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Healthy Diet Made Simple
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No, Really: Why Is It So Difficult To Eat Healthy Foods?
Food is the fuel we need to exist. Eating, though, is also pleasurable, a fact that is not lost on the food industry. They create perfect blends of fats, sugars, and sodium that generate enormous pleasure, and they are becoming smarter at it. It is a business that for the most part, is not benefiting anyone’s health. More and more people are struggling to eat Healthy. If you are one of them, you’re not alone. The question is, how to break with the vicious circle and find similar pleasure in eating healthier options. This article provides simple tips to achieve that goal.
Healthy Diet - What Does That Mean?
If you feel overwhelmed by all the conflicting nutrition and diet advice out there, you’re not alone. It seems that for every expert who tells you a certain food is good for you; you’ll find another saying exactly the opposite. The World Health Organization vaguely defines a healthy diet as one that includes the right balance between the necessary dietary constituents. Not clear enough, right? Wikipedia’s definition is a bit better, stating that a healthy diet is one that helps maintain or improve overall health. In this article, you will find out what that really means.
The good news is that eating healthy does not have to be about rigid limits, keeping unrealistically slim, or depriving yourself completely of the foods you enjoy. Instead, it’s about feeling fantastic, getting more motivation, improving your well-being, and improving your mood. There is no need for healthy eating to be unnecessarily complex. Whenever practicable, replacing refined food with real food should be the cornerstone of a balanced diet. Eating food that is as close as possible to how nature made it will make a big difference in how you think, look, and feel. It’s more important to concentrate on this key aspect than to count calories and steps. The easier, the simpler, the cheaper, the better.
Why Make The Switch?
If you are reading this article chances are that one of these reasons resonates: looking for better health today and in the future, reaching or maintaining a healthy weight, reducing the chance of diet related illnesses like diabetes or heart disease, or simply to look and feel better. Whatever your driver is, the most important part is to maintain that desire in the long run. The daunting question is how? The number one reason why most diets fail is because they are not sustainable. They are often too restrictive, too expensive and sometimes too time consuming. Here are some strategies to help you keep motivated and stay on course.
- Make small but meaningful changes to the way you eat.
- Keeping your goals modest can help you achieve more in the long term.
- Constantly reminding yourself of your goals can give you the stimulus to stay on course.
- Create a clear vision of your goals. Visualizing yourself already in possession of what you want is a powerful way of staying focused and motivated.
Remember, motivation starts within. Find it, keep it and make it work for you.
Tip#1: Eat Mindfully
Eating mindfully means taking the time to truly enjoy the food we consume. This is a single, quick yet effective improvement that everyone can make that provides your health with tremendous scientifically established benefits. Most people prefer to eat with lots of distractions (TV, computers, phone, and books). By choosing to set aside the time to eat, giving yourself at least 30 minutes, you will allow yourself to enjoy more each of your meals.
Start tiny, with just one thoughtful bite. As you prepare to taste your meal, take a few deep breaths. Take a moment to note the colors, the scent, the texture, and just take a bite. Take your time to let it rest on your tongue, chew slowly, allow it all to be taken in by your taste buds. That’s all that you have to do.
Chewing your meals is the first step of the digestive process. The general propensity to miss this significant step may contribute to bloating and weight gain. As part of adopting healthier eating habits, it is generally recommended to chew your food about 32 times before swallowing.
A few of the many benefits of slowing down and chewing your foods longer are:
- Higher absorption of nutrients and energy.
- Helps maintain a healthy weight.
- Your food gets more exposure to your saliva.
- Promotes easier digestion.
- It’s good for your teeth.
- Reduces excess bacteria lingering in your intestines.
- You get to enjoy and taste your food more.
Tip#2: Enough Is Enough
According to World Health Organization estimates, more people die in the world from overeating than from the lack of food. Your stomach will stretch when you overeat, and after it has stretched, it will need more food to feel full. In essence, the more you eat, the more you want to eat.
Okinawans in Japan have followed the Confucian teaching of Hara hachi bun me (腹八分目) for decades, which instructs people to eat until they feel 80% filled. Okinawa has the highest proportion of centenarians worldwide.
Reducing portion sizes can have a huge effect on your wellbeing and allow you to drop pounds without altering what you actually consume. The amount of food you choose to eat is correlated with a number of factors. In fact, shortly after meals, individuals with diabetes tend to get hungry. This is because, after eating, blood sugar levels increase. Also, distractions and emotions play a major role in our eating habits.
Some effective tactics to reduce portion sizes while keeping hunger at bay are:
- Make at least half your plate veggies
- Eat protein with every meal or snack
- Drink tons of water between meals
- Begin with a vegetable soup or salad
- Use smaller plates and forks
- Keep distractions at bay
- Eat more soluble fiber
Tip#3: What To Eat More Of...
Minimize processed food. That’s the essence of every balanced diet that is supportive of your health. One of the easiest ways to turn your diet into a healthy one is to select fresh ingredients and prepare more meals at home.
While some extreme diets may say otherwise, in order to maintain a healthy body, we all need a combination of protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals in our diets. You may not need to exclude any food categories from your diet, but rather pick the healthiest choices and the correct servings from each category.
- Eat at least five portions of a variety of fruits and vegetables per day, especially dark green, red, and orange vegetables, fruits, and beans, and peas.
- Rather than adopting a low-fat diet, focus on eating more beneficial “good” fats (uncooked olive, nuts or seeds oils, avocados, coconut, all types of nuts and seeds, and real nut or seed butter).
- Replace refined grains with whole grains (amaranth, barley, brown rice, oats, and quinoa are great options).
- Choose a variety of protein foods, which include beans and peas, unsalted nuts and seeds, seafood, and moderate amounts of lean meat, poultry, and eggs. Best proteins are those low in solid fats (i.e. plant-based).
- Increase your water intake, especially between meals.
By using these simple tips, you can cut through the confusion and learn how to create—and stick to—a tasty, varied, and nutritious diet that is as good for your mind as it is for your body.
Tip#4: What To Eat Less Of...
Reduced consumption of certain foods is recommended to maintain good health, both in the short and long term. The American Institute for Cancer Research published a very comprehensive list of foods that have evidence of being a risk factor for cancer development. Also, the World Health Organization lists certain foods (or food ingredients) that are proven to not promote good health and be precursors of Diet Related Chronic Diseases like diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, dental disease, and osteoporosis.
The main point to keep in mind is that what matters most is what we consistently do daily. So, focus on creating a healthy eating habit and stick to it most days.
The main foods to limit are:
- Saturated and trans-fats like butter and such, fried foods, most packed chips, pastries, and pies.
- Refined sugars and artificial sugar substitutes.
- Processed meats like bacon, pepperoni, and most sausages.
- Barbequed charred meats, especially fatty cuts.
- Food that is high in sodium (namely all salty foods).
- Salt preserved fruits and vegetables.
- Alcohol
The Bottom Line
Moderation is the key. If you follow up with a nutritious lunch and dinner, eating bacon for breakfast once a week, could be called moderation. Consistently making the right choices when buying or preparing your foods and making small changes to your eating routine can be all you need to do to feel and be great. And remember the simpler, the easier, the cheaper, the better. Bon Appetit!
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