HOW TO EAT HEALTHY: A FOOLPROOF DIET CHEAT SHEET

Why You Need to Eat Healthy

Have you ever been told to eat healthy for a better shape and life?

Humans should perpetually pursue the most complete and happy life their circumstances allow. In that quest, the mind, body, and soul should always be in total balance and harmony.

This can only be achieved when all three are consciously considered when embarking on the quest. That includes anything and everything from trying new foods, to making life-changing decisions. Maintaining the balance of all three is pivotal to living a happy and fulfilling life.

The Red Flag Mistake

It’s always good to be proactive rather than reactive in life. This is particularly true when it comes to your health and wellness. Everyone knows that good health is something to be treasured and respected. But few make a conscious habit to pay attention to their health until the red flag appears. In most cases, this signifies really poor health conditions, some of which may be irreversible.

We’re all creatures of habit and culture. We encourage others to eat healthy by doing it ourselves. The best proactive way to ensure we eat healthy as adults is to start while young. Keeping a healthy diet and lifestyle from a very young age does benefits you greatly. It ensures that the percentage of ill health is kept to the minimum.

In the quest for wellness, lifestyle and diets are given special consideration. But most importantly, self decisions play an important role in ensuring its success.

To eat healthy does not mean that one is forbidden from occasionally enjoying “treats”. To eat health means looking at the big picture. The emphasis should be on the discipline required to keeps these “treats” to a minimum and under control.

In doing so the risk of contracting chronic diseases, and generally getting sick is greatly controlled and avoided.

Enjoying a good quality of life throughout the life span becomes very possible. Thus there is a serious need to explore this avenue. Where possible, understand and adopt the recommendations from research and experts.

How To Eat Healthy

No one should have to be told to eat healthy to get in better shape. Yet, too many of us get confused by the paradox of food. While food is essential for our survival, it can also be dangerous for the very survival.

Making lifestyle changes can be incredibly difficult, and so can reading about them!

There is a lot of material available for all types of individual lifestyle and diet scenarios. All you need is to find one or a combination of styles that most suits your situation.

The diet cheat sheet

The following are some basics that make this challenge seem simpler than one might think.

Tracking Your Current Diet

• To eat healthy, utilize a notebook or a journal to begin tracking your current diet.
• Always record what you have consumed right after consumption.
• Be honest with yourself and forgiving when you feel you could make healthier choices.

Starting a Food Journal

• Keep track of recipes you would like to try here.
• Writing about how you feel when you eat helps you to track eating habits, like stress eating, bored eating, etc.
• Helps you to develop a mind-body connection to your food.

Getting Rid of Problem Foods

• To eat healthy, stop buying things because they are fast and convenient.
• Get rid of foods that do not nourish you by giving them away to friends or other family members, donating them to food drives, or simply throwing them away.
• Ease yourself into the idea of eating better and letting go of bad foods.
• To eat healthy means eliminating processed foods, sugary foods, foods high in fat and sodium, etc.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

• Don’t overload yourself with too many new changes at once.
• Slowly implement new changes over the course of time.
• Mentally prepare yourself for the change and don’t beat yourself up over setbacks.

Combining Exercise for Best Results

• Building muscle helps the body to burn and eliminate fat and utilize it as energy.
• Strength training burns fat for hours even after finishing the workout.
• A healthy routine will help keep the body happy and healthy for years to come.

Read: Home Exercise for Beginners

Creating a Calorie Deficit for Weight Loss.

• Cut around 500 calories or less from your diet to begin to see weight loss results.
• Use calorie deficit calculators to learn the ins and outs of creating calorie deficits.
• Consult a nutritionist before making drastic changes to your diet.

Read: What are calories anyway?

Introducing Fruits and Vegetables for Weight Loss

• Fruits and vegetables have high water content and high fiber content.
• Fiber helps to bind toxins and eliminate them, making weight loss easier.
• The high water content helps to make vegetables and fruits filling without being high in calories.

The Importance of Drinking Water for Weight Loss

• Hunger and thirst are interpreted by the body in the same ways.
• Drinking water is an appetite suppressant.
• Eating because you think you are hungry when you are thirsty can cause weight gain.
• Water boosts the metabolism and helps the body to burn fat.

Lean Meats and Healthy Protein Sources

• Lean meats will help you to lose weight and stay healthy
• Fish, eggs, and white meats, along with soy, nuts, and seeds are healthy lean protein sources
• It is also important to eat healthy fats, also found in fish, nuts and seeds, and avocados.

Planning Meals and Other Tips and Tricks

• Juicing can be done in a healthy way but should only be 1 part fruit to 2 parts vegetable, and maintain pulp fibers in the juice.
• Adding fruits and vegetables into water can be a good way to make sure you drink enough.
• To eat healthy means meal prepping and planning.

Read: The best healthy meal delivery services

Conclusion

Your well-being depends on many factors within and without our control. Among the factors within our control, is how we eat.

It’s almost impossible to eat healthy unless you first understand why you should eat healthy. That reason comes with the understanding of the paradox of food. On one hand, food is the most important of the basic needs for survival. But on the other hand, it can be one of the most detrimental factors to your wellness.

We creatures of habit and culture. Most of us aren’t malnourished because of lack of food, but for lack of care or knowledge. Basically, we need two things to eat healthy. One, we need a plan, and second, we need discipline for the plan to work.

Further reading:

What is balanced diet, and how do you get it?

How to eat healthy.