Most of us are living a busy and hectic life, working hard for our dreams and goals. However, with the constant stress and hectic schedule on a daily basis, the majority of us tend to neglect our nutrition intake and the types of food we eat daily, and end up cultivating bad eating habits. Depending on the eating habits taught to us by our parents during childhood, some of us may even be eating incorrectly without knowing it. The real key to smart eating is actually to cultivate good habits.

What do I mean by good eating habits? Carbohydrates? Protein? Fats? Phytochemicals? Antioxidants? How much do we consume for each type of nutrients ? The amount of information present currently n both the internet and the real world such as magazine publications ...etc, is enough to make most of us nostalgic and confused. Eating healthy doesn't have to be that difficult. For the majority of us, we lead busy and stressful lifestyles, what we seek are simple and easy to follow solutions. We do not have the luxury of time to flip through every article, magazine publication ...etc that we can get our hands on. Solution to this? Here are 12 easy to follow tips that you should start to cultivate and make it part of your daily nutrition plan.

Tip #1 - Take your multi-vitamins every day in the morning.

All you require is just a tablet of multi-vitamins daily. A standard multivitamin fills enough of the gaps in your diet to make a difference since most people normally lack a certain kind of micro-nutrient in their diet.

Tip #2 - Drink 2 glasses of water before every meal.

Besides keeping you hydrated, it will definitely make you eat less. This can possibly make you feel less hungry, reducing your food intake, hence preventing possibility of overeating per meal and aiding in weight loss.

Tip #3 - Start your day with heavy meals at the beginning and drop the portions.

Begin your day with breakfast as the heaviest meal and reduce the amount of food intake when the day slowly comes to an end. Our metabolism is the highest at the beginning of each day but it significantly drops when each day comes to an end. Eating heavy meals in the evening is not going to do your health any good and you will only pile on the weight unnecessarily.

Tip#4 - Eating the right foods at the right time.

50% - 60% of your diet should contain foods which are under the complex carbohydrates category. This is because complex carbohydrates take a longer time for the body to digest, hence providing energy for the body throughout the day without causing insulin spikes that can result in your body storing fats. However, it is recommended for you to consume a meal rich in simple carbohydrates after your workout to replenish your glycogen stores, which is your energy reserves since you have used them up during your workout. The trick is to eat the right foods at the right time.

Tip #5 - Eat consistently throughout the day

Eat every 2 to 3 hours. This will increase your metabolism and make your body more efficient in burning fats. Besides, you will feel less lethargic since you have consistent energy coming from the food you consume throughout the day.

Tip #6 - Eat smart.

Food that appears to be greasy will have sent you a warning of the presence of unhealthy fats in them. Common sense would have told you to avoid them.

Tip #7 - Give yourself a break.

Everyone have favorite foods they love. Don't turn them into forbidden pleasures. Just don't eat them everyday. Think about how often you are eating them that may result in jeopardizing your diet and then mitigate. A strategy is to rotate your favorite foods throughout the entire week having them once or twice per week. If you find it hard to resist the temptation, try eating your favorite food in smaller portions in the day as compared to the evening.

Tip #8 - Drink tea.

Include tea such as green, black or white tea into your diet. Studies ( quoted from numerous reports on United States Department Of Agriculture website http://www.usda.gov ) have shown that drinking tea can provide the body with the anti-oxidants crucial to your body in fighting against serious diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Besides these types of tea contain rich quantities of anti-oxidants and also anti-aging properties that can aid in preventing wrinkles.

Tip #9 - Pile onions on everything.

Onions are a top source for heart savers called flavonoids. Besides, they are an excellent source of anti-oxidants as well.

Tip #10 - Include tomatoes in your diet.

Consuming lots of tomato products will aid in reducing your risk of cancer. This is because they are a rich source of lycopene, a type of carotenoid that is believed to cut your risk of cancer. Studies have also shown that men who consume a lot of tomato products tend to have a lower risk of contracting prostate cancer.

Tip #11 - Always leave the skin on your food.

When you are consuming fruits or vegetable products such as potatoes, leave the skin on. Peeling away the skin, you will be throwing away the heavy-duty nutrients and fiber. However, this does not mean leaving the skin on meat products such as chicken, which is unhealthy and high in cholesterol.

Tip #12 - Consume a low fat, low carbohydrate snack before bed time.

A low-fat, low-calorie carbohydrate snack consumed 30 minutes before bed time will aid in making you sleepy. Besides, it provides the required energy for your body while you are asleep, this is more essential if you are looking to build more muscle on and losing the fats.

These tips aim at busy adults who already have a dieting or nutrition plan in place. If you are just starting out, it is highly recommended to visit a nutritionist or your family doctor before you begin any dieting plan.