10 Steps to Healthy Eating!
It’s national nutrition month! Wish you all a very happy nutrition month people. Having said that, the main aim of my article is to spread awareness about nutrition and eating right. A healthy and balanced diet helps against malnutrition, be it over nutrition (being overweight/obese) or under nutrition (being undernourished/underweight). Hence it is essential to understand the power of nutrition for better health prospects.
Would like to share with you all, 10 important steps towards eating well and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, for better health tomorrow and always.
- Eat a variety of foods
Choose foods from all the food groups. As per the nutrients they provide, foods are categorized into various food groups. The food groups are as follows:
Cereals and Millets, Pulses and Meat, Fish/Poultry/Lean Meat/Eggs, Milk and Milk Products, Nuts and Oilseeds, Vegetables and Fruits. A diet should be planned and consumed keeping all these food groups in mind thus it proves to be a balanced healthy diet. Such a diet helps in preventing different types of nutrient deficiencies and insufficiencies.
2. Eat small and frequent meals
Experts believe eating small but frequently throughout the day helps in boosting metabolism than eating only 2–3 large meals. Eating 5–6 small meals in a days is a good idea. But the meals should be low on calories and nutritious. For example even a medium sized fruit eaten between your breakfast and lunch will be considered as a meal in such a case.
Following are some healthy snacking options: https://medium.com/healthdekho-healthcare/healthy-snacking-good-or-bad-4fd3445f0f2c
3. Eat a colorful diet
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. It’s important to include a variety of these foods especially with different colors such as yellow, orange, red, green, purple, black, pink etc. as these colors are seen due to presence of various pigments which are antioxidants which have a wide range of functions to be fulfilled. They help in maintaining skin and hair health, are anti-aging, are anti-inflammatory, promote heart and liver health, help maintain good vision, utilization of calories from food etc.
4. Maintain healthy weight
Maintaining a healthy weight is extremely important. Your meals should provide you with enough calories and nutrients as required by your body. Anything in excess or in reduced amounts may affect your health adversely. Hence neither should you be overweight /obese (leading to a host of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, joint pain etc.) nor underweight leading to deficiencies, low immunity etc.
5. Drink plenty water
Avoid dehydration which can be a cause of discomfort (getting thirsty, dizzy etc.) and overeating. Be well hydrated throughout the day, especially in warm weather and if you work out.
6. Eat whole foods
Eat whole grains (cereals and pulses), fruits and veggies which are an excellent source of fiber in the diet. For example eat a whole wheat flat bread instead of white bread, eat whole-multigrain pancakes instead of all-purpose pancakes. A diet rich in fiber may help in preventing pre diabetes and diabetes, high cholesterol, constipation, should be included in a diet aimed at losing excess weight since it is responsible for increased stomach emptying time, improves satiety level of foods and thus prevent overeating, which is a major cause for weight gain.
Checkout various health advantages of dietary fiber — https://medium.com/healthdekho-healthcare/health-benefits-of-dietary-fiber-7bf75027c29a
7. Eat right and help younger generations eat nutritious food
Teach healthy eating habits to your children, younger siblings, students etc. Thus these habits are harnessed right from the start and thus they will have a hale and hearty future ahead.
8. Exercising is a must
Exercising helps utilize the food you eat. Physical activity can help you to maintain the weight loss you have achieved or also help you lose the extra kilos. Not only that, with the correct diet and physical activity Also it helps improve heart health and burn calories (fats) from the body. It also helps you be more flexible and help tone your muscles. Being active doesn’t necessarily mean you have to hit the gym. You can always discover your own ways to include more action into your daily routine. For example, take stairs instead of elevators or lift, get off the bus or cab one — two stops earlier on the way back home from work, and walking while on the phone at work or home or choose your favorite activity or sports such as dancing, playing football, badminton etc.
9. Restrict intake of saturated fat and cut down on sugar
These are the main ingredients in junk foods. Refined flour is also almost good for nothing, as far as nutrient content is concerned. Unless it is fortified with nutrients. Eating too much saturated fat, salt and sugars in foods are the major culprits as far as fat gain in the body is concerned. Obesity is the main cause of various diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, thus indirectly associated with polycystic ovaries, hormonal imbalance, joint pain, back pain etc.
10. Avoid processed, preserved foods and excess salt
Processed and preserved foods usually contain a lot of sodium. Sodium salts help in preserving foods and thus increasing their shelf life, just what is required by the manufacturers of these foods so that the foods do not turn bad for a very long period of time. People keep on buying and eating them till the date of expiry, thus increasing the manufacturers’ profits. Excess sodium is responsible for a host of diseases, disorders and illnesses including one of the most hazardous silent killer, hypertension!!
Here’s how you can reduce salt in your diet and in turn gain health, https://medium.com/healthdekho-healthcare/reduce-salt-gain-health-7420ea2a8ad5
Please Note
HealthDekho Healthcare is an NABL certified lab that offers complete body & other health checkups at affordable prices in Mumbai.
To know more, visit us at www.healthdekho.com
References
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/eight-tips-for-healthy-eating/
