The Complete Guide to leading a Healthy Lifestyle – Part I – “Eating”

Welcome to The Complete Guide to lead a Healthy Lifestyle – Part I – “Eating”.

This is the first one of a series of articles that will cover the basics of starting and keeping a healthy lifestyle throughout your life. First part of this article will cover the most basic function that all human beings do or have to do – Eating.

We will visit the depths of human psyche and explore why we eat a certain way? Is it unhealthy for us? Are we eating a mediocre diet? How can we change all that and become our best and fittest selves? Read on to know more.

“We eat to live, not live to eat”

All human beings have to eat to stay alive. The food we put in our bodies is our fuel to run throughout the day. Without food, we may survive for a few days but ultimately perish and die. Food provides energy, nutrients and satiety to the human mind and body. But ever so often we fail to realize the crucial role that food plays in keeping us alive and functioning well.

Not only eating, but eating habits, the type of food and time chosen for consuming food all are very important factors to determining our overall health and fitness level. The way a person eats is actually very deep-rooted in their psyche.  That is why it is so hard to change your eating habits once you start a diet or a fitness program. Majority of people struggle on the diet part of the program. That is because we become hardwired to eat a certain way as we have been doing throughout our lives. But worry not, these connections can be broken and you can start eating in a more healthy way that will benefit both your mind and body.

Let’s start with the first basic tip:

“Change your Mindset”

 

This one is probably the hardest of them all. However, this first step is critical to your success. You have to change your mindset to start a healthy eating journey.

• First and foremost, you have to open your mind up to learn the various aspects of nutrition.
• Secondly, you have to evaluate really and truly where you stand.
• Thirdly, you have to be willing to make a conscious effort to change the parts where you are wrong.

Now how do you go about it? Let us take an example to make this easier to understand.

Let’s say your breakfast consists of your favorite “Cereal + Milk”. Now, have you ever stopped to think about the ingredients in your meal. Commercially available cereal is basically carbohydrates and sugar. Sure, it contains some fiber and maybe a minuscule amount of protein. Milk has nutrients no doubt. But who are we kidding? Is it a balanced meal? No. 

So what is a balanced meal? It is basically getting the right amount of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in every meal you consume. The ratio of carbs to protein to fats depends on your body type, fitness level, and fitness goals. So, make the right calculations before starting. A general rule of thumb is to get about 40% protein, 30% carbs and 20% fats in your diet. 

So, next time pay attention to the components of your meal. And try to balance out your foods.

“Recognize bad foods”

Yes, some foods are really bad for you. You have to understand that. And you have to stop consuming them in excess. Trans fats, unhealthy fats, unnecessary sugar and salt intake are the common reasons people gain weight and stay fat. This is also the part that is hardest to control. Salt and sugar are not things that you eat alone. They come hidden in so many foods that you purchase whether at the grocery store or at a high-end restaurant.

Here comes the trick to stop this unnecessary intake – prepare all or most of your food at home. It is a no-brainer really. All you have to do is cook your own meals. But I know, it is a struggle for most of us to get through the week with work and family to juggle. Who has time to cook so many meals? If you cannot cook every day, then try to meal prep in advance. Give it a shot. Take one or two days in the week and sort out your menu for the entire week, even the snacks. It will be easier to make healthy food choices and you will save a ton of money.

“Don’t torture yourself”

You can only go so far on motivating yourself to eat broccoli. If you don’t like it, you will eventually stop eating it. That’s where most of us go wrong. We choose the wrong healthy food. Instead, if we chose healthier options that we actually like or even crave, we can make it so much easier on ourselves to actually eat healthy all the time. This is especially true for eating vegetables. That is why I say time and again. Don’t like broccoli, don’t eat it. Like carrots, eat them all you want. Choose foods that you like keeping in mind they are healthy. On the other hand, don’t write off food that you don’t like completely. Try to eat that broccoli once in a while, it really is good for you. Maybe you can experiment in the kitchen and add different spices  to it to make it a dish that you like or atleast tolerate.

As far as healthy eating goes, there are a lot of tips and tricks that will help you and guide you. But to me the most important thing is to change your mindset and make yourself more positive and responsive towards healthy eating.

Health and fitness are not torture for your soul. They are things to be enjoyed and cultivated. Let us Redefine Health from today. 🙂

Stay tuned for PART 2. Hint: It is about exercise 😉

Also Read: 3 Tricks to Eat Healthy!