You shouldn't eat too many calories . You shouldnt eat empty calories. You shouldnt eat too much sugar . You shouldnt eat just because youre stressed and so on and so on and youre probably bored and maybe feeling shamed and for that I am sorry.

But fear not. The rest of this article will empower you. The rest of this article will enliven your diet, both in terms of routine and deliciousness. The rest of this article will tell you what you should do to improve your diet.

Theres no need to incorporate all these strategies at once. Try one a week. Once you feel like you have the hang of that one, add another, and then another, and then before you know it youre probably excited and maybe feeling great and for that I am grateful.

Look around at your fellow diner patrons plates the next time you go out for breakfast. Lots of brown and beige, right? By adding some color to your plate in the form of a vegetable, youre also adding gut-filling fiber and disease-fighting antioxidants. This is easier than you might think. You could have half a broiled tomato on the side of your eggs. You could have some spinach sauted into your eggs. You could even go wild and layer some avocado onto your next breakfast sandwich and then who knows what excitement the rest of the day has in store for you.

Research shows that 30 grams of protein during a meal helps you build and maintain muscle as well as keeps you feeling full afterward. Three eggs provide about 21 grams of protein. Push yourself closer to that 30 target with a bowl of Greek yogurt or cottage cheese. Or have some smoked salmon on your toast. Or have a side of good cheese. Or, heck, have another egg.

There are certain foods that are inherently difficult to overeat. Good olives. Pickles. Hard-boiled eggs. Apples. Its largely because monolithic snack food companies havent (yet) taken these foods, stripped them of their nutrients, crunch-ified them, and put them into giant bags for easy eating. So stuff your pantry, fridge, and office desk with these snacks and youll keep hunger at bay while also sneaking in some nutrients. And to the point about apples

One medium apples contains four grams of fiber, which is a nice amount of fiber to help you feel full. But apples also offer a good gut-check for if your body really needs a snack because its hungry, or if your mind needs a snack because its bored. The next time a snack craving strikes, ask yourself: Am I hungry enough to eat an apple? If the answer is no, then youre not actually hungry enough for a snack. If the answer is yes, then eat an apple.

Fresh herbs have nary a calorie and carry a powerful amount of flavor, as well as a nice bonus of antioxidants. Note the word fresh. While dried oregano is nice on a slice of pizza and dried dill can perk up a tuna fish salad, fresh herbs are the best way to go 99 percent of the time. (Fresh oregano is even better on pizza; fresh dill in tuna ditto.) Dont know where to start? Snip chives atop your scrambled eggs. Sprinkle thyme leaves over spaghetti and meatballs. Clobber your tacos with fresh cilantro. Youll get the hang of it.

To a similar extent, hot peppers or hot sauce also both contain payloads of flavor for hardly any calories. Thinly slice a jalapeno, serrano, or Thai chile and add to chili during cooking or atop after serving. Chopped some pickled jalapenos into your next chicken salad. Take the bottle of hot sauce you usually use for topping your tacos and shake some into your ground beef as it cooks for more evenly seasoned taco meat. Feel the burn.

You know why some people dont like vegetables? Its because theyre still cooking their vegetables like their grandmother used to: reheated out of a can. Their grandmothers are wonderful and caring people, of course, but just never to vegetables. Instead, try charring your produce (green beans and Brussels sprouts are perfect) in a hot oiled cast-iron pan until crisp-tender and then scattering them with flaky sea salt like Maldon. Or just bite into a tomato or cucumber, sprinkle with salt, and repeat. Another shocker: This method works well with fruit too. YES SALTED FRUIT.

Cold sliced oranges, cold pineapple chunks, cold cantaloupe wedges, cold halved watermelon and a spoonwhatever you serve just make sure its cold. Its better than way. Like ice cream, almost. Just a sweet, but without the gut-busting feeling afterward. Don't forget the salt.

Maybe its 8:00 p.m. Maybe its immediately after your last bite of dinner. Whatever boundary you set around when you stop eating at night, stick to it. This may help create a mental break from your cravings and maybe even guide you to a better rest. Its hard to go to bed after inhaling half a bag of cheddar popcorn.

Too many diets force you into vilify foods you enjoy. That unfairly demonizes certain food groups and makes you feel guilty for indulging in them. Eating shouldnt make you feel guiltyor like you need to distract yourself from eating it. Eating should make you feel good. So the next time you sit down to a meal, put away your phone, turn off the TV, and focus. Look at the food youre about to eat. Take a bite. Enjoy the flavors and texture of the food. Smell the food. Relish the food. Because eating well isnt just what you put on your plateits about how that food makes youfeel.