Forget Weight Loss! 8+ Healthy Diet Tips that will Leave You in Perfect Shape
In 2021, the percentage of adults in America who wish to live a healthier lifestyle is 60%.
A lot of people think diet is all about a controlled or restricted consumption of food or drink for a particular purpose of managing body weight. In other words, a weight loss regimen.
But this is not all about diet.
Diet is, rather, the food and drink a person consumes daily and the mental and physical circumstances connected to eating.
It is not just about a weight loss regimen like most people think, it is something that everyone including you and I ought to be conscious of.
If you're battling with how to control your eating habit or maintaining a good body shape or diet then you should consider this.
And just in case you're part of those who feel diet talks are unnecessary and for only those struggling with obesity and weight related issues. Then you need to see the statistics below:
All these shows the importance of a healthy diet. I'm about to show you what you need to know about dieting and how to improve it.
What You Need to Know about Diet?
One's diet choice may vary due to one reason or the other. Health conditions, religious beliefs and personal preferences could determine one's diet.
Diets are available in several kinds but the general diet is called Omnivorous diet.
Other diets may include Carnivorous diet, Ketogenic diet, Pescetarian diet, Vegetarian diet, Vegan diet, Fruitarian diet, Elimination diet, Rachiton diet, Alkaline-ash diet, High Calorie diet, Low Calorie diet, Smooth diet and lot more.
Everyone's preference may differ due to one reason or the other but it's all about finding a sustainable and healthy diet that works best for you.
A sustainable and healthy diet must include nutritious foods, low in empty calories.
A healthy diet should contain legumes, grains and vegetables and minimal intake of sugar, fat, meat and dairy products for the sake of overall health.
Tips to sustain a Healthy Diet
1. Choose a Diet Rich in Whole Food
Minimally processed foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, eggs and dairy, fresh animal proteins and nuts and seeds are examples of whole foods.
These long term healthy diets are high in fiber, vitamins, phytonutrients that support a healthy gut and reduce the risk of chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes.
2. Reduce your intake of Ultra processed foods
Thickeners and sweeteners like chips, candy, sodas are examples of ultra-processed foods that promote inflammation and chronic diseases.
They contain additives that make food last longer and taste better but they, in the end, affect your brain chemistry and put your health at risk.
3. Don’t Crash Diet
Crash diet is all about weight loss. This is what most people do. As a matter of fact, the amount of people that are involved in crash dieting are increasingly high.
The simple truth is that crash dieting has proven to be ineffective over time. The Center for Weight and Eating Disorders says 65% of dieters return to their pre-diet weights in the span of three years.
So rather than crash diet, focus on maintaining a healthy diet.
Many people miss out on their favorite foods and high calorie meals because of crash dieting. This puts both their happiness and health at risk.
It is better to feel satisfied than deprived while dieting.
Food is something you should enjoy, so why endure?
4. Learn the Right Diet for You
A lot of diets are available for you to select from. Try them and select the one you're comfortable with.
Trying again and again just to find the best diet is okay. However, ensure you stick with a healthy diet for at least three months before considering a change.
Why is this necessary?
Factors like genetics, health, work schedules and family can affect one's diet. Discovering the diets that complicate these factors is important so as to avoid issues like stress eating, health- allergies etc.
5. Seek trained professionals
You can seek the advice and services of trained professionals like dietitians just in case you develop or need clarity regarding issues like genetics, health, work or diet management.
This is why they are trained and paid after all.
You can seek a dietitian to help you navigate through meal plans, food groups, daily nutrients needs and safe diets for specific conditions or diseases.
6. Drink more water
Staying hydrated is as important as energy to technology.
You're meant to consume an average of 2-9 liters of water on a daily basis. And just in case you can't keep up with this requirement, you can try drinking calorie-free beverages together with water to stay hydrated.
7. Eat slowly and intentionally
One of the healthiest way to eat is to practice mindful eating.
Focusing on what you’re eating allows you to reflect on where your food comes from and how it is nourishing your body.
Additionally, by tuning in to your hunger signals you may learn that you don’t need as much food as you thought.
One way to practice mindful eating is to avoid eating your meal in front of a TV or Computer because it will make you lose concentration and you won't be able to detect when you're truly full.
8. Make plans before you eat out
Make plans that won't mar your diet.
Eating out with a friend could mean that you're either going to eat beyond your portion control or a different meal that should not be part of your diet plan.
This shows why it is important to have a pre-planned meal choice which is part of your diet, specifically for eating out, that will help you stick to your diet or something that won't go south.
Always keep in mind, a wrong meal can ruin your entire dieting plan or lead to health complications.
Other tips may include:
- Reading Ingredient labels on an item to detect the amount of calories or fat you'd be consuming.
- Having measuring items and use of smaller plates for portion control. Portion control helps you eat a required (mostly little) portion of a meal. If you decide to take more than necessary, then it's your decision to deal with more weight issues. This is why portion control is an important discipline.
- Prioritize cooking yourself rather than eating out. Through this you can decide the nutrient that goes into you as well as the amount of intake of food when you cook it yourself.
- Avoiding starvation is another means to portion control. You tend to eat more than required when you're starving.
- Having an eating schedule will help you keep track of how you eat. An eating schedule will help you remain satisfied and avoid eating more than necessary when starving.
- Eating veggies first.
Conclusion
Many people get involved in many weight loss regimes from physical activities to surgeries and weight loss pills that cost them tons of dollars.
Some of these have proven successful but many have gone back to their former shape thereby rendering their efforts futile.
Beyond weight loss regimes, discipline is a basic requirement.
Get a diet that suits you.
Maintain the discipline of sticking to it.
Watch how you eat and drink.
This way you'd enjoy dieting without really depriving yourself of so many things.
The tips listed above should help you maintain a good healthy diet and shape.
What other tips do you have that are of great help to you? Let us hear in the comment section.
