Change is an inevitable part of our life; as they say. And everything that has to improve requires change.
This is what we often miss out on while achieving our health goals. We fail to make the healthy changes required for a healthy lifestyle.
Then there are some, who directly undergo a huge change leaping. But why doesn’t work? That is perhaps because taking larger steps might make it difficult to stick to the change. Instead of tripping, taking small steps would be more favourable.
The successful method of staying healthy is the one that works best for you. Only the most comprehensive weight programs and diet plans work. Do not waste your energy adopting the current trends of fitness blindly or ‘fad diets”.
12 Healthy Changes To Make Today for Better Health
1. Slow Down Your Pace
Slowing down the pace at which you can eat can dramatically affect your weight profile. People are likely to lose weight by reducing the speed at which they eat. Studies reveal that fast eaters are 115% obese as compared to the slow eaters.
Moreover, it also lessens the calorie intake and helps in maintaining weight. This is because of the pace at which we eat is linked with our hormones as well as our brain coordination.
2. Control Your Portion Size
Along with eating right, it is also important to control the portion size of what you eat. The portion size of each meal controls the number of calories that you take from each meal.
If you are eating healthy meals such as proteins also in bigger portions, it leads to an increase in calories as compared to the recommended dietary allowances.
Start with a small plate size which makes you eat smaller portions and avoid overeating.
3. Stay Hydrated
Drinking enough water is linked to weight loss and calorie consumption management. Studies reveal that drinking water before meals makes you fuller and reduces your calorie intake and manages your appetite. It is advisable to drink 8 cups of water every day
Do not replace water with and avoid sugar-containing beverages. Make these healthy changes to stay fit.
4. The Two-Bite Rule
Whenever food cravings hit you hard, the only way you can fulfil your satiety needs as well as manage to be healthy is to adopt this two-bite rule. This works for those who are strictly driven to hardcore dieting and forbid certain foods to manage weight.
Try eating two bites of your favourite food, remember about the slow pace to savour its flavour. Your two bites should be to say “hello” and “goodbye” to it.
5. One Activating Meal In A Day
Nutritionists and food experts say that one complete meal is needed in a day to keep you going. Pick lunch as the healthiest meal of the day, which is packed with all nutrients in the right portion size.
Your lunch should have the necessary carbs to give you enough energy, proteins, and a fistful of fruits and vegetables.
6. Say No To Processed Foods
It is advised to have minimally processed foods in your diet. It keeps you away from the harmful chemicals that come with the processing of foods and saves you from missing the important nutrients lost due to processing.
Choose wholegrain over refined grains. Refined grains lose their bran and germ part during the processing. These are rich in nutrients such as vitamin B, fibre, zinc, iron, and manganese and hence contribute to the micronutrients in our food.
7. Adopt Healthy Cooking Ways
Always choose the correct cooking method instead of forbidden foods. Methods that minimize the use of oil or butter and excessive cooking of food are preferable. For instance, choosing baking over deep frying will help you to avoid excessive calories and the harm associated with the improper cooking method.
Replacing French fries with baked potatoes, Mayonnaise with Greek yogurt and dates or honey sugar may be the initial healthy changes towards a healthy diet.
8. Add Greens Into Meals
Adding green vegetables to the diet is the healthiest way to cut off calories. The best way to start with this is by having them as starters. Finishing them before you proceed with the carbohydrate-rich meal controls body’s sugar level and aids in weight loss.
It is recommended to see your half plate filled with veggies which are mostly greens. Also, green leafy vegetables are high in nutritional value and rich in fibre. Fibres slow down the absorption of carbs into the blood and thus control blood sugar levels.
Always remember Fibres over calories.
9. Ditch The Diet Foods
The very popular diet foods in the market attract people who want faster weight loss methods. These foods are often labelled as “fat-free”, “low cholesterol” or “zero trans-fat” but they lack the essential nutrients that natural foods can provide us.
They are processed in such a way that they lack all the natural phytonutrients. To overcome their satiety needs, additives such as sugar, flavours, etc leave the consumers deceived.
Instead of promoting these artificial diets, one should rely on consuming whole foods such as wholegrain, vegetables, and fruits.
10. Probiotics And Supplements
Taking supplements to fulfil the body’s deficiency should not be confused with illness. These might be either vitamin D (in the USA), or vitamin B12 (in Asian countries) deficiency. Other nutritional deficiencies are omega-3 and omega-6 among vegans. These micro-nutrition deficiencies generally go unnoticed but are the root of various chronic diseases on a long go. For those consuming a vegetarian diet and plant-based products more, it is advisable to take these vitamin supplements as and when needed.
11. Shift To Plant-based Foods
There is an increasing awareness of avoiding meat and processed non-vegetarian products. Most of the population is turning vegan.
Red meat eaters are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and chronic diseases such as hypertension and high blood cholesterol.
The phytonutrients obtained from plants safeguard one from these risks and serve to be nutritive and superior to animal-based foods.
12. Never Drink Fruits
Fruits are full of fibres, vitamins, and minerals. But this is not true when it comes to fruit juices. The intrinsic sugar in fruits has an additional value in controlling blood sugar.
Fruit juices that are available in the market are often processed with added sugars, and preservatives, which are unhealthy; as well as lack all the natural fibres in it. They are more soft drinks and less likely to contain natural flavours. Fruits in the form of juices make you consume too much of it at once. Henceforth, always eat fruits rather than drink.
So the bottom line is; to start small rather than immediately going in altogether.
Bring about these 12 healthy changes and watch your physical and mental wellness.
Read also – 12 Natural Appetite Suppressants That Actually Work
