Healthy eating is all about discretion over indulgence. If you consciously inculcate & follow the former, you will enjoy the best of physical & mental well being, stay clear of some of the complex health disorders and will get a lot out of life. Fall prey to the latter, you bet you will find yourself in a vicious loop.
As you may have read in the article Health Management for Longevity, one of the basic, key requirements for healthy weight management is healthy eating. Enticed by intriguing commercials in every kind of media with irresistible temptations, many of us become slaves of our palates and binge. And we also get carried away by notions of high living. We further aggravate the situation by doing less & less of physical activity. This is a perfect recipe for disaster in the making. I will tell you about some very easily understood measures and indicators of healthy eating in very simple terms. I will desist for now from ranting about the number of calories, and all other medico nutritional high sounding stuff like low carb, low calorie, gluten and so on! For those, I’ll provide you with resources that will enrich you with all that information. You will most certainly need to know about things like low calorie, high fiber, low carb and many more styles of diet regimen.
But let’s get to some basics of eating healthy. These relate to:
- the quantity of food/snack you eat at a time
- the frequency of eating
- your attitudes & practices
- the hygienic aspects of foodstuff
- the state of mind & body when you consume food
- the freshness of foods you consume
- whether you consume enough liquids to aid digestion;
and
- the composition of various elements in your typical meal
- whether & how often you skip food [fasting] for purification of the system
There is a tendency more often than not and in more people than fewer, of over eating. If it is due to an acute medical condition, it is a different matter. But if people of normal health can not moderate their food intake, it is unfortunate. There are always more cases of complications due to over eating than eating in moderation or even better, eating less. Remember: discretion in eating is healthy eating.
There is a variety of reasons for people to over eat. The most obvious first one being lack of discretion at the dining table or at the food court. Temptation. Sheer temptation to binge.
People also over eat because they do not focus or concentrate while eating. They do eating as a mechanical act with neither the brain nor the mind being conscious of the intake and hence not acknowledging satiety. The causes of distraction from conscious eating can be varied; too engrossed in the not-to-be-missed TV show or gripping movie; anxiety and brooding over unpleasant occurrence at work or the impending controversial meeting coming up later and many more such distractions.
Try enjoying the food retention in mouth while chewing slowly allowing secretions to aid digestion and feel the food in your mouth for a little longer than gulping or guzzling. With increased duration and slowed down intake, there are greater chances for the overall intake level being low yet with higher satiability. This also aids in further metabolism. Healthy eating tips these; aren’t they? Read on.
Frequency of food intake with well spaced out intervals can be good if you are eating consciously lower amounts per meal. In fact, small quantities of food or snack at intervals of 3-4 hours during the day are believed to be healthy. Unless there is a major impending disaster which only can be averted by your rushing out, it is not advisable to eat in utter haste. Whether you are at the eat street or at a luxury hotel or a coffee shop, it helps to calm down while your are taking your morsels. The state in which you put yourself while eating can determine the subsequent disposition. Well, I hear you say: how’s that possible always? Answer: avoid as many situations of hurried eating as you can with a conscious approach and a clear attitude.
Foods that are fresh & hygienic can increase your sense of wellness. Similarly certain types of food afford greater benefit when eaten raw. Foods that have been stored for long, even if refrigerated, tend to lose their real nutritional value. It may be difficult but no necessarily impossible to consume more fresh & raw food if you can assure yourself of the benefits of a healthy life.
The composition of various food types in your and a carefully chosen balance should be your mantra for self regulation. You do this and maintain an average physical activity, you should have a 7 out of 10 chance of taking care of your general health [caveat: if you have no serious medical issues at the moment].
You will appreciate all of my advice is for preservation of health and prevention of health problems rather not medical advice or therapy for cure. Yet, even if you have started developing tendencies for difficult health conditions owing to overeating & obesity, these words of advice will encourage you to change to a healthy eating habit. Commonly available foods are grouped into five broad categories:
- rice, cereals, pasta, bread & potatoes
- fruits & vegetables
- fish, meat, poultry & pulses
- Milk, cream & dairy
- Sugars, sweeteners & other fatty food
If you are a healthy individual now, you would ideally eat balanced portions from each category and be normally active so you continue to live as healthy as you are.
But more likely, most people consume excess portions of certain categories to the limited or total exclusion of others over periods of time; sweets & dairy products are consumed in excess which adds to body weight significantly and retards the inclination for physical activity. Back to the issue of vicious loop!
Sugars, sweeteners, dairy products and all highly saturated foods should be consumed with extreme moderation if you are fit & healthy and want to stay so. It shall be completely no-no if you are overweight with symptoms of diabetes or other concomitant health problems. If you are quite concerned about your current sugar & processed food binge, you may find help with Nancy’s Sugar Free Lifestyle Program. She has packed a lot of value in her 60 day 100% money back guarantee.There are four additional bonuses included in the program covering tips on weight loss,ways to improve health, and balancing your life. Go for it!
Dietitians and nutritionists will tell you about the calorific value of each one of the items in those different categories, but for a simple understanding, unless you are a very active person, you will need to refrain from the last two categories as much as possible and balance the intake from the first three categories. The first category generally should form the common base and the second and third should serve as supplements.
Registered dietitian Melanie has just released a super effective guide The Healthy Eating Handbook. She reveals a lot of useful information about healthy eating answers many of your FAQs and even gives a bonus: The Home Exercise Handbook. It’s totally risk free since there is a 60 day full money back guarantee. Check it out now! A significant lifestyle change many people the world over are adopting to, which is almost a movement is the vegearian diet preference. This is becoming a conscious choice. I am a strong votary of vegetarian diet and I indicated this through an article Vegetarian Diet is the Preference in my personal development site towards the end of 2008. It is a very interesting article with links to several authentic resources as well as some real honest views. Please read now!
Fasting is a lifestyle choice for many apart from being a cultural habit. Some communities do it regularly multiple times every month. People who fast at regular intervals succeed in moderating their weight much better. It helps to purify & tone the digestive system. Juices, liquids or even water may be taken by those who find total abstinence from food difficult.
Healthy eating need not necessarily be applied to eating solid foods but to liquids too. The same discretion that holds for solid food must apply for liquid foods too. Excessive alcohol, spirits, and high sugar & unsaturated fatty drinks are best used in moderation are avoided.
Choosing a healthy eating habit will go a long way in ensuring you will not only live your life but you will love it!