It's hard to start eating healthy. Trust me, I know this. After my surgery however, I had to completely change my diet. Since then, I haven't looked back. So I'm here to tell you about some simple ways to change your diet for the better! They aren't too drastic, not in my mind, but they can take some getting used to. Better late than never, right?

1. Limit your sodium, bring on the pepper!

Aside from affecting your heart, did you know that excess salt intake can temporarily increase your body weight by about 2 to 3 pounds within a day or so? Cutting back on your sodium intake will help you lose a lot of water weight very quickly. And if you must use salt, try Himalayan Pink Salt. It's packed with over 80 minerals that are beneficial to your body, such as lowering your blood pressure, improving circulation, strengthening your bones, and many others.

And while you limit your sodium, try upping your pepper intake! I'm not just referring to cayenne or hot peppers though those certainly help as well. Just increasing your intake of black pepper can make a significant difference because it's great in aiding the proper assimilation (extraction of all the nutrients) of food.

2. Trick your brain; eat with a smaller plate

This may seem a little bit hard to believe, but did you know that you could trick your mind into thinking that you're eating a lot more than you actually are? Portioning your food may seem difficult, especially when you put what looks like a meager meal on a regular sized plate. But suddenly, when you switch that plate to a smaller one, it looks like a full meal! And while you may know that it's less than what you usually eat, your eyes will take in what looks like a full plate and send that off to your brain. Thus, when you finish, your brain will be like "Woah, you just finished an entire plate of food. You're full."

Trust me, it works.

3. Chew slowly and savor your food

Now I know that this might be a bit difficult, especially when you're really hungry. But hey, why not slow down and savor your food? Studies have shown that by prolonging your eating, you'll consume fewer calories. The reason for this is that it takes approximately 20 minutes for our brains to process that we're full. If you eat too fast, you could eat past the point of being full, which consequently causes you to feel bloated. By eating slowly, you'll have time to realize that you're full and will stop.

Apparently 40 chews per bite is what is considered to be 'ideal', but you could always work your way up to that.

4. Eat breakfast

For the everyday college student, or for the oversleepers, this one can be a bit difficult as well. However, when you eat breakfast - be it a bagel, eggs and bacon, or even just a breakfast bar - your body feels nourished and satisfied, making you a lot less likely to overeat throughout the rest of the day.

In fact, according to a study presented at a 2003 American Heart Association conference, eating breakfast every day may reduce the risk for obesity and insulin resistance - an early sign of developing diabetes - by as much as 35 to 50 percent! How about that!

5. Eat some kind of protein at each meal

Regardless of whether or not you're planning to work out, eat your protein. Vegetarians, I'm not just talking about meat products. You can find protein in many things aside from meat, such as beans, tofu, nuts, cheese, and seeds! Protein is a lot more filling and satisfying than carbs or fats as it slows your digestion. In addition to that, protein fuels fat-burning and requires more of your energy to even process.

Yes, that's right. You could be losing some weight just by eating more protein.

6. Eat the fat

You heard me right. Now I don’t mean this in that you should dunk your foods in grease or anything. I’m talking about healthy fats here, such as nuts, avocados, eggs, etc. For example, avocados contain monounsaturated fats, which is great for your heart and lowers high cholesterol. If you snack on healthy fats – in moderation, of course – you’ll be more likely to eat fewer calories over the course of the day because you’ll feel more satisfied.

You feel fuller, thus you eat less. Get it?

So try making some changes to your diet and see what happens! What food hacks do YOU use?