In this fast paced world that we live in it easy to forget to eat healthily. You are rushing to get to work and the next thing you know, you are driving through your favourite fast food chain for some oily and sugar-filled biscuits and sausages. During lunch you grab a quick bite of pizza so that you can get back to work right away. When the day is over, you join your friends for some booze and finger foods to wind down the day. Before you know it, you have packed on the pounds and you have failed yourself in nourishing your body with food that will help you stay in good shape.
So what does it really mean to live a balanced and healthy lifestyle? How do you maintain a slim and svelte figure when there are too many temptations around you? According to fitness and nutrition experts, the key here is to always make a conscious effort to watch everything that you put inside your mouth. Remember that you do not have to think of dieting is a punishment. Rather, think of it as rewarding your body with food that is good for you — food that will promote weight loss and proper nutrition.
If you want to make a change in your life today, start with healthy eating. Here are several tips to get you started:
1.) Eat in moderation.
Dieting doesn’t have to be an all or nothing approach. You do not have to punish yourself day in and day out by depriving yourself of delicious food. The secret of many weight loss success stories is eating in moderation. Eat only as much food as your body needs. It is enough for you to feel satisfied after every meal but not overly stuffed.
2.) Do not completely cut out an entire food group.
The reason why fad diets are merely fads is that they tend to deprive you with a certain food group. You have heard about those low-carb or low-protein diets but according to nutritionists, we all need a healthy balance of carbohydrates, protein, fiber, fat minerals and vitamins to maintain a strong and healthy body.
3.) Develop an eating habit that you can sustain.
If there is one thing that experts will tell you, it’s that crash dieting will never work. Yes, you might shed some unwanted weight for a week or two but you are eventually going to bounce back to your original weight. The better plan of action would be to have a diet that you can stick with for as long as you live. It doesn’t have to be a drastic change. It can be as simple as eating less of the unhealthy stuff and eating more of the more healthy food groups. Eat a frozen yogurt instead of ice cream. Eat fruits for dessert instead of chocolate. Eat whole wheat bread instead of white bread. It doesn’t mean that you have to completely eliminate all the food that you love. It simply means that instead of eating bacon everyday for breakfast change it to just once a week. This is a more feasible way of changing your diet and you will not feel so deprived that you end up bingeing towards the end of the week.
4.) It’s not about the quantity of food but the quality of food that you eat.
According to nutritionists, there are certain foods that belong to a particular group called “super foods” and if your goal is weight loss and an overall healthier body, you need to incorporate these foods into your daily diet. Super foods include the following:
a.) Greens — Make sure to add kale, broccoli, lettuce, cabbage and mustard greens into your salad. Studies show that these are packed with vitamins and minerals like iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc.
b.) Fish rich in Omega3 — It is widely known that salmon, sardines and herring are rich in Omega3, the mineral that will help lower your cholesterol levels. Have at least two to three servings per week.
c.) Green Tea — This is known as the super food that lowers cholesterol and helps prevent cancer. It also contains a strong antioxidant called ECGC that helps flush out unwanted toxins in the body. If you love your sugary sodas and fruit juices, try replacing them with green tea.
d.) Fibre — This is extremely important in helping you achieve excellent blood sugar levels.
Instead of having white bread for your sandwich, switch to whole grain breads and cereals. As a bonus, foods rich in fibre can help you feel full longer as it takes more time to digest, staying in your belly for more time than other foods. Fibre also helps to shimmy along fats in your digestive tract much faster, giving the fat less time to sit in your system and be absorbed and then stored by the body. This is why fibre is a great food for weight management and is even recommended to be incorporated into the diets of people who are trying to lose a substantial amount of weight of perhaps 50 pounds or more.
e.) Dark chocolate — Yes, you read that right. You can still enjoy your chocolate but make sure to choose ones that have 60% or higher cocoa content. It has been found that dark chocolate is packed with antioxidants that can help lower your blood pressure. Then again, remember to eat in moderation.
Here is Corrina Rachel of www.psychetruth.net. Rachel really knows what she is talking about when it comes to nutrition.
Watch what you eat, take care of your health and your body will thank you for it. Another healthy diet that he recommend is the Palio diet. You can see our review on it here.