Having a healthy diet and an active lifestyle can offer you many health benefits. Making some small changes to your eating habits can make your diet healthier. Here are some tips you should follow.
What is a healthy Diet?
According to WHO, the benefits of having a healthy diet include protecting you against malnutrition in all its forms, as well as non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer; while an unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity are leading global risks to health.
For adults, a healthy diet:
- Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products
- Includes a variety of protein foods such as seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, legumes (beans and peas), soy products, nuts, and seeds.
- Is low in added sugars, sodium, saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol.
- Stays within your daily calorie needs
Source: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025
How to eat healthy food every day?
To build a balanced and healthy diet, make your meal:
- 50 % Vegetables & fruits: Aim for color and variety, but potatoes don’t count as vegetables on healthy eating plate because of their negative impact on blood sugar
- 25% Whole grains: Whole wheat, barley, oats, brown rice, etc
- 25% Protein: Fish, poultry, beans & nuts
Source: Healthy Eating Plate
7 Tips to make your diet healthier
#1: Drink enough water
Drinking sufficient water (at least 8 glasses a day) is important for your health. Drinking water instead of other beverages before meals can reduce appetite. This may reduce the intake of sugar and calorie that benefits weight loss.
#2: Eat the greens first
Try to eat the greens as a starter. Eating vegetables while you are hungry may help you eat fewer carb-rich foods that may result in weight loss and better control your blood sugar level.
#3: Eat fruits instead of drinking fruit juices
Fruits are packed with water, fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. Eating fruits may reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. However, drinking fruit juices contain more sugar than soft drinks. This may spike blood sugar levels. That’s why eat whole fruits instead of drinking fruit juices.
#4: Eat slowly
The eating pace influences how much you eat. Your appetite is all controlled by hormones. These hormones signal the brain how full you get. It takes about 20 minutes for the brain to receive these signals. Eating more slowly could give time for the brain to perceive that you are full.
#5: Cook at home
Adopt a habit of cooking at home rather than dining out. Cooking meals by yourself means that you can avoid unhealthy or high-calorie ingredients. You can also serve an appropriate portion of meals to maintain your weight.
#6: Go for healthy oils
Highly processed seed and vegetable oils like sunflower and canola oils are unhealthy and high in omega-6 fatty acids that may lead to a higher risk of heart disease. Swap these unhealthy oils for healthier options like extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
#7: Eat from smaller plates
Some studies indicated that the size of the plate can affect how much you eat. Eating from a large plate can make the portion look smaller while eating from a small plate can make it look bigger.
