Okay, so you've made a few small changes in your diet and how you shop. You read labels and are still surprised at what is in some of the food you used to eat. So what's next?

Well, you've gotten rid of some of the things that are bad for your health. If you haven't already, implement all five of the small changes from part one of this series on real health.

Next you need to make a few bigger changes in your diet. The first is to eat more fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables have nutrients and chemicals that are very health-supporting. And they taste good! You should try to eat these in their most unprocessed forms and with minimal cooking.

For example, eat fruit, not fruit juice. Fruit juice you buy in the store, has very little actual juice in it. If you read the ingredients list, it will often have water and high fructose corn syrup added. High fructose corn syrup is just highly processed sugar, with no nutrient value to speak of.

Fruits like blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, all have cancer fighting and preventive properties. You could snack on blueberries, or slice some strawberries or bananas into your morning oatmeal.

Buy fresh vegetables, not canned. The canning process removes most of the nutrient value. Frozen vegetables are usually okay, but you need to read the label to see if anything has been added.

When you cook vegetables, don't boil them into mush. Lightly stir fry or steam, so the vegetables remain crisp and the nutrients remain in the vegetables. One of my favorite vegetables is steamed kale. It takes about 2 minutes to make and it tastes wonderful (I add spices to it) and it is this vibrant green color.

Color is actually a good guide to what to buy. Deeper colors are usually more nutrition-packed. Go for orange carrots, red tomatoes, green broccoli and so on. For your salads, go with the deeper green lettuces and spinach.

Be creative in how you plan and cook your meals. Make vegetables the major part of the meal. Try out some vegetarian recipes. Experiement with spices to add zest to a dish. Snack on carrots or berries, have fruit as your dessert instead of something loaded with fat and sugar.
About the Author
Barbara Pfieffer writes about gaining real health on her blog, Real Health.