"Eating healthy." Your doctor tells you you should do it, that new commercial for the most trending diet tells you to do it, it seems like everyone says you should eat healthy, so why is it so hard to start? Yes, eating as much junk food as you want is great and it tastes great, but does your body feel great after eating all of that junk? Probably not. Gradually working yourself into eating healthier could be more beneficial to you than you know.

1. Changing your diet can help you lose weight.

The famous line you always hear, "abs are made in the kitchen", is true (for the most part, you still need to go to the gym!)! If you stop putting ridiculously fatty foods into your body, you will begin to notice the fat on your stomach begin to shrink. When I stopped eating ice cream, and chips, and cookies, and all of that junk, I began to notice in just two weeks that my stomach was already looking flatter.

2. Enhances your mood and reduces stress.

When you are putting good foods into your body, it is happy, which makes you happy. Foods like whole grains, and fruits and veggies are rich in vitamins and minerals, which have been associated with reduced risk of depression. When the body is under stress, it breaks down protein, so eating a protein rich diet will help replenish the protein broken down while under stress!

3. You'll save money.

You won't be spending a ton of money on jun food and pop and fast food places anymore. You'll be buying less groceries because you will only be buying the foods that you need, not extra chips or cookies. The average household spends $850 a year on soft drinks, so cutting pop out of your diet and just sticking to water will save you tons.

4. You'll be healthier.

When you are eating healthy foods, you are lowering your risk for chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, and obesity. When you are eating these junky foods, you are just adding fat not only to your stomach, but also to the muscle around your heart. A heart surrounded by a ton of fat does not work as well as a heart surrounded by strong cardiac muscle.

5. You'll have more energy.

Junk foods can easily give you quick energy, but they can give you an equally quick crash. Sugars are quickly used for energy, so quickly that you will lose that energy just as fast. If you fill your body with healthy foods and snacks, your body will get a more steady release of energy throughout your day.

6. You'll be happier.

Improving your diet, and cutting out bad foods will just make you happier in general. You will feel great physically, so you will be feeling great mentally. You will have all of that energy I mentioned, so you will be more productive in your day. You can blast through an awesome workout, clean your house, do your homework, walk your dog, whatever you do, you can feel good doing it.

Changing your diet takes time and a lot of commitment. You have to really want to make this change. You can start out slowly, but cutting things out one by one. That is how I did it, and I am still working! I promise you that if you make this change, your life will improve. If you're in college like me, it's not the easiest thing to do because pizza, but it's really worth it. So if you want to make a positive change in your life, considers altering your eating habits. Give it a try, you may end up making the best decision of your life!