http://youtu.be/YDJ6cjIrbLY
Add food variety to your diet
“Eating a single type of food can be fast and convenient but you can’t get all the essential minerals and vitamins from that single particular food. Mix it up and add a variety of food to your diet for optimal health”
Food variety is the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle.
What is a varied diet?
I’ve researched this for years and it is the only area I found consensus. Healthy living is a minefield of advice, sometimes contradicting advice.
When you avoid a food group such as vegetables, it is time to look into your diet
Cereals, grains and grain products
Carbohydrates are maligned but complex carbohydrates such as whole grain varieties are a great addition to your diet. I love brown rice, lentils and all sorts of beans. Avoid highly processed white refined bread and white flour. Whole grain varieties of bread are naturally full of goodness. Why do you think white bread is normally enriched with vitamins and minerals?
Fruits and vegetables
Experts agree that we must eat from 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables. Roughly this equates to 2 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables. Buy wisely and mix colours of the fruits and vegetables so you get all the vitamins and minerals
Low Fat vs High Fat
On this topic experts tend to differ. Some go for the low fat alternative and others go for the good fat. My personal choice is eating natural fats. For example: olive oil, coconut oil, butter instead of margarine etc. I, personally do not like low fat diets as people tend to look drawn after doing them. Also the low fat alternatives available tend to be highly processed foods that take the goodness out and are filled with bad carbs. I only eat low fat when I am taking HCG. Also, if you think, since the advent of the low fat diets, in the late 70s, obesity has escalated uncontrollably.
Water
This is something all experts agree. You must drink water. I drink around 2 litres a day. Coffee and teas do not count, unless they are herbal teas.
Breakfast
I read so much how breakfast is essential and I found it depends on the person. Since I’ve started my HCG diet, I tend not to have breakfast. I am not hungry until lunchtime even now in my 8 weeks consolidation / maintenance.
Salt, sugar and caffeine
This is a no brainer. We need to limit the amount we eat of the three! In moderation they are fine. The problem when you buy processed foods you don’t realise how much you are getting of salt and sugar that is added. Read the labels.
Ideal weight maintenance
If you cannot maintain your ideal weight this is a sign that perhaps your diet is not healthy. Believe me I know. I am not saying naturally thin people do not need to evaluate their diet but weight gain is a sign of a non healthy diet.
Steps to a healthy diet
Remember baby steps do it. Change one habit a week for example and soon you will have an incredibly healthy diet.
Here is an interesting article from UK NATIONAL HEALTH
Liliana
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I manage to maintain my weight and essentially eat whatever I want, but I do it in moderation AND I get lots of exercise. That definitley helps.
Oh no, you are one of those naturally slim 😉 I was once till I messed up my metabolism.
I agree about the good fats as they are very important! I also prefer using Real Salt (name brand) versus processed salt.
Thanks for commenting and the resource. We in Spain do not have Real Salt 🙂
Having had health issues and healing them by eating clean, I know how essential it is to eat a healthy diet. I gave up cane sugar over 6 years ago and have healed many things.
I know that’s the problem people find the healing power of food when they have a problem, including me. It would be so much easier if we changed our diets before the ailment occurred.
I struggle with drinking enough water and I need to add more variety. I guess I’m a creature of habit.
We are creatures of habit, and it is so difficult to start a new one. Hence a bit at the time is my mantra.
Great points made! Though on the breakfast subject…I’m hungry asap. If I don’t eat, I’m a miserable so and so. I didn’t used to want it, but if I’m not ‘hungry’ I usually go for a smoothie or something. Not eating breakfast makes me a grump.
That was me before, that’s why now I believe it is more important to know what suits you.
A lot of important information for me to take in. Your last tip though, to change one habit at a time is a great way for me to put your ideas into action toward a healthier lifestyle!
I know, I am trying to have a great 2014 and TAKE ACTION, to be able to do that you have to streamline due to the information overload we suffer on any field
I try to eat a variety of foods but I always have to be on the look out for their glycemic levels. Some may have the freedom to have any kind of fruit, but I do not have that. Diabetes is a bad thing to have. I am a child of pure line diabetics so it was already predetermined that I would eventually develop the disease. When I was growing up, my parents always called me “Fluffy.” I dropped a lot of weight when the disease set in. I try to squeeze in a few minutes of exercise everyday and stick to my recommended diet.
That’s great I think everyone should be able to eat what suits them as well. The problem I found is that there are contradictory advice about diabetes.
I also believe that we should eat a variety of foods to be healthy! Everything in moderation!!
That’s truly the key for everything: moderation
Great post! I’m starting a 30 day challenge workout and of course, along with that, a healthy diet is a must as well. This was helpful, thank you 🙂
I am glad you find it useful, that is my mission
Thanks for the tips. It is really important to change up what you are eating to keep your metabolism spiked. It is good to have a wide variety of foods.
I think so, although when I am on the HCG I find myself repeated the foods I have every two days but then, and only then it seems to work for me. All the other time I truly have a variety.
I think varied food is so important! When I was younger my mom would always joke that all my food was the same color but now I eat a wide variety. Thanks for sharing!
Our mums are always the same – they were right but you don’t realise till you are older yourself 🙂
I have a totally mixed up metabolism. Sometimes I feel like a gain weight just watching other people eating. I need to have a schedule and eat really healthy and I just don’t do it, sigh.
That’s what I did in my twenties, I wanted to have a model thin body and it was impossible as I have quite large bone structure. I am sure I found the solution this is my 6th week of maintaining the 42 lbs I lost and I eat loads and stay within + 2 – 2 lbs of my last dieting day.
Food variety is such a huge necessity. I love switching it up often!