A healthy lifestyle should be an essential part of modern living and be on your top priority list today. Maintaining a healthy weight is essential to good health, but unfortunately many people associate healthy eating with a strict diet with complicated rules. This assumption is not true as there are many ways to start healthier eating habits without torturing yourself too much.
Many diets that are popping up today may actually confuse many people but what your body needs actually just a simple nutritious and well-balanced diet. To clarify and explain this matter, we recently consulted nutritionist and dietitian Geeta Seth about the importance of incorporating healthy eating habits into our everyday’s lives. “Eating clean is a good way to refresh your eating habits.” Said Geeta “When we talk about clean eating, we talk about those foods that are minimally processed, refined and handled, making them as close to their natural form as possible. Anything with preservatives is not clean as it is already spoiled by chemical elements which change the natural composition of the food.”
Clean eating and dieting are two different things. While diet usually controls the number of calories we take into our bodies , clean eating only focuses on the healthy foods that we eat. Therefore, clean eating allows much more dietary freedom as you are not forced to meticulously calculate everything you eat. “There are many myths about diet out there, but we must be very careful because not all of them are true,” Geeta added.
If you’re planning to start a new diet, there are several principles you need to follow. First, adequacy is really important; an adequate diet provides the human body with the energy and nutrients needed for optimal health. Nutrients like carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are still needed, so make sure that your diet includes foods containing proper amounts of these nutrients to prevent deficiencies, anemia, or headaches. Also eating smaller meals more frequently (five or six times a day) is another proven way to better coordinate food intake with energy needs.
The second is moderation. You don’t have to torture yourself with many restrictions; you can eat foods with sugar, salt or fat as long as always remember to consume them in moderation. Finally, limit your processed food intake. Be careful of what you eat and read the ingredients listed on the box before you buy any processed food. Processed foods often contain more than desired amounts of trans and saturated fats, sodium, and sugar, which can lead to obesity and poor health overall. Certain processed foods are actually stripped of the essential nutrients found in their natural form.
One thing to remember if you wish to start healthy eating habit: do it for your overall health, not to lose weight fast. If it is combined with regular physical activities, the healthy eating habits can help you to reach and maintain a healthy weight and reduce your risk of chronic diseases.
Healthy Eating Plan by Geeta Seth
Breakfast
2 medium sized bread sandwich with cucumber, tomatoes an other steamed vegetables
Half of any kind of fruit
A cup of tea/ coffee with less milk and no sugar
11am
One glass of healthy drink like green tea or coconut water
Lunch
45 grams of raw brown rice
One portion of protein like chicken, fish, tofu or lentils
One big plate of non starchy vegetables
A plate of fresh salad
Afternoon Snack
One glass of non-sweet beverage
A handful of walnuts and ten almonds
A couple of non-sweet biscuits or unfried snack can be added
Dinner
A bowl of homemade soup
Grilled fish or chicken
Steamed vegetables
Fruit Salad
About Geeta Seth
Geeta Seth is a proficient nutritionist and dietician with more than 17 years of experience. A two times gold medalist in the field of nutrition, she is also a qualified diabetes educator, an insulin pump trainer, specializing in the field of diabetes. To consult Geeta, visit www.geetasethnutritionist.com
