It’s a well acknowledged fact that the key to healthy eating is to eat a wide assortment of vitamins and minerals. Consuming a varied diet and moderating your intake of different foods can advance your wellbeing tenfold. Below are some supportive tips to assist you to a healthier lifestyle while still enjoying some of your favorite foods.
Enjoy a variety of nutrient rich foods
Research suggests that we require over 40 diverse nutrients for a healthy lifestyle and no one ‘super food’ can distribute this exclusively. This calls for you to benefit from a varied diet, sampling foods throughout all food groups. Ensure to embrace wholegrain cereals, fresh fruit & vegetables, lean meat, poultry, fish and dairy products. All foodstuffs should be eaten in moderation and how much you consume depends on your build and activity levels.
Get to grips with your 5-a-day
As mentioned before, the superlative way to gain nutrients into the body is by eating a varied mix of all the food groups. Aim to eat 5 fruit & vegetables daily, 6-7 helpings of wholegrain cereals, and low-fat dairy products such as cheese and yogurt. If you find certain foods uninspiring, look-up new tasty recipes to try.
Find your ideal weight and stick to it
Being over-weight can be very detrimental to your health, causing the onset of strokes, heart attacks, diabetes, types of cancers and heightened blood pressure to mention a few health problems. On the flip-side, being under weight can be just as disadvantageous by escalating the chances of osteoporosis, menstrual and fertility problems and other health problems. Identifying your ideal weight depends on your height, age, sex and genetic make-up. However, once you are at your ideal healthy weight you should aim to stay there. This can be achieved by eating healthily and partaking in regular exercise.
Control your portions
Keeping your portions smaller will guarantee you never over-eat and stabilizes your weight. It also allows you to still take pleasure in the foods you enjoy but in smaller quantities. If you never allow yourself your favorite treats, one day you will cave and binge frenziedly which is exceedingly detrimental to any healthy lifestyle efforts you have achieved. Eat controlled portions of your favorite foods or save them for special occasions.
Another great way to enjoy your favorite treats devoid of guilt is by trying low-fat versions, for example reduced-fat cheese. When plating up your dinner try to aim for half the plate to be full of fresh fruit, vegetables or salad and the rest to contain wholegrain cereals such as pasta and rice followed by lean protein such as chicken, pulses or fish.
Skipping meals is not healthy
It is often tempting to skip meals when you are trying to lose weight but doing so will have to opposite effect in the long run. Starving yourself of food will make the body unsure of when its next meal is arriving, thus storing as much fat as possible. When you are famished it is also easy to forget healthy eating and grab the first thing you can find. Try eating small nutritious meals regularly to avoid unhealthy snacking.
Be a conscious eater
Sometimes we can eat healthily and exercise regularly but for some reason see no results, this can be very disheartening. This can be down to the small eating habits that we don’t even realize we have. The best way to recognize these habits is by making a food diary. For 5 days write down everything that passes your lips and you may well be surprised of the ‘bad’ foods you are eating repeatedly without even realizing how injurious they are for your lifestyle.
Rome wasn’t built in a day
Always remember that there are no ‘super foods’ or rapid fixes when starting a healthy eating overhaul and making too many changes all at once can be detrimental for long term success too. Take one steady step at a time that you can truthfully commit to long term and you will find these changes stick for a lifetime. Start by switching to low-fat alternatives of your favorite foods, swap indulgent treats for healthier one, control your portion sizes and try new recipes.
