Food is not just a source of energy. It also plays an important role in our physical, mental, and spiritual nourishment and well-being. Whatever we feed ourselves, physically or spiritually, becomes a part of our reality. This is why they say ‘You are what you eat.’ To some, eating healthy and staying fit is a massive unachievable task but trust me, it’s not as difficult as it seems.
Perks of Healthy Eating
A healthy diet would not only prevent malnutrition. It will also keep you in shape and prevent all forms of non-communicable diseases including Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases, Obesity, and some forms of Cancers too. Currently, Lack of Physical activity and an unhealthy diet is one of the major public health concerns.
In general, anything that is high in fats, sugar, and salt is bad for your health. With changing lifestyles, more and more processed foods and a variety of options with all kinds of fast food ventures opening up every day. It gets absolutely difficult to avoid unhealthy food. A healthy diet is something that includes; fruits, vegetables, and dietary fibers such as whole grains.
However, a balanced diet not only depends on WHAT you eat but also on HOW and WHEN you eat it. This includes many factors.
- Using right kind and amount of oils (e.g. instead of butter or ghee, using olive oil or canola oil for cooking meals)
- Your individual characteristics (Gender, age, lifestyle, level of activity)
- The place you live at, it’s topography and culture (You can’t be living in Pakistan and not eating Biryani, right?) etc
What should your diet include?
Your diet will be called balanced and healthy when it includes;
- Vegetables – Lots and Lots of it and Fruits, of course! You need to follow this proportion when it comes to fruits and vegetables. Your diet should include at least 400 grams of fruit and vegetable per day. Don’t forget to exclude potatoes and sweet potatoes or starchy roots. Consuming fruits as snack is a good way of dividing 400 grams of fruit into small portions, it keeps you full as well.
- Legumes, Nuts and Whole grains. By whole grains I mean oats, wheat, brown rice, maize etc.
- Less than 5 grams of salt, which is basically, only 1 teaspoon per day. Remember to always use an iodized salt.
- Reduce the amount of total fat intake to less than 30% of total energy intake can help prevent obesity and cardiovascular diseases tremendously.
- PROTEIN!