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Healthy Eating Tips
Everyone has a different take on healthy eating habits. You can see it in numerous articles and social media posts on the internet. But most of these suggestions boil down to a few fundamental recommendations. Here are some tips that you can consider following to achieve a balanced diet.
1. Bump Up Fiber
Fibre is essential for its ability to prevent and treat constipation. You can consider various sources of dietary fiber for regular consumption, including fruits, whole grains, vegetables, and legumes. At the same time, eating foods high in fibre can also help you maintain a healthy weight and reduce your risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer.
You might need to increase your intake of fibre if you are not receiving enough of it every day. One of the healthy eating habits that you can take up is consuming more high-fibre items, some of which are mentioned below:
- Whole-grain products
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Beans, peas, and other legumes
- Nuts and seeds
Approximately half of your daily caloric intake should come from carbohydrates, including starchy foods. Whole-grain products, fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, and other legumes are excellent sources. Choose high-fibre varieties (whole wheat/brown) to get maximum benefits. They might keep you feeling fuller for longer since they have more fibre than refined or white starchy carbohydrates.
2. Eat Lots of Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables contain plant compounds, essential vitamins and minerals, and fibre. They come in multiple kinds and can be prepared, cooked, and served in numerous ways. Consuming them can help ward off heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and high blood pressure.
It is advised that you consume five or more servings of a range of fruits and vegetables each day. You can choose how to eat your fruits or veggies—they can be juiced, dried, frozen, canned, or fresh. However, choosing whole and fresh options is often best for maximizing fibre intake and minimizing added sugars.
Eighty grams of fresh, frozen, or canned fruit and vegetables should be your goal each day. Out of which, thirty grams of dried fruit could be incorporated during mealtimes. A glass of fruit or vegetable juice or a smoothie (150 ml) can also be an option in this case.
3. Eat More Fish, Including a Portion of Oily Fish
Fish contains not only helpful omega-3 fatty acids but also vitamins B2 (riboflavin) and D. It is also a fantastic source of nutrients like iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. The American Heart Association recommends eating fatty fish like salmon and mackerel at least twice a week for their heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Furthermore, oily fish is crucial for expectant and nursing mothers as well since it can support the development of the baby's neurological system. The best source of long-chain omega-3 is oily fish, including salmon, herring, trout, sardines, mackerel, pilchards, and so on. Similarly, haddock, tuna, cod, skate, coley, plaice, and hake are some other sources of non-oily fish that you can also consider.
4. Replace Saturated Fats and Sugar
Consuming healthy fats instead of saturated fat is among the healthy food habits you should adopt. It will reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering "bad" LDL cholesterol and improving the ratio of total cholesterol more towards "good" HDL cholesterol. Consuming healthy fats rather than saturated fats can also aid in preventing insulin resistance, which is a risk factor for diabetes.
Substituting sugar alternatives for added sugar may help reduce your risk of cavities and tooth decay. Moreover, most non-nutritive sweeteners like stevia and aspartame do not raise blood sugar levels, but it's important to choose ones that suit your health needs. Short-term weight management may also be aided by sugar replacements for overweight adults and children. Thus, they are essential for managing obesity.
Saturated fat intake in men should not be more than 30g per day on average. Women should also consume no more than 20g of saturated fat per day. Saturated fat is present in many items, such as sausages, fatty cuts of meat, hard cheese, butter, cream, cakes, pies, biscuits, and so on.
5. Cut Back on Sodium
If you want to stay healthy, cut back on your sodium intake. Elevated blood pressure is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular illnesses, stomach cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, Meniere's disease, and kidney disease. This is the main health impact of a diet that is high in sodium. Excessive sodium intake is not the hallmark of a healthy diet, as it is linked to an estimated 1.89 million deaths annually.
In fact, you may be consuming excess sodium even if you do not add salt to your meals. Wondering how? A significant portion of the salt that we consume is pre-packaged in foods like bread, sauces, soups, and cereals. An item is considered high in salt if it contains more than 1.5g per 100g. The recommended daily limit for sodium intake for adults is 2,300 mg or about one teaspoon of salt. Children should consume even less. Read the food label carefully before buying any product, checking for its sodium content.
6. Get Active and Maintain a Healthy Weight
Maintaining an active lifestyle and trying to eat healthy food is essential to good health. An active lifestyle lowers the chance of developing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and strokes. Exercise has also been associated with enhanced mental well-being and cognitive abilities.
Engaging in physical activity can boost your mental well-being, assist in weight management, lower the risks of illnesses, fortify bones and muscles, and facilitate daily tasks. Adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity each week, along with muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week.
Aerobic exercise works especially well to reduce abdominal fat, which is the dangerous kind that accumulates around your organs. Losing belly fat may significantly improve your metabolic health. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans state that we should aim for 150 minutes or more per week of moderate-intensity exercise. You can take this as a benchmark in your case, too.
7. Do Not Get Thirsty
One of the best health tips is to drink more water. It is essential for numerous bodily processes, such as supplying nutrition to cells, eliminating waste, protecting joints and organs, and regulating body temperature.
Your first choice for a drink should almost always be water. Select it instead of sugary beverages with a lot of calories, like juices or sodas. The recommended daily intake of water varies based on your activity level, gender, height, weight, and other factors. The Institute of Medicine has the following broad guidelines:
- It is advised that men consume 13 cups or around 3 litres of water every day.
- Women should ideally consume nine cups or a little more than two litres of water every day. Particularly, pregnant women should consume ten glasses of water daily, and nursing women should drink twelve cups.
- Children and teenagers should aim to drink plenty of water each day, with specific needs varying based on age, weight, and activity level.
All non-alcoholic beverages are acceptable, but the healthiest options include water, low-fat milk, and drinks with less sugar, including tea and coffee. Avoid sugar-filled soft drinks and carbonated drinks as they are high in calories and harm your teeth as well. Smoothies and unsweetened fruit juices are also high in free sugar. You shouldn't have more than 150 ml (a tiny glass) of fruit, vegetable, or smoothie juice in total per day. Remember to always stay hydrated while exercising or in hot temperatures.
8. Do Not Skip Breakfast
When you skip breakfast, you will feel lethargic, confused, and unable to focus at work or school. Having breakfast is a part of healthy eating habits as it accelerates your metabolism, which transforms food into usable energy. This implies that even when at rest, you will burn more calories throughout the day.
A 2022 study published in Nutrients found a link between weight increase, insulin resistance, and skipping breakfast. Skipping breakfast simply isn't worth it, especially because it may also have a detrimental overall impact on your health.
While some people believe that skipping breakfast may aid in weight loss, it can often lead to overeating later in the day. A nutritious breakfast can help maintain energy levels and support a balanced diet. It will help you obtain the nutrients you require for optimal health. Besides, not eating breakfast can cause fatigue, intense hunger, and concentration issues. While the significance of breakfast cannot be understated, the nutritional content of one's morning meal should also be taken into consideration.
Conclusion
Eating the appropriate number of calories for your level of activity will help you maintain a healthy diet, ensuring that your energy intake and expenditure are balanced. You will gain weight if you consume more food or liquids than your body requires since the extra amount is stored as fat. Thus, you should ensure that your diet is balanced and that your body is getting all the nutrients it needs on a daily basis. Men should consume approximately 2,500 calories per day, while women should consume about 2,000 calories per day.
Nevertheless, you shouldn't limit your efforts to your diet alone; focus on getting good sleep, exercise, and social interactions as well. These are all vital steps towards staying healthy and happy!
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