Dressing on the side, please!

It goes without saying (but I'll say it again) that diet and exercise are equal players in the health game. Particularly if you are trying to lose weight. But finding a balance between the two can often be a challenge—welcome to the diet industry. Meet it's friend, the food industry. Both of which so often promote mad ideas formulated by money hungry businesses. Be wise to the ways of such marketing techniques and sift through all the bad ideas and advice in search of the good. Remember, these businesses and their marketers know nothing about your health and everything about selling a product. Some are legit, some are not.

Ignore lofty claims and focus on the stuff that actually makes sense. For example, I read somewhere that you should always get your salad dressing on the side. Even if it's a healthy salad dressing. The point is to dip your fork into it, then dip your dressing-covered fork into your salad before enjoying the perfect amount of flavor—and a lot less calories. You'd be surprised how quickly certain salad dressings can spoil the health benefits of a decent salad!

And it's that kind of information you should be paying attention to—the stuff that teaches you how to eat correctly. How to make the right food choices (and hopefully lose some weight along the way) in a normal, everyday manner. It doesn't replace food with fancy bars and thick shakes that come with meal plans and/or far-fetched health claims. It doesn't eliminate entire food categories. All of that just might help you lose weight, but not in a way that's sustainable. And certainly not in a way that's any fun. In my opinion, fad/crash diets just make life stressful. As does an overabundance of food items in the grocery store, all claiming to be the healthiest item on the block.

The diet and food industries are huge right now and company seems to know everything, which is why it's really important that you pay attention to your sources. Why trust the cereal box that claims heart benefits? The cereal box just wants to make a buck. Learn, instead, about the ingredients and then learn about the different foods that promote a healthy heart. 

Good advice is out there, and when you take it in, it makes a difference in the way you eat. And certainly in the way you feel. So tell me—what's the best diet tip you've ever been given?