Start your new year the right way
We all have a vague comprehension as to what healthy eating entails but for many, it may instantly sound like a diet of deprivation and boredom. Not so.
Healthy eating can still be exciting and tasty, it just means that you reduce the amount of processed and junk food that you might have previously consumed and choose those foods that actually serve to fuel your body instead of laden it down with unnecessary fat and poor nutritional content.
It probably won’t be a surprise to read that eating more fruit and vegetables are vital if you wish to develop a dietary habit that promotes a healthy existence. Fruits and vegetables all contain such a vast array of vitamins and minerals but they also include vital quantities of antioxidants too.
A healthy diet means eating a wide range of fruits and vegetables and not simply sticking a token banana or apple in your lunch box each day. It’s important to remember that the more variety you have, the greater the range of nutrients. Colour on your plate is important too, think of the colours of bananas, pumpkin, broccoli and apples and if you are not keen on the textures or flavours of these fruits or vegetables, you can still use them in your food quite easily and actually find that you love the textures and flavours. Use them in soups, smoothies, desserts, salads or in a sauce.
Unfortunately, people often have an all or nothing frame of mind when it comes to diet but if you want to re-evaluate the food that you eat, it’s important that you don’t consider specific foods as being off-limit. The human psyche is strange because the moment that you think of banning something in your life, it seems to make you want it all the more.
For those people who try to lose weight, it’s important to not feel deprived of any of those considered ‘bad foods’ instead, think in terms of moderation. If you know that you are drawn to sweet or unhealthy snacks serve up a smaller plate or eat them much less. Eventually you will find that your cravings demise or that you will only indulge in them occasionally.
Eating smaller portions makes sense. Think about the reduction of trans- fats or saturated fats let alone calories that you will be reducing instantly. If you find it hard to have a big plate with only a small portion of food, then get a smaller plate and fill it up.
Eating healthily is about more than changing the actual food that you have on your plate, it’s also about your perception of food. Unfortunately, people in general learn very bad habits when they are young. Sweet treats for good behaviour and this endorses the expectation and need for sweet treats throughout life and serves to make you feel deprived if you can’t have the same luxuries on your healthy eating regime.
Healthy food should be celebrated and not rushed. Learn healthier eating habits, and listen to your body before snacking. Are you really hungry and do you honestly need those crisps or are you just bored or want to snack? Have a glass of water as you might just be thirsty instead of hungry and save the food for when you might actually need food.
Healthy eating is not about becoming unrealistically thin, about deprivation or about being strict and disciplined, rather it’s about being relaxed, feeling good, having loads more energy and being ready to bound into action at any point. Healthy eating is about learning some basic nutritional points that will serve as a solid foundation for your new eating practices. Most of all, it’s about adopting a fluid approach to life and learning to work with your own body and feeling the best that you can feel.
Your food is your fuel, it’s what gets you started in the mornings, it aids concentration, it gets you from A to B, it helps you to have zest in your life and the energy to cope with stresses, strains and boosts a healthy immune system to combat the various bugs and virus’s that you encounter en-route.
Did you know that food can help to improve your memory and help to stabilize and balance your mood? The food that you choose to eat can help you to reduce the risk of succumbing to serious health conditions such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease, so learning the essential nutrients and foods to welcome and those to avoid, is a real investment into your life.
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