Maintaining a healthy weight and diet will provide health benefits for everyone. However, in today's society, maintaining a healthy diet is not as easy as it sounds. Follow some of the following suggestions to start eating habits and living healthy from today.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Attempts to Make
Step 1. Calculate your daily calorie needs
Everyone has different calorie needs, depending on their age, weight, and level of activity. By knowing how many calories you need, you will be able to determine how many calories you should eat each day.
- You can calculate your calorie needs with an online calculator or calculate it manually. But for sure, the best advice always comes from the experts – your doctor can tell you how many calories you need to consume to reach your desired weight.
- If you limit yourself to consuming only 1,700 calories per day, remember to keep exercise in mind. The calories burned by exercise are not too many, but it can give a little room to consume more calories. Please keep in mind that this calorie restriction is only to regulate your diet, over time you won't have to count anymore: good eating habits will form automatically.
Step 2. Keep a food journal
Writing down everything you eat each day will help you see what your eating habits are like and what food groups you're missing. Drinks should also be noted.
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One of the factors that make a food journal so useful is that it can keep you accountable and motivated. Inevitably you will see what you eat every day, and realize that the food is good or even bad for you. If your own judgment feels inadequate, ask someone else's. You can ask a friend to check your journal a few times a week to see if you're still sticking to a healthy eating plan. Having someone watching may remind you not to be negligent.
As you fill out this journal, pay attention to when you trade bad foods for better choices (such as choosing low-fat yogurt over cakes), or when you make the right decision. What's good for you? What's not? What patterns can you see from the journal?
Step 3. Reduce food portions
If you enjoy eating large portions, try filling your plate with steamed vegetables or a side of lettuce, as they won't affect your calorie planning.
In a restaurant, this will be difficult. While you can order a serving of cheese potatoes and a plate of pasta, eat only what is needed. For fruit, eat the size of a tennis ball. For vegetables, it's about the size of a baseball. And carbohydrates? As thin as a hockey ball. The WebMD site provides a pretty good portion counter for counting the amount of food, including mixed foods. Whatever you order, pack the rest and take it home. Your wallet will thank you too
Step 4. Eat slowly
It takes 20 minutes to digest food before the brain realizes that you are full. If you eat slowly, the calories you consume will not be excessive. Eating casually can prevent you from wanting more.
Eating slowly is not only to control calorie consumption, but also to make you more able to appreciate food. You have the opportunity to enjoy the sensory experience of eating. Enjoy your meal, savor every bite. You will know when you feel full and satisfied
Step 5. Keep yourself motivated and keep positive thinking
A healthy diet is a long-term endeavor, and the results won't be seen overnight. This change should be lifelong and will become a habit after a few weeks. You don't have to count calories forever and be afraid of gaining weight. Do not be discouraged. A positive attitude will last longer than any motivator.
Reward yourself with something that isn't food. Choose a pleasant massage or buy flowers for your home instead of food. Find ways to make exercise and diet more enjoyable
Method 2 of 2: Foods to Eat
Step 1. Stop consuming junk food
In general, processed foods are higher in calories and fat. Junk food contains a lot of nitrates and toxins, as well as harmful substances that are not good for the body. So, in addition to increasing waist circumference, junk food can also damage your health.
And the truth is even more terrifying. Packaged juices that are usually advertised as having health benefits are actually stored for months in the factory before being packaged and sold. For example, in developed countries like America alone, companies can legally disguise new additives so that they are not caught by the FDA. According to a tally by the Pew Research Center, there are approximately 1,000 ingredients that the FDA does not know to exist. And sadly enough, eating ham meat every day, whether on a sandwich or processed into other foods, can significantly increase the chances of developing heart disease due to the nitrate content and chemical preservatives. If these facts haven't convinced you, nothing else will
Step 2. Drink water, H2O, or whatever you call it
Sodas, juices, and all energy drinks usually contain far more calories than you need if your exercise level is low, leading to weight gain. Water, low-sugar fruit juices and tea are the best choices. Avoid alcohol as it can dehydrate you and add calories you don't need. Drink two glasses of water before eating so that your stomach feels full before you even sit down to eat.
Don't drink water just because it says it's healthier than the other options: the benefits are simply amazing. Water is good for muscles, clears the skin, reduces appetite, helps the kidneys, and makes it easier to defecate. Still could not believe it? Drinking 0.5 liters of water can increase metabolism by up to 30% after ten minutes. In a different study, participants who increased their water intake significantly lost 7.5 kg in just three months (they also counted calories). In conclusion, carry a bottle of water with you wherever you go and whatever you do
Step 3. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables
If you're not too excited about the idea of drinking gallons of water, alternative sources of water are fruits and vegetables. This type of low-calorie food consists mostly of water, accounting for 0 calories. The best part? Fruits and vegetables are rich in nutrients and vitamins.
- A diet rich in fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of several types of cancer and other chronic diseases. Fruits and vegetables also provide vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other ingredients that are important for health and have a slimming effect.
- If you're not sure exactly how much fruit and vegetables to eat, use an online calculator on the internet. As a guide, everyone needs more vegetables and fruit.
Step 4. Choose low-fat dairy and protein products
Recent research has shown that the more dairy products adults consume, the more calories from saturated fat they enter, which is definitely not good news. Other studies have also shown that eating a lot of red meat can increase the risk of heart disease and cancer. So, choose low-fat dairy and protein products.
- Some dairy products contain two important nutrients that are very high and needed by the body, namely calcium and protein. Low-fat milk, yogurt, and reduced-fat cheese contain high amounts of protein and calcium per serving. For example, a cup of light, nonfat yogurt can provide you with a third of the recommended calcium intake, along with 17% of your daily protein requirement.
- Protein servings from red meat, poultry, or fish should only be the size and thickness of a palm. Unlike animal protein, most plant proteins are considered "incomplete," meaning they lack some of the amino acids that make up protein. By combining several types of plant protein, such as rice and beans or hummus on pita bread, your protein becomes "complete" like all the important amino acids found in animal protein.
Step 5. Add good carbohydrates and fats
Sometimes it may seem easier to eliminate all "bad foods," but not all carbohydrates and fats are bad. Actually fat is needed to live. Fats give us energy, skin glows, and contain vitamins. Some types of carbohydrates are rich in fiber. This is a type of carbohydrate that is absorbed slowly, so there is no spike in blood sugar and keeps us energized.
- Choose unsaturated fats. Replace your oil with canola, walnut, and olive oil. Choose nuts, avocados, olives, and legumes.
- Choose complex carbohydrates. Generally, complex carbohydrates are brown, not white. Examples include wheat, oats, brown rice, and quinoa.
Tips
- A healthy diet is a lifestyle and long-term choice, not a month-long program. Improve your diet now to get used to reducing fat so that it will be easier in the future. In a year or less, you may find that homemade low-fat pizza is far more appealing than the famous high-fat pizza.
- Consult a doctor if you want to undergo a diet that is quite extreme.
Warning
- Keep eating, don't starve for the sake of dieting.
- Don't over-diet. Usually we try to push ourselves to try harder to lose weight fast, but it's not a healthy option if you're not used to it.
