Planning for A Healthy Diets

Do you ever plan a healthy diet by meal or something alike? Most people who do not plan their meals end up settling for fast food which tends to be high in fat, sugar, sodium, preservatives and calories, all of which in excess are not good for your health. We all need to cut back on eating out and we should aim at eating healthy home-cooked meals. As you plan for your healthy diet, take into consideration the following characteristics discussed below.

Do you ever plan a healthy diet by meal or something alike? Most people who do not plan their meals end up settling for fast food which tends to be high in fat, sugar, sodium, preservatives and calories, all of which in excess are not good for your health. We all need to cut back on eating out and we should aim at eating healthy home-cooked meals. As you plan for your healthy diet, take into consideration the following characteristics discussed below.
Five Main Characteristics of a Healthy Diet.
Provides Adequate Amounts. There are established recommendations from different food groups that you are supposed to eat in a day. If you do not meet these recommendations your body may not get enough of certain nutrients. This is not a part of doing a healthy diet.
Balanced. For a healthy diet, you have to balance the amount of food you eat from the different foods groups, that is, fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy and grains. There are some fad diets such as the Atkin’s diet that advocate cutting carbohydrates such as fruits, milk and starches from the diet and increasing proteins such as meats and eggs.
Moderation is Exercised. It means portion control. With abundance of food and heavy marketing from the food industry, people tend to over eat. Health experts recommend choosing a small size plate to eat from, one that is 9” in width of less and controlling how much you put on that plate. Do you think you practice moderation in your eating?
Control Amount of Calories. Healthy diet also required a part of energy. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins provide the body with energy needed to power the different activities in our cells. If eaten in excess they lead to weight gain. It is not good for a healthy diet. It takes 3500 excess kcalories to gain one pound of weight. To cut back calories, choose foods that provide more nutrients with few kcalories. For example choose an apple over apple juice. Limit or avoid foods such as potato chips, soda, cheese cake, and doughnuts.
Provides Variety. Eating a variety of foods means you get a wider variety of nutrients found in food and the different colors make food more appealing. To enjoy their benefits we have to eat a wide variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, beans and grains. Another reason to enjoy a variety of foods is that pesticides are used in the growing of different foods especially fruits and vegetables except for organic foods. Take a look at your meals and assess for yourself how well you are doing and let these characteristics described above help you plan for healthier meals. So, get a healthy diet by now.