Human beings need to eat in order to live. On the other hand, it is advisable not to eat just any way. Indeed, it is necessary to have a healthy diet to stay healthy and live longer. However, how do you know that a diet is healthy? What are the habits to adopt for healthy eating? Overview of the importance of having a healthy and balanced diet.
Why eat healthy?
In addition to providing us with energy, what we eat has an impact on the body. Indeed, food plays a significant role in the proper functioning of our cells. Therefore, choosing the foods we eat well allows our body to develop harmoniously
What is good nutrition and healthy food?
What we eat can be broken down into several food groups:
Fats ;
Dairy products ;
Meats and fish;
Fruits and vegetables ;
The cereals ;
The drinks.
Each category of food provides a supply of nutrients to the body, which is essential for its proper functioning. Eating a balanced diet means varying the sources of nutrients as much as possible in order to have an adequate supply of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, but also vitamins and other substances necessary for the body.
Healthy eating also means consuming the right amount of food for your body’s needs. By way of illustration, if the meals taken have a higher calorie intake than what we spend daily, we risk gaining weight. On the other hand, if you eat little, the weight loss caused can adversely affect the proper functioning of the body.
How healthy is eating healthy?
Eating well helps you feel good about yourself and is beneficial for your health. A healthy diet has several advantages:
It helps stabilize the weight;
It is essential for strengthening the immune system;
It helps to improve learning ability.
In addition, a healthy and balanced diet prevents all kinds of diseases such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and osteoporosis.
Healthy Foods: What Should We Eat To Stay Healthy?
To stay healthy, you have to eat everything. In this sense, it is necessary to eat in sufficient quantity the foods of each family so as not to suffer from deficiencies . Ideally, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, protein, water and dairy products are preferred each day. It is nevertheless possible to occasionally consume certain foods such as smoothies, potato croquettes, fruit compotes or smoked fish.
Nutrition: What are the foods to avoid?
While several foods are allowed to stay healthy, others are strongly discouraged . Thus, it is possible to cite junk food, sugary drinks, alcohol, foods high in fat and foods containing too much sugar or salt. In addition, the consumption of frozen prepared foods and processed foods should be eliminated from the diet . These contain all kinds of additives to improve taste, texture and shelf life. Moreover, the excess consumption of these ultra processed foods is the cause of several diseases such as diabetes or obesity.
How to eat healthy to lose weight?
If doing sport significantly helps to lose weight, eating healthy is just as effective for losing weight without constraints . With this in mind, it is advisable to:
Eat 3 meals a day and 3 healthy snacks;
Cooking dishes without fat, or at least with fat suitable for cooking ;
Drink water to eliminate fat and fight against water retention ;
Have a breakfast based on dairy products, wholemeal bread and fruit;
Replace sauces, which are sometimes too high in salt and fat, with aromatic herbs or dressings;
Eat as little as possible in restaurants and eat homemade meals.
How to have a healthy and balanced diet?
Eating a healthy and balanced diet does not mean following a restrictive diet like a vegan diet or a vegetarian diet . The trick is to eat everything , while diversifying your diet to avoid fatigue and to keep your spirits high.
In addition, it is advisable to adapt your diet according to your needs and lifestyle . Thus, the recommended daily calories for a man and a woman with a sedentary lifestyle are 2100 calories and 1800 calories, respectively. For a man and a woman having moderate physical activities, it is advisable to have a respective intake of 2000 calories to 2700 calories. Indeed, men with intense physical activity must eat the equivalent of 3,000 to 3,500 calories, while women with intense physical activity must have a daily intake of 2,400 to 2,800 calories.
Our advice for balanced meals
To eat well and eat better, it is necessary to adopt a few eating habits . With this in mind, it is necessary to:
Eat breakfast in the morning and without rushing;
Eat lunch no later than 4 hours after having breakfast;
Have a light dinner no later than 9 p.m.
Avoid snacking whenever possible. However, if the desire for a snack is felt, the best is to have one around 4 or 5 pm.
To eat better, chrononutrition can also be an avenue to consider. This method consists of eating specific foods, at specific times and in previously defined quantities. Chrononutrition also provides other benefits . Indeed, this feeding method:
Does not exclude any particular food, which is interesting to avoid frustration;
Also helps to eliminate extra pounds thanks to the consumption of specific foods favorable to weight loss;
Helps improve general well-being by stimulating cognitive abilities, regulating blood cholesterol levels, improving sleep quality, regulating hormone production, and improvement of intestinal transit.