Tips for Making Better Food Choices

Eat nutritious foods to ensure you live a healthy life; your health should always come first. Make sure the type and quantity of food you take is acceptable. Above all, engage in physical exercises on a regular basis. Take a healthy diet with a high nutritional value, including minerals and vitamins to help you lose weight.

Healthy eating also reduces cholesterol levels in the body, leading to healthy living conditions. Your choice of food and water always matter. Eat a nutritious and well balanced diet, depending on your gender, age or how active you are.

Changing eating habits from poor to good can be difficult, but beneficial to your health. It can reduce diseases such as kidney problems, heart diseases, diabetes and blood pressure. The following tips can help you choose better food:

1. Search for the Nutritional Information You Need

Find personalized nutritional information based on your activeness, age, gender, height and weight. Many websites provide such information; they show your calorie intake levels and the type of food and fluids you need to take. They keep track of your progress, aiming to help you achieve your weight loss goals. Super Tracker is an example of such websites.

The websites have all the information you might need about a particular food. The foods have low calories, a high nutritional value and lower the risk of acquiring food-related diseases. They even give you information on the quantity of food you should take, depending on your age and gender.

2. Consume Food in Low Amounts and Enjoy

Enjoy what you eat, but be mindful of the quantity you take. Pay attention on how hungry or full you are before, during and after you take your meals. Use these factors all the time to find out if you’re full or need to eat. If you get full before your plate is cleared, save leftovers to eat later.

It is always advisable to serve your food in small plates. This helps you control the quantity and calorie level of food you eat. Take your time when eating to make sure you enjoy your food no matter how little it might be.

3. Give Strength to Your Bones

Foods such as milk are free from fats and/or have low quantity of fats. Yoghurt and soymilk fortified with nutrients and cheese assist in strengthening bones. When taking breakfast, whether you decide to take coffee or tea, make sure the type of milk you use is low or free from fats. Milk is rich in calcium that assist in bone formation and strengthening.

Bones provide support to the whole body, which is always in need of strengthening. Consume milk or milk related products fortified with calcium and potassium. Strong bones mean you will be free from bone-related diseases such as osteoporosis, bone cancer and osteoarthritis.

4. Major on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Fresh fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins, low in calories and high in fiber. Overcooking vegetables destroys all their nutrients and natural enzymes. The nutrients in fruits and veggies help in digestion and fight chronic diseases such diabetes, heart diseases and arthritis.

Fresh fruits and vegetables can help clear allergies and headaches. They are also known to boost the immune system as well as memory. Uncooked vegetables provide protection against food-borne diseases. It is advisable to thoroughly wash fresh vegetables and fruits to protect you from such diseases.

Consume a lot of fruits and vegetables to lower and prevent diseases such as stroke, cancer, diabetes, blood pressure and heart-related diseases.

5. Drink a Lot of Water Daily

It is recommended that you take at least eight glasses of water on a daily basis. Water is known to assist in digestion and absorption of food. It also helps in nutrients transportation and regulation of temperature. Water also helps in weight loss by controlling calories in the body.

Foods with high water content have high volume and thus are absorbed slowly, leaving you feeling full for longer periods. Water keeps the skin glowing by preventing dehydration and removing chemicals from the skin.

It also flushes out toxins from the body through sweating and urination. Normal bowel function is also maintained by drinking a lot of water.

6. Frequently Consume Whole Grains

Whole grains are rich in fiber, reducing constipation. They also minimize the risk of acquiring chronic diseases such as diabetes, blood pressure and heart-related diseases. Whole grains make one feel full for longer, helping you maintain your weight by not eating frequently.

Whole grains contain lactic acid that promotes the growth of good bacteria necessary for digestion and absorption of food. It also helps lower cholesterol in blood. The level of sugar in blood is regulated in the body by consumption of whole grains.

7. Know Ingredients in Your Food and their Nutritional Value

Do you know the ingredients in the foods you consume and their nutritional value? Websites such as Super Tracker provide nutritional information about over eight thousand foods. It is important to have such information to ensure you eat the right foods in the right amounts.

Information on almost all types of foods with their different calorie levels are also provided on such websites. Information on different foods are available for comparisons.

8. Healthy Recipes

A good cook is hard to make. However, use healthy recipes with little quantity of sugar, salt and saturated fats when preparing your meals. Limit your consumption of red meats rich in fats such as bacon and hotdogs.

Also minimize or eliminate junks such as French fries, candies, ice creams and cakes from your diet. Highly nutritious meals such as baked foods are healthier than fried foods.

9. Frequently Engage in Physical Activities

Regular exercises can help improve your health. Walk longer distances or run often to keep your muscles active. Chronic health diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases and arthritis are reduced through physical activities. It also cuts your weight by burning excess calories in your body.

Regular physical activity keeps bones and muscles of the body strengthened and healthy. Heightened physical activity also boosts mental health and mood. Risks of getting stressed and depressed are also minimized. Regular exercise can also help you sleep better.

10. Limit Intake of High-Calorie Foods

Food such as French fries, cookies, cakes, pizza and ice cream are high in calories. They increase the risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart diseases.

High calorie foods lower energy and blood sugar levels in the body. The low fiber content in such foods also tend to cause constipation.

Mediplan Diet Services, a medically supervised weight loss clinic, specializes in helping people lose weight by making lifestyle modifications. We advise clients to schedule an appointment at Mediplan Diet to get started.

Contact us to find out more about healthy living and the right food choices for you

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