Healthy eating
A healthy, well-balanced diet means eating food from a variety of food groups to get the energy and nutrients that your body needs. There’s no one type of food that can provide all the nutrients a human body needs – so it’s important to eat a wide range of foods. Visit https://www.reviewjournal.com/brandpublishing/health/alpilean-review-can-you-really-get-slim-without-a-weight-loss-diet/.
Why is healthy eating important?
Following a healthy diet can help you to feel your best. It can also help you to:
- maintain a healthy weight
- keep your energy levels up
- reduce your risk of health conditions such as stroke, diabetes and some types of cancer
- look after your heart health
- keep your bones and joints strong
- look after your mental wellbeing
- keep your immune system healthy
- may help you to sleep better
What’s more, if you have a health condition, improving your diet can be an important part of managing your condition.
How much do I need to eat?
It’s important to eat the right amount of energy (measured in calories or kilojoules) to be able to carry out all your normal everyday activities. Even processes like breathing and thinking use up energy.
If you take in exactly what you use up, you’re in energy balance – sometimes known as weight maintenance. Taking in more energy than you need leads to putting on weight, whereas taking in less than you need will cause you to lose weight.
The exact amount of energy you need will depend on many things including your age and how active you are. But in general, women need around 2,000 calories a day, and men around 2,500 calories. As well as supplying your body with energy, eating the right types of food in the right amounts can help look after your overall health. Read more at https://www.outlookindia.com/outlook-spotlight/red-boost-reviews-real-or-fake-promises-how-to-know–news-236474.
How can I eat healthily?
The UK Government’s Eatwell Guide aims to help people understand what proportions of different food groups they need to achieve a healthy, balanced diet.
These proportions represent your diet as a whole, not necessarily every meal. So, try to eat a wide variety of foods from the Eatwell Guide over the course of the day and week to help give your body all the nutrients it needs.
Eat five portions of fruit and veg a day
Aim to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day. Fruit and vegetables contain a lot of essential vitamins and minerals, which help to keep you healthy and your body working properly. They’re also a good source of fibre. It’s a good idea to eat a wide range of different types and colours of fruit and vegetables to get all the nutrients you need.
Your five portions of fruit and vegetables don’t all have to be fresh – dried, frozen, tinned, and juiced fruit and vegetables count too. But remember that a 150ml glass of fruit juice or smoothie only counts as one portion. This is the case no matter how many different types of fruit and vegetables your juice or smoothie contains. And it still only counts as one portion if you drink more than 150ml or more than one glass. This is because the processing removes some of the fibre from the fruit, and these drinks contain a lot of naturally occurring sugars.
Include healthy, wholegrain starchy foods in every meal
Starchy foods contain carbohydrates and are an important source of energy. They’re also a good source of other nutrients and fibre.
Aim to include some starchy foods with every meal. Wherever possible, choose wholegrain varieties over processed, refined carbohydrates (such as white bread or pasta). Your body takes longer to digest wholegrain foods – which means you’re likely to feel fuller for longer.
If you eat lots of wholegrain food every day, it will also help to make sure you get enough fibre. Fibre is good for your digestive health – and is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and bowel cancer.
Eat moderate amounts of protein – including two portions of fish a week
Meat, fish, beans, pulses, eggs and nuts are all important non-dairy sources of protein – aim to include moderate amounts in your diet. Proteins are essential to grow and repair tissues in your body, as well as being a source of energy.
If you aren’t vegetarian or vegan, aim to eat two portions of fish a week. One of these should be an oily fish such as mackerel, salmon or pilchards. If you don’t eat fish, you can get some omega-3 fatty acids from nuts, seeds and their oils. But you may also want to consider taking a supplement containing omega-3 fats.
Limit the amount of red and processed meat you eat (such as sausages and beef burgers) because these foods often contain lots of fat and salt. They may also increase your risk of bowel cancer. Some types of meat are high in fat, so always cut off any extra fat and skin. Grill, bake or poach meat and fish rather than fry it.
Beans, peas and lentils are a great alternative to meat because they’re low in fat while being high in fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals.