*This is a collaborative post
If you want to eat healthier on a day to day basis then this doesn’t need to be an impossible task. In fact, by making a few simple changes, you can boost not only your health, but also your energy levels and your mindset too.
Base Everything you Eat on Fibre or Starchy Carbohydrates
Starchy carbohydrates really should make up over a third of the food that you eat. They include things like potatoes, pasta, cereal and rice too. If you want to be even healthier then you want to opt for varieties that are wholegrain or higher in fibre. This can include brown rice, potatoes, that have their skins on, or whole wheat pasta.
The reason for this is because they contain refined or starchy carbohydrates and this helps you to stay fuller for longer. If you can, you should try and use one starchy food with every meal that you have. Some people think that starchy foods are somewhat fattening, but when you look at them gram for gram, you will see that they provide less than half the calories of fat.
Fruit and Vegetables
Another way to eat healthier is to ensure you eat around 5 portions of fruit or vegetables every single day. They can be dried, juiced, canned or even frozen if you want. Getting your five a day is much easier than it sounds too. You can chop up some fruit and have it over your morning cereal, for example. You can even choose to make yourself a smoothie instead of having a glass of water.
If you aren’t sure if you are getting the full amount of vitamins you need, then try weighing it out. 80g is a portion of fresh fruit and if you are using dried fruit, 30g is the number you should be shooting for. If you are struggling to get enough vegetables or vitamins in your diet, then consider taking moringa.
Eat Fish
Fish is a fantastic source of protein and it contains a ton of vitamins and minerals too. You should try and aim to have at least two portions of fish every single week. One of those portions should be an oily fish too. Oily fish is high in Omega 3 and this can help to prevent heart disease. If you aren’t sure which fish you should be eating, then some examples of oily fish include sardines, trout, salmon and herring.
Saturated Fat or Sugar
You do need to have some fat in your diet, but it is also important that you pay attention to the amount and type of it too. There are two main types of fat that you should be aiming for and this includes saturated and unsaturated. If you have too much fat in your diet, then this can increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which can then increase your chances of developing heart disease.
On average, if you are a man, you should have 30g or less a day. Women should have 20g or less per day. Saturated fat can be found in pies, lard, cream, hard cheese and biscuits. If you want to cut down on your saturated fat intake and eat healthier, then you need to focus on having foods that contain unsaturated fats where possible. Examples of these include, vegetable oil, spread or avocados. If you are having meat, then choose a lean cut where possible and make the effort to trim off any visible fat.
Sugar
Consuming food and drink that is high in sugar will increase your chances of developing tooth decay and not help your waistline. Sugary foods and drink are much higher in energy too. Free sugars include anything that has been added to a food or drink, this is the sugar that you need to be cutting down on. Some of the items you should be cutting down on include sweets, sugary cereal, fizzy drinks and even alcohol. Items such as fruit, milk and natural juice aren’t as bad for you when compared to processed foods, so you don’t have to worry about this as much when you are evaluating your diet.
Eating healthily doesn’t need to be difficult and when you follow the above tips, you’ll find it’s easier than ever for you to both lose weight and have more energy on a day to day basis.
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