Contributed by: Healthians Team
Introduction
When we talk about a healthy lifestyle, it mainly revolves around our healthy eating habits.
An ideal balanced diet is one that has an adequate amount of proteins, lipids, carbs, vitamins, and minerals.
Eating a balanced, healthy diet is one of the most crucial things you can do to keep your health at its best.
By doing this, you can protect save yourself against chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease, and manage existing illnesses if any.
Start by reconsidering and improving your dietary choices. Examine your eating patterns to see which ones boost health and which ones don’t.
The first step in changing how you eat is realising that some of your routine habits promote unhealthy eating.
Here are five simple steps that will help you get started with healthy eating:
Avoid sugary products
While too much of anything is never healthy, sugar should only be consumed as a luxury rather than a daily necessity.
We all try to be conscious of how much sugar we eat each day. However, we frequently consume sugar without even realising it.
Packaged foods, soft drinks, sodas, and desserts are a big no if you want to maintain a healthy eating habit because these things have high amounts of processed sugar, and open the door to many diseases like diabetes, heart issues, and other chronic diseases.
Eating fresh fruits and veggies is a significant and easy approach to controlling your sugar consumption.
Simple home-cooked meals are far healthier than relying on canned, processed, or boxed eatables from fast food outlets and restaurants.
Additionally, there are numerous options now to get wholesome home-cooked tiffin meals if preparing at home is a hassle for you.
Say no to processed foods
Replace your instant noodles and frozen momos with nutritious foods like fresh fruits and whole grains.
Unlike processed meals, which provide zero nutritional value, nutritious ones are loaded with vital components like protein, fibre, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals.
Make sure that in your everyday meals you add a pack of nutrients and minus all the odds.
Focus on your plate
Read what’s on your plate. According to scientific research, eating from a huge plate deceives your brain into believing that you haven’t consumed enough food. Eat on a small plate, it will help you stop overeating and feel satiated sooner.
Additionally, the colour of your plate can have an effect on how much food you eat.
Choose light colour plates and bowls which will guide you in mindful eating.
So after how your plate should look, you must focus on what’s on your plate.
Limit red meat and cheese; choose fish, chicken, beans, and nuts instead. Stay away from bacon, cold cuts, and other processed meats.
Consume a range of whole grains (like whole-wheat bread, whole-grain pasta, and brown rice).
Fewer refined grains (like white rice and white bread).
Increase your water intake
Making healthier drinking choices is important if you’re seeking for strategies to eat well. After all, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drinking enough water — 2.7 litres per day for women and 3.7 for men, on average is the ideal consumption.
This will help you control your temperature and process wastes, as well as safeguard your spine and joints.
Therefore, be careful with your everyday water intake. If you don’t drink enough water, you will be most likely to substitute water with soda and other drinks with added sugar.
Again, sugar-sweetened beverages aren’t very dangerous for you, but it’s important to consume them in moderation.
So, instead of a can of juice, get yourself a glass of water.
Include carbs in your diet wisely
The type of carbohydrate you choose to consume is crucial since certain sources are healthier and some are unhealthy.
The kind of carbohydrates in your diet is more significant than their quantity, whether high or low.
For instance, nutritious grains like quinoa, rye, barley, and whole wheat bread are healthier options than french fries or overly processed white bread.
Many people are confused about carbs, but it’s vital to remember that eating carbohydrates from nutritious meals is more crucial than adhering to a rigid diet that restricts or counts the grams of carbohydrates consumed.
Final thoughts
Healthy lifestyle choices are not as easy to develop and maintain as they are said.
Simple habits like replacing pies and cookies with fresh fruits, planning meals and enjoying them for at least 20 minutes, and more will help you in achieving the goal of establishing a healthy lifestyle.
Here we have mentioned some very easy steps that you can follow to make your journey of healthy eating a smooth one.
Moreover, it is always a good idea to get a regular health checkup done as it gives you complete health insight.
