7 Little-known Ways To Keep Yourself Healthful And Robust: Tips From Experts

Being a hardcore recipe site and a community of food lovers, we run a risk of neglecting our health issues. We glance at drool-worthy pictures of unique dishes and cook them up. What follows this is a series of health and fitness issues that we could have averted had we kept our health in mind while preparing those delicacies.

To avoid falling into that trap, we called out to our experts and asked them for some advice on healthy eating and cooking.

Our first expert is Courtney Berlin from FitGirlsEatBurgers.com. She is a wife, mother, and a certified health coach. Her approach to health coaching is based on practicality that is rooted in salvation and not deprivation. Courtney helps clients find pragmatic ways to make their lifestyle healthier, combining what they enjoy with realistic goals and here is one of her tips:

Tip#1 Stay away from sacrifice

“With so many recommendations for things to cut out, stay away from sacrifice. It can leave you confused and no closer to your health goals. One of the most effective eating tips is to not deprive yourself of the foods that you enjoy. It’s all about substitution and creativity. Use substitutions for the foods and treats that you enjoy — this will keep you from overeating later on. You will feel full and satisfied.” ~ Courtney Berlin (@fitgirlseatburg)

Talking about not overeating, here is one more expert, Sally Symonds, advising to keep things real.“Forget about portions. Eat until you are full, but not overfull” she says. Being a best-selling weight loss author, trainer, consultant and director of Love Your Weight Loss, we can ascertain she knows what she is talking about.

Tip #2 Chuck portion control

“Portion control is one of those theories of weight loss developed by people who have never actually struggled with their weight. Instead of Portion Control, I advocate Portion in Notion: i.e. ‘Eat until you are full, but not over full’.

Forget portion sizes. Instead, fill up on the good things first and the bad things won’t seem so tempting. So have low-fat protein, lots of vegetables, and other things that keep you full, and are also healthy for you, before jumping onto things that tempt you.” ~ Sally Symonds (@sally_symonds)

Now we know how hard it is to do what she is telling. It needs a strong determinant soul to actually pull this off. Mothers, however, have even a harder time implementing this with their toddlers and kids who would just throw a tantrum and create a fuss over food.

So, our next expert, a Mommy blogger at Being Mumma, Pranita Sohony who believes that a mom’s life is all about being a full-time mom and part-time human, suggests to:

Tip #3 Make the veggies go invisible

“Most kids hate to eat veggies and moms usually have a tough time making them finish their daily veggies’ portion. In such a case, it’s best to present the veggies in the ‘invisible form! For instance, make ‘palak khichdi’ (spinach porridge) by adding a fine paste of spinach to the dish. Before heading out to preparing ‘parathas’ (chapatis), add a paste of mashed vegetables to the dough while kneading the flour. This way, the kids can’t separate veggies from the dish and are left with no other option but to eat it!” ~ Pranita Sohony (@pranitasohony)

Georgia Lienemann, our nutrition expert, is a clinically trained Nutritionist, whole foods chef and health educator from StirringChange who advocates traditional eating and cooking philosophies to stay healthy (and also, save on grocery bills!).

Tip #4 Embrace the ‘nose-to-tail’ or ‘root-to-tip’ philosophy

“Applying this philosophy means saving your carrot tops to make pesto, sauteeing radish greens, setting aside your ginger skins to make tea.” ~ Georgia Lienemann (@StirringChange)

Too often the parts we’re tossing away are the most nutrient dense. My mom uses gourd skin to stuff paranthas and banana skin to create a side dish on dinners. And let me tell you, they taste oodiliciously yummy.

When it comes to organ meats, the things we send to trash literally provide 10–100 times the nutrition than regular cuts of meat, including many important vitamins that we’re commonly deficient in.

Learning to cook this way will dramatically improve your nutrient intake — one of the cornerstones of good health. Similarly, combining different veggies and learning the art of plating them together is essential.

Heather Caplan, a registered dietitian and running coach who works as the Head of Nutrition content and communities for Spright.com suggests:

Tip #5 Go for the color technique

“Include at least three colors in each meal! This simple tip is just another way to get creative with fruits, vegetables, and even grains on your plate, and ensures you’ll be eating a variety of nutrients, too!” ~ Heather Caplan (@heatherdcRD)

Checkout how Gaganpreet here uses this technique to prepare her delicious bell-pepper dish.

Tip #6 Pay attention to how your body reacts

“Pay attention to how your body, energy, and mood feel AFTER eating certain foods. Is your energy sustained for several hours or does it drop after 30 minutes? Can you think clearly or does brain fog and fatigue set in? Are you in a positive state of mind or you feel agitated easily? Certain foods that don’t agree with you body or incorrect macronutrient combinations in meals can lead to blood sugar imbalances and a chain reaction of difficulties which will inhibit your energy and mood.

You don’t need any scientific testing, just pay attention to what your body is telling you — it never lies!”~ Kylie Edwards

Such pearls of wisdom can only come from a seasoned fitness professional and athlete who has been in this industry for more than 15 years like Kylie Edwards.

Tip #7 Dress up the raw

“Raw food doesn’t have to be complicated, and it’s far more exciting for your tastebuds than just carrot and lettuce. To get all the benefits from your plant foods, eat them raw. Don’t be afraid to use a blender or a food processor. It’s easy to make grain-free rice from Cauliflower or Celeriac.” ~ Hannah & Jeevi

Hannah and Jeevi are two Raw Food Chefs with a passion for sharing nutrient dense, wholefoods and the health benefits of doing so. Hannah is the head chef in the medicinal raw food kitchen at Orchard Street, and Jeevi gained his title of raw food chef from Living Light Culinary Institute in California — the founding home of the raw food movement.

This is a DIY dressing to make your raw veggies more exciting by Hannah & Jeevi:

Ingredients:

– Juice of 1 Lemon

– 1/4 tsp (or less) Himalayan Salt (alternative: Rock Salt)

– 3 tbsp Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil

– 1/2 clove minced Garlic (alternative: 1/8 tsp dried powder)

Process:

Whisk all the above in a bowl with a fork.

Yes, that’s it!

Simple, antibacterial, and full of the good fats for your brain and tummy.

So there you go with 7 marvellous tips from health and fitness experts around the world. We know that all may not suit your lifestyle or suit your tastebuds, so pick those that you can accommodate in your life and enjoy a healthy, fit life.

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Stay healthy, Stay happy!