Eat Properly
You probably always hear people talking about eating properly and eating healthier, but how exactly do you do that? If you want to improve your health and get your body feeling strong and not sluggish, follow the advice below to start eating properly!
Contents
Steps
Making Healthy Food Choices
- Eat a balanced diet. Include a healthy balance of nutrient-rich carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, and roots like potatoes. This will help make sure your body gets the right balance of the vital vitamins and minerals it needs in order to keep you strong and healthy. The recommended balance varies from diet plan to diet plan, and your ideal balance may be a little different from someone else's. However, some common options include:
- Eat a diet of 30% vegetables(dark colored vegetables are better, such as spinach) 20% fruit( eat the ones with more nutritional value, such as pomegranates), 20% carbohydrates (starches like wheat, rice and oats), 20% protein (which is found in meat, beans, and legumes), and 10% dairy products.
- Eating a diet of 80% carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, and starches like wheat, rice, and corn, 10% protein (which is found in meat, beans, and legumes), and 10% fats.
- Don't skip meals. Always eat breakfast, as this starts your metabolism going early in the morning (since it slows down at night because you haven't eaten anything for awhile). You will also want to make sure to eat at regular intervals, to help make sure your body has the fuel it needs to run all day.
- Don't drink chemicals masquerading as food. It is a good idea to drink water, juices, smoothies, teas, and the such. However, soda, cola, and drinks that look like they are made in a lab should definitely be avoided.
- Eat fewer unhealthy fats and empty calories. Generally reduce the amount of unhealthy saturated and trans fats in your diet. These are found in foods like chips, margarine, oils and many boxed or frozen foods. Coconut oil is relatively the healthiest, but still not good.
- Eat more nutrient rich foods. Try to focus on eating foods which deliver lots of vital nutrients to your body. These are foods rich in vitamins and minerals. You can try citrus fruits, dark greens like kale and spinach, grains like brown rice and quinoa, lean proteins like lentils and chickpeas.
Eating the Right Amount
- Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you're full. Many people seem to think that people get hungry at about 9 AM, 12 noon, and again at 7 PM. While this may be a generally good schedule for eating, remember that you don't have to eat at mealtime if you're not hungry yet. You should also remember not to eat until you are full because food will not have gone down your digestive system yet, so you could be left feeling a bit nauseous. Also, if you are hungry between meals, go ahead and eat a meal. It's not good to starve yourself between meals: if you allow yourself to become too hungry, you'll just eat tons of quick easy garbage.
- Eat better portion sizes. Remember that your stomach is about the size of your fist. Don't expect to stuff 10 times that amount of junk into it without negative consequences. However, if you eat lots of fruits, you should eat a lot, as you will have lots of energy and be vibrant throughout the day.
- Don’t worry about how many calories you’re eating. After all, a cow can graze all day and not become obese! If you eat lots of dairy and meat, however, you will inevitably end up either starving or gaining weight. Eat lots of fruits and veggies!
- Drink lots of water every day. This is very important. You may think you are hungry when, in fact, you are really just thirsty. It also makes your liver and kidney a lot happier. Try adding a slice of lemon, lime, or orange to your water for a great taste; cucumber slices for an even crispier taste!
- Eight 8oz glasses of water are recommended for most adults, though some people need more and some people need less. However, unless your diet consists of crackers, you will get a lot of that water from foods. Drinking a lot at once will also be very ineffective for your body.
Building Healthy Ideas About Food
- Don’t get suckered in to fad diets. Sufficient protein, a variety of fats (including Omega 3 fat, commonly found in fish oil and seeds), and carbohydrates such as fruits and vegetables are essential to the body functioning correctly. Don't fall for fad diets that involve restricting any one macro nutrient.
- Give yourself smart treats. You can treat yourself to tasty food without having to eat cake or cookies. There are plenty of healthy alternatives that are just as good. Try eating Tofutti milk-free ice cream for an alternative to dairy ice cream. Strawberries are a good alternative to candies. A peanut butter and banana sandwich is a good replacement for a s'more.
- Save your sweet-eating opportunities. You know that you're going to eat some sweets at some point: your neighbor's birthday cake, Christmas dessert at your grandma's house, the chocolate your spouse got you, or the cookies that your kid made you. And, of course, everyone wants to indulge and splurge every once in a while. The key is to allow yourself sweets at only these special times. It's a mistake to eat sweets regularly so that when you do reach these must-eat sweet times you've over-indulged.
- If you find yourself fantasizing about food, you have a problem. If your diet is good enough and sufficient in calories and carbohydrates, you'll be full and happy. Fantasizing about food is a good indicator you're doing something wrong.
- Don’t eat a huge meal when you go out. It’s very reasonable to want to eat a delicious meal at a restaurant, especially if you aren’t a very good cook. But understand that restaurant meals are often way too big. You shouldn’t eat that much food in one sitting! Instead, eat only half the meal and save the rest for lunch the next day. You can also order an appetizer, rather than a full meal if you know those portions may be better.
Tips
- Sometimes stomach noises don't indicate hunger, only the digestion process, which creates noises and gurgles in your stomach. Usually, hunger pangs are louder and have a slower repetition, like "Pang"...then a few seconds or minutes later... "Pang", that pattern instead. If you skip breakfast or you are working out etc, is the most time you get this feeling.
- Remember that there is a difference between being hungry and having an appetite. Sometimes you can crave food just because you want the taste but you don't really feel hungry. Hunger is feeling your stomach grumbling and you don't feel pangs of hunger in your gut.
- Fruits, vegetables, and nuts are nutritious and tasty, healthy things to eat. It's best to eat a large amount of them everyday to maintain hunger control.
- A trick to help thwart (or postpone) a craving is when craving a certain food (i.e junk food) shortly before a scheduled meal, use toothpaste to brush your tongue (brushing teeth too much can be bad for gums). This triggers an automatic aversion to eating anything for a short while because few flavors go well with toothpaste. This simple act can stop the craving for junk food in its tracks, or at the very least, hold it off long enough for you to prepare/arrive at a much healthier meal. Good breath is, of course, an added bonus. You can also have a healthy snack such as two or three bananas in the meantime.
- Do not compare yourself to models and actors on TV. The standards they set aren't realistic, and many of them are engaging in unhealthy eating, dieting, or drug habits.
- The first sign of feeling content with the amount of food you have eaten, is feeling thirsty.
- Stick with it. This isn't something you will only do for a little while. It is a complete lifestyle that you must re-adjust yourself to until it becomes second nature.
- To help with eating slowly, make it a habit to put down your utensils every time you take a bite. Don't pick them up again until you've chewed and swallowed.
- Research more diet resources on the web, at your local library, or talk to your doctor and nurse.
- Remember, that the longer you wait for a fruit to ripen, the healthier and tastier they are! Fruits are never ripe in store, and pre-cut fruits will never ripen. A speckled banana is a good banana!
- Dont buy unhealthy foods in the first place.
- Don't skip breakfast or lunch.
- If you are eating with friends or family and are worried about your sloppiness, forget about the food for a while and make polite conversation with the person next to you.
Warnings
- Read the label of any flavored water that you choose, as many of them have as many calories, some even more than soda.
- Remember first and foremost that your lifestyle, including eating and exercising, is meant to take care of your body, not harm it.
- Do not make food the focus of your life, including being obsessive about what you eat and how you eat. This behavior will put you at risk for an eating disorder.
- Don't talk with your mouth full! Nobody looks polite with chewed up food in their mouth.
Related Articles
- Eat Mindfully
- Eat Slowly to Avoid Overeating
- Drink More Water Every Day
- Eat Healthy
- Have a Good, Nutritious Breakfast
- Stop Eating Sweets All of the Time
- Feel Full
- Stop Snacking Between Meals
