Healthy dieting is never a phase, lifestyles and habits are the things we always tend to focus in our lives. Nevertheless, fitness and health is the major goal. If you are someone who has not tried a healthy diet yet, you might be overwhelmed. However, if you have tried different diets before and find them hard to stick to, note that this one is never impossible.
In fact, a healthy diet is not only about the right choices. It also needs to include different groups of foods. Dietitian and nutritionists recommend that we have a diet composed by 60% carbohydrates, 20% proteins and 20% fats. Fats are the main source of energy supply for our cells. They are also important for the immune system, and maintaining skin and hair. However, in our daily lives we can eat too much of them. The recommended amount is 30 grams per day. Fats are found in certain oils; (olive oil, canola oil), nuts (almonds, walnuts), fish (salmon, mackerel), and foods containing naturally occurring oils (avocados, olives).
There is this idea that eating a diet that is heavy in protein and fat is the best choice for weight loss. And, yes, eating more protein and fats can help, but there is no “one-size-fits -all” solution to healthy eating. The diet that works best for you is one that you can enjoy-and that fits your lifestyle.
A healthy diet is not a difficult thing to find. Rather, finding the right diet plan that works for you and your lifestyle is.
We all have our own set of goals and priorities in life. That is why it’s important to pursue a diet plan that works specifically for you. Here are some tips on how to find the perfect diet for YOU.
It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!
Think About Your Goals: What are your fitness goals or health goals you’d like to achieve? Losing weight? Getting stronger and fitter? Eating more fruits and vegetables? The key thing is to be honest with yourself on what you want. Do not set ambiguous and unachievable goals such as “losing 5 pounds a week”. Be realistic about what you can achieve in a short period of time and maintain it for the long term.
The most effective diet in the world is the one that you can stick to. While some plans provide a grand vision for massive change in a short amount of time, it is more important to establish healthy habits that can be sustained long-term. In fact, studies have found that those who stuck to their diet plan over time were twice as likely to be successful as those who did not.
In order to get all of the nutrients your body needs, it’s important to eat a variety of foods. Most people should aim to eat at least three meals everyday, as well as two healthy snacks. This schedule allows you to regulate blood sugar levels and keep you feeling full and energized throughout the day. It’s also important to pay attention to serving sizes of each food group. For example, a single serving of a carbohydrate is defined as your fist and two fingers together. Whereas a serving of protein is the palm of your hand.
A healthy diet can be quite a challenge to maintain in the 21st century, what with our busy lifestyles. When we can not find the time or energy to cook, we often turn to expensive, pre-packaged foods. Coupled with this, they are often loaded with preservatives and other additives that we want to avoid. Here is a tip that can help you create a healthy diet for yourself: Cook at home. You can save money and calories by cooking at home, using fresh ingredients. This is also an excellent method of controlling your portion sizes because you tailor them to your own needs.
Plan meals in advance. If you’re having a hard time sticking to a healthy diet, the problem might be that you’re not planning your meals ahead of time. This means you have no idea what to eat and what not to eat during the day. So, plan out your meals for the week, and shop accordingly. This will keep you away from fast food and other unhealthy options. Buy fresh ingredients.
A healthy diet is rich in nutrients and helps you feel full for longer. It is also low in calories. As long as you are getting the right combination of nutrients, you can enjoy a variety of foods from around the world. No single type of food can make up an entirely healthy diet. Many people do not get all five food groups every day. That is OK. For most people, this is impossible. But you can still have a healthy diet by including foods that are rich in vitamins and nutrients. On balance, a healthy diet consists of fruits and vegetables. Hence, a lot of plant foods that provide little or no calories but offer lots of nutrients.
It is important to realize that when choosing foods, the food picked impacts health including it’s preparation process. For example, baked potatoes are healthier than french-fries. Since deep-frying in oil is the process for making french-fries. Whole grain breads and pasta are healthier than their white counterparts. White bread and pasta have lost many of their nutritious outer layers of bran and germ during processing.
On the other hand, as the world’s population becomes overweight and obese, new approaches need to be created to reverse this pattern. With this in mind, the following steps should be followed to successfully manage weight:
• Eat three meals a day – breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Skipping meals not only reduces the total amount of calories consumed but also leads to increased cravings for certain foods. For instance, snacks or unhealthy desserts.
• Eat when hungry – incorporate small and frequent snacks in your schedule to prevent binging. Having a healthy snack close by will help you avoid food-related emotional roller coaster; most importantly, snacking with purpose prevents over-indulgence later.
• Sleep– Take sleep seriously! Lack of it can make it easier for a person to overeat. The body sends signals that there is need for more energy for action. So, we eat more. There’s no magic number of hours folks must get each night. However, the AASM recommends adults aged 26 and up get between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. Simply determine what time you need to wake up, count back seven hours, and you will know when you should start to head to bed at night.