A healthy body is one of the most vital requisitions to enjoy the pleasures of life. Your diet substantially influences your health and your mood. A nutritious diet is of utmost importance to be more energetic, keep numerous diseases at bay, and to feel good inside.
Commonly the importance of a nutritious diet is highlighted at certain times like during weight management, pregnancy, convalescence, etc. but you need to realize that you should not wait for a particular time that induces the need to make healthy changes in your diet. A nutritious diet is essential at all the stages of life regardless of the age, health condition and gender.
Read along for some useful suggestions that will help you to practically imbibe the concept of nutritious diet in your life.
A balanced diet
A balanced diet implies inclusion of a variety of foods, which fulfill the body’s need of diverse nutrients essential to keep up the health. For better understanding, nutritious foods can be divided into various categories and you have to ensure the intake of certain foods from each of the categories.
Whole grains
Eat lots of starchy foods as they are a rich source of carbohydrates and fiber, which fulfills the majority of the energy needs of the body. Foods like cereals, potatoes and rice come in whole meal varieties which keep your blood sugar and insulin levels under check. They also act as natural appetite suppressants and thus encourage loss of weight.
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are colossal suppliers of numerous nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and fiber and thus come with multiple health benefits. Their inclusion in the daily diet is simply unquestionable in order to have a healthy body. Moreover, they add color, variety and taste to your diet making it all the more appetizing. Though, frozen or tinned foods are quite nutritious too but they are no comparison to fresh fruits and vegetables.
Foods rich in calcium and iron
Intake of calcium directly influences your bone health. People with low consumption of calcium in their younger years are known to suffer from various ailments related to bones in their age beyond 40s. Weak bones are more vulnerable to fractures. Deficiency of iron can interfere with the production of blood and can lead to anemia. Thus, you must have milk and other dairy products on daily basis.
Limited amount of salt, sugar and fats
While all three of these are essential nutrients, their intake in excessive amounts can lead to severe weight problems besides other myriad health issues. The chronic problem of diabetes is attributable to high sugar levels in bloodstream, accumulation of fats leads to obesity related troubles and excessive salt is a cause of various skin problems and high blood pressure.
Proteins
Proteins are regarded as the basic elements required for growth and energy. Some of the healthy sources of proteins are fish, eggs, beans, nuts and soy products. Try to have a protein rich diet in balance with other nutrients. Focusing too much on them is not a wise option.
Making changes in your eating pattern
How you eat is as important as what you eat. For proper nourishment of the body you need to learn about the healthy eating habits and patterns as well.
- Skipping your breakfast is not an advisable option whether you are trying to lose weight or otherwise. It is in fact the most important meal of the day, which influences your energy levels for the entire day. Studies show that you tend to focus more on your work during the day when you have had proper breakfast in the morning and it helps in maintaining the body weight.
- Avoid eating your food in haste or gulping it down while going to the office or eating in between the meetings. Try to eat slowly and relish your meals.
- Do not put huge gaps between your meals. It is imprudent to go for crash dieting or starve yourself for longer hours. Replace fried or salty snacks with fresh fruits.
- Avoid eating anything at least three hours before going to bed as it disturbs the digestion and you tend to put on weight.
- It is best for your health when you have your meals at regular timings every day. This way you are able to avoid mindless overeating and save yourself of unhealthy food choices.
How to make long lasting changes
Making effective changes and improving your dietary habits require enormous mental strength and you have to stick to your chalked out plans no matter what. Generally, at one point or the other, you tend to take your health for granted and easily give in to the temptations that do not make up for a wise option for your health. Here are some tips to keep the focus on your chosen path to a healthy life-
Go for gradual changes -One of the primary reasons for you find it difficult to keep up with the diet plans is that they attempt to introduce certain drastic changes in your diet. Consequently, you fail to ward off your temptations for long. Thus, you need to start making slow but effective changes. For instance, start with reducing the frequency of having your favorite food which is not good for your health. This will help in creating a long lasting effect on your diet.
Change your perspective- A healthy diet is generally perceived to be boring and bland. You need to know that it is all about your food choices. You can make nutritious foods a part of your diet by looking for simple and colorful recipes in which such foods can be used as ingredients. Remember that your diet can be both healthy and delicious at the same time.
Do not treat as an obsession-Obsessions are often short lived. Stop measuring all your food in terms of calories. Do not completely rule out your favorite foods from your diet. All it requires is a balance where you neither compromise on nutritious diet nor you totally deprive yourself of your much loved delicacies.
You can try taking help of a food journal which helps you keep a track of all that you eat. Gradually, you would be able to identify the areas where changes need to be made.