. different non dairy milks provide different benefits and nutrients. pick based on your personal priorities.

yogurt, and fermented cheese are good. hard cheese is typically a better choice and avoid processed cheese.

go for whole and

unprocessed grains. rice, whole wheat pasta, quinoa, oats, wild rice, millet, amaranth, etc. again, the less processed a product is the better. avoid snack foods or processed dessert snacks, cookies and cakes. buy them fresh or make them at home.

if you don't wanna eat meat

or want to limit your consumption soy beans, tofu, hemp, most beans, chickpeas, lentils, nutritional yeast etc are all good sources of protein. sprinkle a lil nutritional yeast on fresh popped popcorn (that you popped from the kernels) and maybe a lil sea salt or cayanne.

it's very good.

the biggest thing about dietary changes are that dietary changes aren't just about taking things away, you should also be adding things.

around 50% of your daily intake of food should be veggies. this includes veggies in every possible color of the rainbow and

a lot of variety. vegetables are delicious is cooked right so do some research, poke around, find something you love. fruits are good too but fruits and veggies aren't the same, fruits have much more sugar so don't rely on them for your plant intake.

hydrate!! drink water!

drinking water regularly helps your body a lot. hate the taste of water? toss some lemon, cucumber, mint, rosemary, pineapple, strawberry etc. again, experiment see what you like. making your own fruit juices and smoothies are also good.

i follow this rule - the fewer

steps it has to be through from when it is removed from where it was growing and eventually goes into your belly the better. this means there's less preservatives, and the food is fresher.

cheat foods do not exist. they don't. you can eat unhealthy stuff from time to time, it's

just moderation. work it into your regular diet. let's say you really fucking love taco bell and you do not want to stop eating it. you're going to binge on your 'cheat day'. pick a healthier option, skip on the nacho cheese, having it twice a month, etc.

comfort foods exist.

if you are eating a good amount of good, clean, foods then one McDonald's burger won't kill you. maybe set limits. if you're a soda drink tell yourself you can have a can twice a week and after that you gotta wait. it gives you agency, but you don't feel like a terrible person

because you're not.

'cheating' also doesn't exist. diets don't work. long term results of health only happen through tangible life style changes. more sleep, less caffeine, reduce stress, etc. you're still getting to have your favorite stuff. just maybe a little less frequency.

if you read this and are like 'thanks but I'm not rich and I don't live near a whole foods get fucked' you're absolutely right. the basis of lifestyle changes is that you are doing the best you can within your capacity. that's okay. that's good. it's good even if maybe you're

not. even small changes are better than none. take baby steps, look for healthier options. low income neighborhoods are so disadvantaged in this way because of capitalism.

you are a human being first. lifestyle changes are just a way of showing love for yourself. they can

change and that's normal.

it's not about getting skinny. it's about physically feeling better.

I'm not a genius but I like talking about this stuff a lot so always hmu!!!