“A healthy body begins with healthy eating”, is a standalone fact that most of us believe. Quite often you might have thought of having a fit and active lifestyle, but eventually, you just lose it. You read a plethora of stuff on the Internet to find a way to do it — yoga, workout routines, and meditation, and so on. In actuality, you keep missing the most essential point — healthy eating.
A perfectly balanced diet rich in nutrients and vitamins keeps you active and fit; obviously, you need to exercise as well to maintain it. Often many assume that eating nutrient-rich food as much as they want would keep them healthy. A notion not to fall for at all, as healthy eating is all about quantities and combinations of food.
Besides, if you think healthy eating means dieting for weight loss, then you couldn’t be more mistaken. Diet for weight loss purposes is entirely different, even though when on a diet you have to eat healthily. But if you look at the larger picture, healthy eating is more like giving your body everything that it needs to function properly. Further, a healthy diet also reduces the chances of chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular problems, cancer, and many others.
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Well, there is a wealth of information on healthy eating available online but ‘what to follow’ and ‘what not to’ might baffle you. However, you can try making small changes in the food habits and quantities. Moreover, we’ve also listed 5 simple and easy-to-follow healthy diet tips that will help you on how to eat healthily and stay active.
Follow these and enjoy an active lifestyle.
How to Eat Healthily
Eating healthy is all about including essential food items in your diet that contain your daily dose of nutrients. Minerals like calcium, sodium, zinc, iron, magnesium, and potassium are required by the body to accentuate bodily functions. And most of these are found in the food we eat- whole grains, lentils, dairy, poultry, vegetables, and fruits. So, here are a few things that you include in your diet every day.
1. Add a Plateful of Veggies and Fruits to Your Diet
Do you recall your childhood food habits, wherein vegetables were always avoided or secretly dumped? We are sure most of you have done this and most kids still do it. Well, a healthy diet is incomplete without a good dose of vegetables. Rich in essential minerals and vitamins, vegetables are the healthiest food you can consume. Plus, these keep you away from several chronic issues like hypertension, diabetes, and more.
Add reds, greens, yellows, and all other vegetables to your meals for full nourishment. Select 1-2 vegetables per day, which will fulfill your daily dose of veggies. Along with vegetables, you must also consume a good amount of fruits. Enriched with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, fruits are the best food item for a healthy diet. Many health experts and fitness enthusiasts have added that vegetables and fruits in the everyday diet keep most health issues away.
Here’s a pro tip- when buying vegetables and fruits, try to pick the seasonal ones, as these are grown naturally and offer ample nutrients. Also, try to avoid canned fruits or veggies, as these often contain preservatives that are harmful to the body. Take a little time and pick fruits, vegetables fresh from the market, and that makes your diet truly healthy.
Also, healthy eating doesn’t confine you to consuming bland and boiled veggies. Unleash your cooking skills or just look over on YouTube to get some amazing recipes on vegetable/fruit salads, soups, and smoothies- which is easy to make with a stand mixer or a hand blender. It’s a perfect way to eat something tasty yet healthy.
2. Keep Sugar Off Diet and Switch to Low Fat Diary
Adopting a healthy diet might sound easy but the real struggle starts in avoiding food items. Many items often lead to chronic conditions, obesity, and more. But for most people, this transition from regular foodstuff to choosing healthier alternatives often turns into an uphill task.
Well, considering a healthy diet and lifestyle, you must keep sugar always off the diet. Cheat days are fine, but have to be in proportions! Your healthy eating is only fruitful if you consume sugar to the bare minimum. Besides, you’ll be surprised to know that most canned products like marinara sauce, peanut butter, Nutella spread, and more have a good amount of sugar, even protein powders, and favorite beverages.
While some of you are dependent on these canned foods, others often unintentionally pick food items that say ‘less sugar’ or ‘no sugar’ but do contain the sugary sweetness. Some experts believe that sugar consumption is a major cause of type 2 diabetes and one must consume less than 10% sugar a day.
Besides, avoiding sugar in such processed and canned foods is always possible with a little hard work on your part. That means you can make some of these items at home with healthier alternatives to sugar. For example, you can pick a few pieces of vegetables or fruits at will and use a hand blender to make a cup of healthy fruit and vegetable juice without additional sugar.
Don’t stress out, as you can always switch to a healthier option like organic honey, pure jaggery, or maple syrup. That’s not all, sometimes you can also add dates as a sugar supplement. So, whether it’s your breakfast smoothie or oats porridge, you can always keep sugar off your food and enjoy a wholesome, healthy meal.
Another item you must add to your diet is low-fat dairy. Unless you’re lactose intolerant, dairy products are the best source of calcium and proteins. However, these products have a considerable amount of saturated fats, which are not at all healthy. Heart diseases are the most common result of consuming high-fat dairy products for a long time. However, alternatives are always available- low-fat dairy. You can always choose low-fat ad fat-free yogurt or milk, as these are healthier, light, and even taste awesome. So, the next time you go grocery shopping, just remember to go fat-free and low sugar to ace your healthy eating.
3. Switch to Whole Grains
For a better healthy diet, switching to whole grains is a smart choice. We know that how our parents have been forcing us since childhood to intake healthy carbs for every meal, eating a variety of whole grains ensures health-promoting nutrients. They provide vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and other nutrients that prevent the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. Whole grains are more preferable, as it contains entire grain kernel that promotes healthy eating patterns.
You can include whole grains in your breakfast by consuming cornflakes, oatmeal, or other wheat residues. Also, you can replace your plain bread with whole-grain bread or can feature wild rice and barley in stews, salads, and soups. Remember, you can make anything taste good by applying a good recipe to it. Follow recipe books or look for cooking recipes online on whole grains to turn your bland dish into a yummy one. “Whole grain doesn’t always mean healthy’’- be careful when you are buying stuff labeled as whole grain. People should steer towards whole grains food that is rich in fiber and less diluted with other ingredients and artificial color. Moreover, eating brown rice, barley, oats, corn, and rye are healthy choices as they are jam-packed with nutritional benefits and without any added preservatives or ingredients.
It takes time to enjoy whole grain, as it retains your taste buds to become familiar with the nuttier and complete flavor of the whole grain. Try experimenting with different grains and make a whole grain medley with sautéed vegetables for a healthy side dish. Help your children and family members to include whole-grain food and incorporate white whole-wheat flour into food that has other flavors: brown rice with green veggies, burgers with whole-grain buns or use whole wheat to make pizza base or crusts.
4. Maximize Proteins and Cut Down Fats
A healthy diet can get tricky if you consume an inadequate amount of protein because that majorly takes the control of your appetite. Protein takes a longer time to break down as compared to carbohydrates. This slow digestion helps your stomach to feel satisfied for a longer duration and it also helps to boosts your metabolism.
You go to any doctor, health instructor, or dietician, all they will stress is the importance of proteins for a balanced diet or any weight loss routine. We often come across that protein is the best food for body-builders and fitness enthusiasts, as it helps increase the amount of energy that your body produces. A high-Protein diet can serve health benefits, increase weight loss and enhance muscle growth. Try to include Eggs, roasted lean meats, or chia seeds for your breakfast, as eating proteins in your first meal can prevent your blood sugar and insulin levels from rising high. You can replace your evening snacks with cheese, as it is high in Protein and Calcium. It can also help you to avoid unnecessary munching every hour.
If you are an athlete or a regular fitness enthusiast, you can replace your breakfast cereal bowl with eggs as it keeps you full for a longer period. You can even sprinkle some almonds over Greek yogurt and veggies to enjoy a Protein-filled meal. Also, cutting out saturated fats will reduce the risk of high blood cholesterol, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. But make sure that you balance your diet rather than cutting down fats completely.
When it comes to vegetarians, cottage cheese or Edamame (Plant protein) can be a great source of protein that you can include in your everyday meal. Make sure that you are including enough protein in your diet and cutting down fats if you want to maintain a healthy diet plan.
5. Add Lean Proteins and Seafood to Your Diet
Just regular protein intake isn’t enough. When it comes to adding protein choices to your diet, it’s the quality of the right protein that matters — lean protein. It is advisable to eat seafood twice a week as most seafood contains Omega-3 fatty acids and low saturated fat. Most people can consume a high-protein diet by eating turkey or chicken without skin, fish, low-fat milk, beans, legumes, vegetables, nuts, and egg white. Also, it might interest you that 50g of soy reduces 3% of cholesterol every day so you have another good source of protein for the people who want to reduce their cholesterol levels.
In case you are finding it difficult to sit down for a meal during work or online classes, just grab a cereal bar or a protein shake. Don’t forget to check the label to make sure that the product is low in sugar and saturated fats. Even replacing your fried protein with grilled ones is one of the lifesaving diet hacks. But if you are focusing on weight loss then it is more advisable to eat fish. And, if you are focusing on a balanced a healthy diet then try to consume both types of meat in moderation.
Lean animal protein sources are plentiful but you can always maintain your daily fat or calorie limits to encounter your protein needs. White-fleshed fish and skinless lean meat are amongst the high-protein food. Many dairy products are good sources of protein and low in fat, and plant protein such as tofu and beans also provides ample amount of protein.
With these 5 healthy diet tips, we hope, now, you know how to eat healthily. However, there’s a lot more you can do but these 5 tips for a healthy diet are the aptest ones to follow. You can always keep adding healthier kinds of stuff to your diet like seeds, nuts, and so on. Most importantly, remember to stay hydrated, exercise frequently, eat the right proportion, consume fresh foods, and have a good 8-hours sleep. After all, a healthy lifestyle comes from a bowl full of nutrients and some great habits.
So, enjoy your active lifestyle with a good-great dose of healthy eating!
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