When thousands of diet suggestions and nutrition tips are being thrown your way every day, it can get pretty confusing.

        One day, the paleo diet is a surefire way to weight loss and the next day it’s a gateway to obesity and disease. With all these conflicting opinions, it’s really difficult to know what really works and what really doesn’t, but there are a couple foods, and drinks that most people can agree will boost your energy, immune system, and overall health while also helping you lose weight.

        By integrating the following foods into your meals you can not only feel more energetic and optimistic, but you can also feel comfortable in your skin and comfortable as yourself.

        The #1 rule in healthy eating is that too much of anything is never good, and too little of anything is never good either.

        Yes, vegetables will strengthen your health but relying solely on vegetables will lead to other health problems in the future. Yes, too much sugar can lead to illness and poor eating habits, but too little sugar can lead to the same outcome. All food should be eaten in moderation, whether its reputation is good or bad.

Snacks

When we’re little, we learn that humans supposedly eat three times a day; breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Now that we’re older, we all know that’s a lie and that snacks might as well be considered the fourth meal of the day, but which snacks are the best? One of the most underrated snacks is almonds. Almonds are notorious for their high amounts of calories, and several self-proclaimed health experts would tell you to stay away from them at all times. However, almonds also have high amounts of protein, fiber, and vitamin E. By eating just around 3 servings per week, you can do wonders for not only your digestive system but also for your heart and skin.

Yogurt is also another great food to start snacking on. By eating yogurt, you get the same benefits you get from drinking milk, while still decreasing your chances of ever getting sick. Yogurt boosts the number of germ-fighting bacteria around your intestine wall and leads to a healthy gut, which is the key to a healthy future. It’s proven that people who eat yogurt are rarely seen sick in bed with a cold, and this is exactly the reason why.

Yogurt also contains plenty of calcium, which boosts fat burning while still keeping you feeling satisfied with your food choices, making it the perfect weight loss snack. You can get all of these benefits just by eating yogurt three times a week. The last snack you should start integrating is dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is very low in sugar, gives you an extra boost in energy due to the fats inside, and deliver antioxidants and fiber into your system.

Meals

Are you questioning what’s safe to eat for breakfast? Eating oatmeal around 3-4 times per week will leave you energized and ready for the day ahead. The oats themselves help with weight loss and will lower your risk of heart disease. It also has plenty of properties that combat stress, boost your immunity, and will spike your energy levels. Oatmeal has a high level of soluble fiber that will trap expelling cholesterol, keeping your heart and arteries safe. However, the oatmeal you see on the shelves of stores may not be the best thing to put into your body. The single serving, usually flavored packs you see in grocery stores can be filled with added sugar and corn syrup. Instead, stick with the instant oatmeal and then add any fruits and/or sweeteners later, so you can ensure you’re getting the most benefits out of your breakfast.

Eating salmon three to four times a week can make for a great lunch or dinner for a number of reasons. Salmon has an insane amount of omega-3’s, which are a type of fatty acid. Omega-3’s is known for their qualities that slow down memory loss and assist in the aging process. They also boost the health of your heart by regulating your heart rhythms and making sure your arteries and veins are healthy and free of any blockage. Salmon is also a wonderful source of protein, for example, a three-ounce serving contains 20 grams of protein. This amount of protein makes salmon the ideal food for building muscle and burning fat.

Bread is notorious for its high amount of carbohydrates, but also seems unavoidable if you’re looking to make a quick and easy lunch. If you suffer from this problem, you may want to consider making the switch to whole wheat bread. White bread gives you a spike in energy due to the spikes in insulin production, but this energy is short lived and will damage cells and promote excess storage of fat. However, whole wheat bread will leave you feeling bright and awake for longer amounts of time and will leave you feeling full and satisfied for longer periods of time.

The Best Beverage

Water is our number 1 supporter, but we all seem to ignore all of its amazing benefits. Water flushes out all the toxins in our system, regulates our body temperature, and prevents kidney stones. To add to the list, it also acts as an insulator for our joints and supplies the body with several minerals that are crucial. If you want to lose some pounds by eating less and/or cutting down on certain foods but can’t stand the hunger, water is your best friend. Just by drinking a glass or two of water before any meal can help the hunger be much more manageable.

        Despite whichever diet is trendy at the moment and whatever foods you heard were horrible that day, you can always count on the foods listed above to help you out. Almonds, yogurt, dark chocolate, salmon, whole wheat bread, and water will always be consistent in their benefits and will always assist you in weight loss, energy, and boosting your health.