Nowadays, lifestyle diseases like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, (and even cancer) are increasing more than ever. As a result, people are becoming conscious of their health and are keen on consuming a balanced diet and making healthier food choices. But, what exactly is a balanced diet? A balanced diet provides our bodies with all the different nutrients required, in adequate proportions.
The number of calories one needs to consume depends on one’s age, gender, and activity level. It can be important to keep track of the number of calories one consumes to keep track of body weight.
The ideal calorie consumption for Women is considered to be:
Women | Calories required |
Inactive | 1600 |
Moderately Active | 1800 |
Active | 2000-2200 |
The ideal calorie consumption for Men is considered to be:
Men | Calories required |
Inactive | 2000 |
Moderately Active | 2200 |
Active | 2400-2800 |
People often try to consume a certain level of calories and consider it to be a balanced diet. But what is equally important is ensuring that the food you eat has equal proportions of all the required nutrients. An easy way to ensure that you are consuming all the nutrients is to include all the different colors of foods on your plate. Include green-colored veggies like spinach, broccoli, cauliflower; red- yellow-colored bell pepper; red tomatoes and carrots, etc. You can think of it as eating a rainbow.
However, it can be tricky enough when you want to decrease the number of calories you eat but want to get all the nutrients. It is hence advised by dieticians to eat nutrient-dense food. However, it is not as easy to pick up these nutritious foods as it seems to be, especially when we are unaware of what exactly we eat with the prevalence of packaged food. We need to be aware of what we eat and here are some tips on what you should eat to help you with making healthier food choices.
Tips to Make Healthier Food Choices
- Grains
Whole grains are lower in fat and higher in fibers. They in like manner contain complex starches (carbs), which help you with feeling full for a longer period and hinder you from eating extra. Avoid food items that claim to be “enhanced” or contain various types of grains or flours. They don’t have the same nutrients as whole grains. Hot & cold oats have fewer fats. However, instant oats with cream could contain high-fat oils or butterfat. Granola grains moreover have higher fatty oils and added sugars. Look for low-sugar decisions while taking everything into account. Try to eat whole-wheat pasta and brown rice instead of white pasta and white bread.
- Fruits And Vegetables
Try to eat a great variety of fruits and vegetables. Attempt eating natural products past apples and bananas, for example, try mangos, pineapples, orange, watermelon, grapes, or kiwis. Fruits are great for your health as they provide you not only vitamins and minerals but also fiber. Nevertheless, they are tasty and provide variety and flavor to a person’s diet. However, avoid adding unnecessary sugar and salts to them. You can try making a salad with a lot of different vegetables and use it as a quick side dish along with your regular chapati. It will add a lot of nutrients to your diet and at the same time be easy to incorporate into your diet.
- Proteins
Proteins are referred to as the building blocks of life and every cell in the human body requires protein. It is advised that proteins should fulfill about 10% to 35% of your total calorie intake. Most of the proteins are present in non-vegetarian food like chicken breasts, beef, and fish. It is therefore advised that vegans should consume a lot of lentils, dry beans, and peas to make up for this gap.
- Dairy
Instead of normal milk, one should try picking skimmed or non-dairy milk, such as almond, rice, or soy milk. Go for low-fat or part-skim cheeses in plans. Skim ricotta can replace cream cheddar on a bagel or in a vegetable dive. Use a low amount of cheese while cooking. String cheese is a low-fat, high-calcium snack decision and can be used as a good supplement. Non-fat or Greek yogurt can be used as an alternative to sharp cream in various plans. Try mixing them in with regular items for dessert. Skim sherbet and soft-serve frozen yogurt are lower in fat than frozen yogurt.
- Fats
Fats are often considered to be harmful to our bodies and they lead to obesity. So, one should cut down on them. However, fats are an integral part of a balanced diet and have a vital role in keeping our bodies healthy. There are different kinds of fats. Unsaturated fats, like those found in avocados, nuts, and olive oil, ought to have a critical effect on maintaining a healthy diet. Avoid drenched and trans-fats – found in margarine, burned food, and endlessly in cakes –as much as possible.
- Limit Salts
Ingesting a lot of salt can be unsafe for your well-being. An excess of salt can influence bone health, make muscles feeble and lead to hypertension and water retention. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests something around 5g (one teaspoon) of salt a day and this remembers ‘hidden’ salt for food sources like crisps, sauces, prepared suppers, and canned food varieties. You can lower your salt admission by perusing nourishment marks and washing canned vegetables and beans (these contain added sodium). Rather than salt, one can season their food with spices and flavors like dark pepper, turmeric, oregano, basil, parsley, and coriander. Also, adding lemon to food can likewise remove the requirement for salt.
- Sugar
In 2015, the World Health Organization presented a solid proposal that grown-ups should decrease their sugar admission to fewer than 10% of their everyday calories. As unpleasant as it may sound, this implies less than ten teaspoons of sugar each day. Just one jar of soda pop contains this measure of sugar, so you can see that you must watch out for the sweet stuff.
- Water
Water constitutes about 70% of a human’s body. It is advised that we should drink 3 liters of water every day. However, most consume a much lesser amount. Try keeping a water bottle near your workspaces so that you are constantly reminded of drinking water. This will also reduce your cravings to drink soda and other canned drinks which are harmful to your body because of their excessive sugar content.
- Packaged Foods And Drinks
Try to avoid all kinds of packaged foods and drinks as far as possible. This is because most of them contain additional preservatives and artificial coloring which is not good for your health. Instead, bring the raw ingredients from the local market and cook the same food at your own home healthily and deliciously.
- Quality Over Quantity
Sometimes all the motivation of being healthy fades down and cravings win over us. In those scenarios, try to eat food that is high in nutrients, so that you will be fulfilled by eating just a small quantity. For instance, when you simply crave chocolate, selecting two or three squares of value dark chocolate that contains 70% or more cocoa solids might assist you with feeling happy with less, rather than picking a bar of milk chocolate that is higher in sugar. Assuming crisps are your thing, a little sack of prepared crisps once in a while can give the equivalent crunchy sensation you’re longing for. To keep up with good food decisions simply recall the familiar maxim: everything with some restraint.
Few Final Words
While these foods include almost all of the nutrients, you should not restrict yourself to having only these. Eating junk food once in a while is not harmful to your overall health and well-being as long as you consciously try and make healthier food choices. While shifting to making healthier food choices try not to change your entire diet in just one day. Make sure to start with goals that are realistic and achievable. If you eat packaged foods thrice a week, try to reduce it to twice a week first and then gradually decrease the quantity. People making healthier food choices are likely to report:
- Higher energy levels
- Enhanced energy levels
- Handling pressure and stress in a better way
- Stronger immune system
- Lower chances of high blood sugar, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases
Experiencing these is a signal that you are indeed making healthier food choices. Remember that eating a balanced diet and shifting to healthy food choices should leave you feeling drained or unhappy with your body.