subject: Key Tips For Healthy Diet [print this page] Maintaining healthy eating habits isnt as confusing as many people imagine. The first principle of a healthy diet is simply to eat a wide variety of foods. This is important because different foods make different nutritional contributions.
A healthy diet also helps you to stay away from health issues. To maintain healthy diet you have to do some advance planning. By this you can make nutritious meals on daily basis, doesnt depends upon your budget. They key to the success of this plan is plan ahead, shop smart and utilize each and every thing you may have purchased.
You should also try to maintain a balance between calorie intake and calorie expenditurethat is, doesnt eat more food than your body can utilize. Otherwise, you will gain weight. The more active you are, therefore, the more you can eat and still maintain this balance.
The following tips are what you need to know to maintain a healthy diet.
Eat plenty of high-fiber foods
That is, fruits, vegetables, beans, broccoli, carrots, cantaloupe, and citrus fruits. These are the good carbohydratesnutritious, filling, and relatively low in calories. They should supply the 20 to 30 grams of dietary fiber you need each day, which slows the absorption of carbohydrates, so theres less effect on insulin and blood sugar, and provides other health benefits as well. Such foods also provide important vitamins, minerals.
Limit your intake of sugary foods-
Refined-grain products such as white bread, and salty snack foods. Sugar, our No.1 additive, is added to a vast array of foods. Just one daily 12-ounce can of soda (160 calories) can add up to 16 pounds over the course of a year. Many sugary foods are also high in fat, so theyre calorie-dense.
Cut way down on trans fats, supplied by hydrogenated vegetable oils used in most processed foods in the supermarket and in many fast foods.
Include nuts in your diet
Eat more fish and nuts, which contain healthy unsaturated fats. Substitute olive or canola oil for butter or stick margarine.
Keep a check on portion
Keep portions moderate, especially of high-calorie foods. In recent years serving sizes have ballooned, particularly in restaurants. Choose a starter instead of an entre, split a dish with a friend, and dont order supersized anything.
Eat a variety of foods-
Dont try to fill your nutrient requirements by eating the same foods day in, day out. It is possible that not every essential nutrient has been identified, and so eating a wide assortment of foods helps to ensure that you will get all the necessary nutrients. In addition, this will limit your exposure to any pesticides or toxic substances that may be present in one particular food.
Eat foods rich in nutrients
Try to get your vitamins and minerals from foods, not from supplements. Supplements cannot substitute for a healthy diet, which supplies nutrients and other compounds besides vitamins and minerals. Foods also provide the synergy that many nutrients require to be efficiently used in the body for the healthy lifestyle.
Maintain an adequate calcium intake. Calcium is essential for strong bones and teeth. Get your calcium from low-fat sources, such as skim milk and low-fat yogurt. If you cant get the optimal amount from foods, take supplements.
Avoid Alcohol
If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. That is one drink a day for women, two a day for men. A drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits. Excess alcohol consumption leads to a variety of health problems. And alcoholic beverages can add many calories to your diet without supplying nutrients.
