Healthy Eating: Simple Ways to Plan, Enjoy, and Stick to a Healthy Diet

Victoria Lim - 31 Oct 17

Eating healthy is about well-being, improving the mood and overall health. In order to eat healthier, you don’t have to give up your favorite dish or be on any restrictive diet. The online space is filled with conflicting diet and nutrition advice, and you can easily get overwhelmed after a while.

Don’t worry, it not just you, there are a lot of people feeling the same way. Don’t listen to all you hear about healthy eating and get well educated instead. These simple guidelines will help you to differentiate good from wrong, and hopefully, you’ll achieve to create a tasty, nutritious and colorful diet which will improve your mind and body.

Why is healthy diet good for your mood?

First of all, healthy eating can help you to maintain your perfect weight and lower risk for various health problems. On the other hand, the food you consume will also affect your sense of wellbeing. Your mood will be different if your diet is based on processed meals, fast food, and snacks filled with sugar and fat. People who eat this way are more likely to get depressed, stressed, or can develop anxiety and bipolar disorder. In addition, bad diet may cause Alzheimer’s disease, trigger schizophrenia or ADHD.

Another option, which is much better for your health is to cook meals at home. Those meals should include less sugar and refined carbohydrates, and more fish, vegetables, and fresh fruits. By developing some healthy eating habits you can cure yourself or work on efficient prevention.

What makes a healthy diet?

Basically, in order to improve your eating, you should just replace processed food with real food alternatives whenever you can. It would be great to give up the first option altogether. You can easily find a list of food which will benefit your wellbeing and stick to it. Your mind will get better if you are consuming food that is close to its natural form. It won’t be long before you start thinking, feeling and looking much better.

Create your new healthy diet

Forget about everything you’ve read in the past, and focus on balancing fat, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protein. Keep in mind that your goal is to select healthiest options from every category, and not excluding one of them. In order to feel good and be good, you should eat diverse.

Fat – There are different types of fat and not all of them are bad for your health. Ones that are bad, will probably increase the risk of developing certain diseases, and the other ones will protect your heart and brain. Go ahead and consume enough omega-3 fats since those will definitely improve your emotional and physical condition. At the end, proper fat intake may even help you to lose some weight.

Carbohydrates – This category provides us with most of our energy. Of course, you should get energy from healthy unrefined carbs. You can find those in whole grains, fruit, and vegetables. On the other hand, the bad choice is obviously sugar and refined carbs which are stripped of nutrients and fiber. Keep your waistline healthy by cutting back on pastries, white bread, and sugar. With this healthy choice, you will improve your bloodstream and heart function.

Fiber – If you include fruit, grains, vegetables, nuts, and beans in your everyday diet, you will be safer from diabetes, stroke or heart disease.These foods rich in dietary fiber will help you to lose your weight and improve quality of your skin. For best results, you should eat at least 21 to 38 grams of fiber each day, depending on your age and gender. Sadly, a majority of the population isn’t taking even half of recommended amount.

Calcium – This alkaline earth metal is responsible for the health of your bones and teeth by keeping them healthy during your whole life. Deficiency in calcium may cause anxiety, depression, sleep difficulties, and at the end, osteoporosis. Regardless of your demographics, it is crucial to consume calcium-rich food.

Protein – Another source of energy which helps us to get up and go, builds our muscles, boost our mood and mental functions. Keep in mind that too much protein can harm kidney disease patients, but other than that it’s all good. Sometimes is very hard to get enough protein in your body, especially while working out. This can be solved easily by including some supplements in your diet, such as TrueProtein. Keep in mind that protein can also be found in plants, so don’t eat too much meat.

Prepare yourself for a healthy habit

Switching to another diet can be challenging, but it hasn’t to be a nightmare. Nobody is forcing you to be perfect, so go ahead and continue with eating your favorite foods. Keep in mind that there is a lot of time to get organized and you can go a step at a time. You don’t need to change everything overnight. Think of it as a process.

You shouldn’t continue with purchasing processed foods. That isn’t that hard, so go ahead and start preparing your own meals. This can be an amazing experience since you’ll learn a lot about what you eat, and you’ll be in charge of your health. Be active in choosing foods. Avoid those which are treated with chemicals and packed with unhealthy fats. This type of diet will make you feel tired, irritable and floated.

Don’t worry about counting calories. Your main concern should be eating more fresh ingredients instead of packaged and processed meals. Before buying anything, make sure to read labels and see what is in there. A lot of manufacturers put extra fat and sugar in their products, so try to avoid them. You should listen to your body and mind after a meal. If you feel good and happy, then you are healthy. If you are tired and with a headache, go ahead and stop eating that. At the end, you should never forget to keep your body hydrated. Drinking enough water will improve your metabolism and help you with your waistline.

Moderation is the key

It is crucial to eat just as much food as your organism needs. You shouldn’t be going toward stuffed state, you just need to feel satisfied and energized. For most people, being moderate means that they should eat less than they do now. Keep in mind that moderation doesn’t have to do anything with eliminating your favorite foods. Bacon is ok if you eat it for breakfast, but just on Mondays.

Final thoughts

Eating healthy shouldn’t be hard, as mentioned above. In order to improve your wellbeing, you will have to make some changes, but they don’t need to be drastic once. Start slowly, and after you start feeling better, your body will guide you and tell you what to eat and what to avoid. Try not to procrastinate creating of a healthy diet. Sit down, do some research. If you want to seek an advice from an experienced nutritionist go ahead, just start with improving your life. Get enough healthy food for your brain, and it will know to appreciate that by making your whole body healthier, stronger and younger. Don’t forget to eat diverse food, but keep in mind to remain moderate.

Victoria Lim

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