Broadly, eat foods that look as close as possible to the way they were grown (whole grains, fruits and vegetables, meat and fish that is not processed). Try not to eat the same thing every day so you get variety of micronutrients.

Practically, try to make half your plate vegetables, 1/4 a protein, and 1/4 a starch. Don't drink your calories as much as possible.

One very easy bang-for-the-buck food is oatmeal. There are quite a few oatmeal posts if you search this forum. I make mine with half milk, half water. I top with whatever fresh fruit I have on hand, plus a drizzle of real maple syrup (i.e., not Log Cabin) and a few nuts. This fills me up for breakfast, whereas cold cereal does not.

You've gotten such good advice so far! I particularly like the suggestions of Michael Pollan and Eat This, Not That.

Since you mention that you are thin, I'd think first about what you could ADD to your diet to get you more vitamins and expand your tastes. Start simple with some fruit with breakfast. Do you like salads? They're the simplest way to get a couple of servings of vegetables. But if you don't, try steamed broccoli or green beans as a side for your dinner. Cook them until they're as soft as you like them, then you can eat as is, or saute in a little olive oil and garlic.

Salsas are a great way to make healthy food exciting (and add more vegetables). Try keeping a jar of red and a jar of green on hand. Put on chicken, fish, egg burritos, etc.

This food forum is actually pretty great and helpful! There are also some fun food Instagrammers or bloggers ... Half Baked Harvest, Skinnytaste, Cookie and Kate to name a few.

Storebought chicken is the worst. High sodium!

For someone who has very little cooking or nutrition knowledge, I would recommend to (at least at first) keep it simple. Store-bought rotisserie chicken and frozen vegetables is an easy and unintimidating place to start. Fill your plate with more veggies than chicken. There are some pretty good frozen stir-fry type mixes that are easy to prepare and tasty. A pre-packaged salad mix topped with a griilled or roasted protein (salmon, chicken, shrimp) is easy.

Home-made soups are an easy way to load up on healthy veggies -- saute a chopped small onion, a clove of chopped garlic, a peeled chopped potato or two, and a head or to of broccoli (or a bunch of asparagus, a head of cauliflower), top with water or broth and then blend with an immersion blender or in a blender. Top with some chopped nuts, parsley, a dollop of greek yogurt.

Some warm humous with a variety of fresh or steamed vegetables (sweet peppers, broccoli, asparagus, carrots, snap peas) and some warm whole grain pita.

Smoothies - blend up a banana, large handful of frozen berries, large handful of spinach or kale, splash of orange juice or a peeled orange, large spoonful of greek yogurt. Blend and have for breakfast or a snack.

Beans and greens - you can make a delicious soup with a chopped small onion, a clove of chopped garlic, a crushed tomato or two (or some jarred tomato sauce), a can or two of white beans, a bunch of chopped spinach or kale. Top with water or broth and cook for 30 minutes. Add a handful of orzo pasta and cook for 10 more minutes. You can top with grated parmesan cheese.

To begin, I wouldn't worry about abandoning your typical foods as much as adding fresh vegetables and fruits. Find a salad that appeals to you, or pick up some berries. These foods will add nutrients you may be missing more than leaving you feeling like your taking something away. You'll also discover what appeals to you. Vegetables can be a bit simpler to prepare than an entire dish. You can roast, steam, or saute with a bit of trial and error. (Learning what's in season is helpful b/c produce just tastes better when at their ripest.)

Add to pasta or rice. Pasta is super simple to prepare...rice may be a bit more of an effort.

Another step would be adding a protein. Just learning to cook chicken or fish would give you a lot of options. You can then learn to add different seasonings, sauces, combinations. I do like prohomecooks on youtube b/c he explains a lot for beginning cooks, and he has lots of easy to prepare 15 minutes meals with simple ingredients.

The more you discover what flavors appeal to you, the more you can build from there. Samin Nosrat has a great book, "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat". It's also a series on Netflix. https://www.saltfatacidheat.com/ She shares some of her own lessons in what makes great food and breaks it down into four components. Although she's a chef, she breaks down cooking to simple ideas.

That's what I would suggest to someone who is a beginner.

I like to watch Shira Bocar on YouTube. She has so many delicious and creative recipes which also are full of nutrient density. She inspired me to try Swiss chard for the first time. I didn’t grow up ever tasting beets or fennel but now I can rattle off different varieties of radishes and turnips, and share their differences. I love learning about new ingredients and cooking with them.

You could check out the Mediterranean diet which is fairly easy and tasty and recommended by a lot of heath care providers.

For me, it's about making easy changes slowly. Make sure you are eating at least one fruit or vegetable at every meal. Swap out some of your refined grains for whole grains. I personally hate brown rice, but sometimes I do farro instead of white rice (which I def eat in moderation). Find a high quality whole grain bread to eat instead of white bread. Do think you have to change everything or give up your favorites!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very basic suggestions.

Avoid anything with sugar--especially sugary drinks.

Try Salmon with brown rice.

Buy prepackaged salad kits.

Only eat whole grain or whole wheat bread/toast.

Drink lots of water each day. (If tap water, buy a filter for your tap.)

If you try fish, the trick is to avoid overcooking fish.

Chicken is good. Baked chicken is easy to make.

Buy Steamfresh frozen vegetables. Only takes 4 to 5 minutes to cook in the microwave.

Try to exercise each day.

Avoid sweets.

Forget to suggest: Avoid salt. Never use table salt.

Try sushi.

Baked potatoes are now available wrapped in plastic so each potato can be cooked in about 6 minutes in the microwave.

This is.....the worst advice ever to give to someone who wants to try making healthy tasty food

+1. What on earth?? This person wouldn’t know good food so someone smacked them in the face with a well seasoned.. anything.

Anonymous wrote: This was me, exactly. I’m mid 40s. To start, why don’t you try something like blue apron that will send you the ingredients and the recipes. I don’t think it’s sustainable to do this long term, but it will really help you get started and build your cooking confidence. Good luck! And for me, I married someone who loves to cook so it really helps. Also, I developed a serious autoimmune issue in my late 20s and needed to take a harder look at my eating habits as part of overall getting healthy. Took up yoga at that time as well, which I still do.

This.

Ignore all advice to download things or buy books. Just get blue apron or something similar. It will be an excellent beginners guide.

If you’re actually interested…. How to Read a French Fry.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very basic suggestions.

Avoid anything with sugar--especially sugary drinks.

Try Salmon with brown rice.

Buy prepackaged salad kits.

Only eat whole grain or whole wheat bread/toast.

Drink lots of water each day. (If tap water, buy a filter for your tap.)

If you try fish, the trick is to avoid overcooking fish.

Chicken is good. Baked chicken is easy to make.

Buy Steamfresh frozen vegetables. Only takes 4 to 5 minutes to cook in the microwave.

Try to exercise each day.

Avoid sweets.

Forget to suggest: Avoid salt. Never use table salt.

Try sushi.

Baked potatoes are now available wrapped in plastic so each potato can be cooked in about 6 minutes in the microwave.

This is.....the worst advice ever to give to someone who wants to try making healthy tasty food

+1. Also weird to follow the bolded with try sushi. Sushi, that most people dip in soy sauce, which is a sodium bomb.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very basic suggestions.

Avoid anything with sugar--especially sugary drinks.

Try Salmon with brown rice.

Buy prepackaged salad kits.

Only eat whole grain or whole wheat bread/toast.

Drink lots of water each day. (If tap water, buy a filter for your tap.)

If you try fish, the trick is to avoid overcooking fish.

Chicken is good. Baked chicken is easy to make.

Buy Steamfresh frozen vegetables. Only takes 4 to 5 minutes to cook in the microwave.

Try to exercise each day.

Avoid sweets.

Forget to suggest: Avoid salt. Never use table salt.

Try sushi.

Baked potatoes are now available wrapped in plastic so each potato can be cooked in about 6 minutes in the microwave.

This is.....the worst advice ever to give to someone who wants to try making healthy tasty food

1. Eat real good, mostly plants.
2. Read labels. Maximize fiber and protein, minimize added sugars and sodium.
3. Eat a rainbow (of natural colors).
These three rules are basically all you need to know. Then there are little tricks to help you stick to these.

Your only drinks should be plain water, tea, milk, and sometimes combucha or kefir and the like
When in doubt, order a salad
Eat veggies and fruit any way you like them
Brown is better than white (when in doubt)
Boiled and baked is better than fried
Animal fat in very small quantities

Anonymous wrote:Very basic suggestions.

Avoid anything with sugar--especially sugary drinks.

Try Salmon with brown rice.

Buy prepackaged salad kits.

Only eat whole grain or whole wheat bread/toast.

Drink lots of water each day. (If tap water, buy a filter for your tap.)

If you try fish, the trick is to avoid overcooking fish.

Chicken is good. Baked chicken is easy to make.

Buy Steamfresh frozen vegetables. Only takes 4 to 5 minutes to cook in the microwave.

Try to exercise each day.

Avoid sweets.

Forget to suggest: Avoid salt. Never use table salt.

Try sushi.

Baked potatoes are now available wrapped in plastic so each potato can be cooked in about 6 minutes in the microwave.