Healthy eating habits are essential for everyone. Many of just take whatever we get on the palm of our hands. This is not the right way to maintain a healthy body and a happy mind. Here are 7 helpful rules to form your healthy eating habits.
Why Healthy Habits is Essential
In an analysis presented by the British Medical Journal in 2012 stated that if your diet includes more vegetables, less fat along with regular workout and abstaining from any bad habit will lead to a longer life of about 4-6 years for anyone. In fact, WHO states that your diet should have the different type of food items and in small proportions – this will actually benefit you more and also help your tummy stay well.
Healthy Eating Habits: More Vegetables and Fruits To Stay
According to research, most of today’s Western population’s diet centers around less vegetable and more oily and fat-rich foods. The average vegetable intake for everyone should be from 3 to 4 cups every day and this is absent from most of the people’s diet. Vegetables contain fiber that helps in bowel movements to be proper and they contain essential and different minerals necessary and as a bonus for the body.
1. Add Leafy Greens
To list some vegetables that should be added to your daily diet includes leafy greens like kale, broccoli, lettuce and beans. Cabbages and tomatoes along with carrot and potatoes should be in your diet too. Root vegetables like beet, onion are beneficial as their earthy nature tends to tenderize your insides.
Today, the internet is full of recipes which are easy and can be made in a jiffy- you can try such delicious recipes out to cook the variety of vegetables so that the “taste” is still there for you and your body is staying healthy also.
2. Take Fruits
Fruits are the perfect replacement to your daily evening or late morning snack of any fried or fast food. Some fruits have benefit that surpasses another and you can try making fruit salad and then eat it.
In fact, fruits are rich in antioxidants and many even contain nutrients that keep cancer away for longer. Apple is a fruit that is rich in water content and it helps you to stay hydrated, and just like that, banana is rich in iron and vitamins which makes your hemoglobin count to increase. This benefits the overall blood circulation around your body.
On the other hand, if you have been suffering from weak gums or feel tingling sensation when you drink or eat something cold or sour then you should try eating oranges. Oranges can form an essential part of your healthy eating; they contain both Vitamin C and calcium which helps you to build stronger gums and better bones.
Berries, coconut, coconut water, peach, avocado, pomegranate, nuts and papaya hold the secret to having more beautiful skin. Incorporating more vegetables and fruits is, therefore, indispensable.
3. Wholegrain and Low Fat
A statistics presented on the website Wholegrains Council state that in the US more than 60% people now help themselves to at least 2 to 6 daily servings of whole grain. This is actually a very healthy practice and you should start doing it too.
Whole grains are rich in fiber, minerals and whole-grain flour, rice or cereals or pasta, and bread made from whole grain is much better to eat than those made from the refined ones. Whole grains also contain a high amount of Vitamin B which is important for our body’s enzymes to function properly. In fact, whole grains also help your blood sugar in check, thus, your risk of contracting diabetes stays low.
4. Rice and Flour
The first thing you need to do when buying your cereal, rice or flour is to make sure they are whole grain, check the label that mentions that. Moreover, if you buy bakery products ask for the items baked from whole grains. In fact, make your diet a balance of the whole grains and the fruits and vegetables so that nothing becomes precarious for you.
5. Plant Sources
Plant sources like sunflower seeds, corn, soybean, black beans, avocado, nuts and peanut butter are few more that have omega 3 and 6 fatty-acid in them.
Saturated fats rich food sources are red meat, processed foods, whole-milk and whole-milk products, chips and cookies, candy and sweets, most fast and fried foods. These are harmful for your body as they promote cholesterol levels.
In fact, foods that are rich in polyunsaturated fats actually help reduce cholesterol levels and keep you healthier and stronger.
6. Take Vegetables Skin Also
A small tip is that never throw away the skin of some vegetables. These contain more minerals and vitamins and ingesting them will benefit you more.
7. Spice up Your Lifestyle
There are some lifestyle changes and habits that you need to incorporate in your daily life and contribute to the goal of eating healthy.
- First, the thing you need to do is cut out alcohol and smoking entirely from your life (if you consume them!).
- Intake of tea and coffee should be reduced.
- The majority of those who eat healthy follow a routine where they eat a big breakfast and small proportion of meals throughout the day. In fact, they have their dinner within 8pm or 9pm. This is a very important practice as you sleep overnight, the digestion also occurs perfectly.
- Exercising every day for 5 minutes is not a tedious task and you can try doing pushups or anything at home.
- Avoiding greasy foods and unhealthy foods from the outside is something you should always keep in check.