Before moving on, let’s look at a few important principles:
- Always strive for a healthy diet by selecting appropriate and balanced foods. All foods can be part of a balanced, healthy diet.
- Eat foods that give you energy. Limit the consumption of bread, pasta, potatoes and sweets, and cover the majority of the carbohydrate intake from the consumption of fruits and other nutrients with a low or medium glycemic index (such as oat bran).
- Try not to skip breakfast, otherwise you will eat a lot more for lunch. Eat regularly and several times a day (breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner), but only a small amount at a time.
- Do not eat one and a half to two hours before going to bed, or at least do not eat fatty and heavy foods, which the body can only break down slowly.
- Think about adequate fluid intake every day: drink plenty of water, fresh fruit juice and tea. Due to its favorable physiological effects, I recommend green tea for regular consumption.
- Instead of chocolate or chips, eat fresh or unsweetened dried fruit, nuts or almonds.
- Strive to maintain a healthy weight. Choose foods according to your daily physical activity, the more you exercise, the more energy you need.
- Providing fiber is an essential part of the daily nutrient intake. Eat lots of vegetables, salads and fiber.
- If you eat a balanced diet, all nutrient groups enter your body. On the other hand, if you are on a diet or are exposed to a lot of physical and psychological stress (for example, you play sports), then take multivitamins and food supplements. In the case of regular sports, don’t forget about adequate carbohydrate intake , because it provides energy for performance.
2. Nutrient sources and healthy eating
2.1. Meat and meat products, offal
Eat lots of chicken, turkey, beef and fish, in any form: boiled, steamed, fried; spice it up in a variety of ways.
Avoid meat products (cold meats, salami, hot dogs, sausages), ready meals and canned foods, as they contain a lot of sodium (salt) and are not healthy anyway due to the various additives.
Be sure to include fish in your diet, at least 1-2 times a week (tip: Pacific or Alaskan wild salmon , which has a low mercury content ).
Recommended meats: fresh chicken breast, fresh turkey breast, lean red meats, lean fish.
2.2. Cheeses, dairy products and eggs
Cheese and dairy products are important sources of calcium for the body, so if you are not sensitive to them, they can be included in your diet.
It is worth giving preference to dairy products with a lower fat content. Cheeses are high in sodium and fat, so only consume them in limited quantities.
If you eat a large amount of eggs (3-6 pieces per day), in order to reduce cholesterol, it is worth consuming mainly egg whites.
Recommended proteins: organic or omega-3 eggs, egg whites, low-fat (10%) cheeses, cottage cheese, low-fat cottage cheese.
2.3. Bread and pastries, cereal products
Be sure to keep your consumption of these to a minimum, especially pastries. Due to their high carbohydrate content, they increase the blood sugar level , make you fat, saturate, cause bloating, and anyway they contain a lot of additives and salt (for example, 10 dkg of bread contains an average of 700 mg of sodium).
Recommended carbohydrates: brown rice, oat bran, Wasa whole grain extruded bread, whole grain brown breads.
2.4. Vegetables and fruits
Fresh vegetables and fruits have an extremely high vitamin, mineral and fiber content. Their regular consumption has a positive effect on your health.
You can eat them both dried and dried (without sugar).
Recommended vegetables and fruits: any vegetables and fruits ( for example, blueberries are an excellent choice ), but if you can, choose organic products.
2.5. They are legumes
Foods with low sodium, high potassium, magnesium, significant B1 , B2 , B6 vitamins .
Among plant-based foods, they stand out with their high calcium , iron and zinc content.
However, they should only be consumed to a limited extent, as they can cause bloating, intestinal irritation, inflammation and autoimmune reactions in the body, just like dairy products and grain-based foods.
Recommended legumes: black beans, red beans, green beans, yellow peas, green peas, chickpeas.
2.6. Nuts, oilseeds
Foods with low sodium content and high potassium, calcium and magnesium content.
You can eat them in moderation, but only in unsalted and natural form.
They should be avoided when dieting, as even a small amount (a few handfuls) can contain surprisingly many calories.
Recommended nuts and oil seeds: walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds.
3. Tricks from the kitchen
During food production, a significant amount of salt and additives are added to individual foods. However, the greatest danger to healthy eating is food preparation and salting.
Among kitchen techniques, preference should be given to those which best bring out the natural flavors of food during baking and cooking and enrich the diet with new flavors.
In this way, you can prepare tasty dishes using very little salt.
3.1. Toasting
Toasting produces flavor substances on the outer layer of the food and adds color to the food in addition to pleasant flavors.
You can fry in oil or dry. It can be used not only for meat, but also for seeds and vegetables.
You can also fry herbs in fat, because this way the vegetable dyes in them dissolve, and the fragrant essential oils bound to them remain in the fat.
3.2. Spicy steaming
Indispensable kitchen technique for preparing low-salt dishes.
Foods steamed together with herbs and vegetables absorb the flavor of the herbs and forget about the lack of salt.
A spice can be, for example:
- carrots and celery
- parsley root
- mushroom
- asparagus
- red onion and garlic
- tomato and green pepper
- lemon circle
- celery and tarragon leaves
- parsley green
- dill
3.3. Spicy marinade
It is also a good flavoring process.
Herbs and dry spices can also be added to the marinade, acidified with fruit vinegar and lemon.
It can also be pickled in milk, which, in addition to its softening effect, gives food materials a particularly good taste.
3.4. Steaming
You can use this food preparation method primarily when preparing vegetables.
This kitchen technique best preserves the natural vitamin and mineral content of food.
Think crispy steamed carrots or broccoli.
3.5. Flavoring
Feel free to use various dry and green spices or vegetables, but avoid using sugar (especially when on a diet).
When preparing food, gradually try to use as little salt as possible.
If you have high blood pressure, you should avoid adding salt to ready-made meals and salting raw vegetables (peppers, tomatoes).
You can achieve the sour taste of food by using lemon juice or vinegar, or perhaps seasoned vinegar.
In addition to the basic seasonings, you can use green and dry spices, as well as a whole range of different food seasonings.
Including but not limited to:
- red onion and garlic
- chives
- parsley green
- dill and tarragon
- bay leaf
- in Lesty
- nutmeg
- basil, thyme and oregano
- paprika
4. Healthy eating and snacking
Nah, that’s not a very good combination!
Snacking is actually a substitute action that you do to occupy yourself with something.
In the meantime, however, you are stuffing us with thousands of completely empty calories (containing no useful nutrients), along with a lot of salt and additives.
In the long term, this is clearly shown by the fat layer that accumulates under your skin, which will be very difficult to get rid of later.
Use the following tips to reduce snacking :
- Try to think about why you snack! Are you stressed? Nervous? Are you stressed? Are you working on a deadline? If so, bring a system to your life, organize your things, think ahead, prepare an agenda, start meditating .
- Speed up your metabolism: eat fiber-rich foods, fruits and vegetables for breakfast and lunch.
- If you do have something to snack on, munch on a few grains of unsweetened dried fruit.
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5. Additional tips for a healthy diet and lifestyle
Research proves that you can influence your health by making the right lifestyle changes. What are these lifestyle changes?
5.1. Balanced nutrition
Always take care of the energy and nutrient intake that meets your body’s needs .
Adjust your diet dynamically , according to your current health and physical condition.
5.2. Minimal salt consumption
Reduce the intake of table salt to a minimum (particularly important advice for high blood pressure ).
Values of the correct salt intake for adults:
- optimal: less than 2000 mg per day
- acceptable: 2001-4000 mg per day
- inadequate: more than 4000 mg per day
5.3. Gradual weight loss
If you are overweight or obese , try to change your diet slowly and gradually , and when you reach a normal body weight, do not return to your previous bad habits.
5.4. Physical exercise
Move regularly!
It is proven to relieve stress, improve well-being, and reduce high blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
5.5. Happiness and peace of mind
Creating everyday happiness and peace of mind is just as important.
Remember, you can change your life: happiness is 50% genetically inherited, 10% shaped by external circumstances, but 40% depends on your own actions !
True happiness is when you dare and can be yourself and are able to realize yourself.
Knowing the secrets of happiness can add years to your life expectancy.
6. Summary
Healthy eating is not a diet or a diet.
The point:
Healthy eating is a tool that transforms the usual diet with simple changes for a better quality of life and a happier life.
Never forget that dieting and dieting are only temporary solutions : you often remain hungry during the diet, and after you finish the current diet, you often return to your original habits and quickly gain back the pounds you lost.
In contrast, the long-term consumption of healthy, balanced and varied foods is a much more effective method .
Moreover, if you combine all this with regular exercise, you are much more likely to reach your optimal weight compared to temporary weight loss diets.