'Healthy Living for Summer': Having a balanced diet

Understanding smart and effective ways to diet and understanding cravings.

By
OLIVIA SMITH
August 11, 2017, 5:29 PM ET
7 min read

— -- Dieting can be a frustrating experience, at times leading to feelings of guilt or tempting cravings. In the seventh episode of ABC News' "Healthy Living for Summer" series, we spoke with Shawn Stevenson, a nutritionist, author and host of the podcast "The Model Health Show,” who shared advice on how to have a balanced diet without necessarily having to diet.

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"The real cause of overeating, when it boils down to it, is that nutrient-deficiency leads to chronic overeating," Stevenson said. "We need to be proactive with our nutrition, instead of reactive."

Having a balanced lifestyle is preferable to sticking to a specific type of diet, Stevenson advises.

Below is more advice Stevenson gave ABC News. Watch the video above for more details.

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Quick tips

  • Eat whole foods, or foods that are not as processed or refined
  • Have leafy green vegetables often
  • At the end of your day, make sure what you're eating is not nutrient-deficient
  • Incorporate short and intense exercises into your routine to fight stress and cravings
  • Get plenty of sleep -- try exercising in the morning and avoid too much technology (or blue light exposure) at night
  • Think positively and avoid looking at food in terms of limits -- call it a "treat" meal, not a "cheat" meal
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    Watch ABC News discuss balanced eating in the video above.
    This weekly health series will continue throughout the summer.