Healthy Eating - Why should I and YOU?

The type of food and the amount of food you eat on a daily basis could affect your health.

Good nutrition and a well-balanced diet, combined with physical activity are fundamental to achieve a healthy lifestyle, because they minimize the risk of various diseases and help you reach and maintain a healthy weight.

There are certain time in life where eating a healthy diet is considered essential, especially during pregnancy, weight loss and/or elderly. But it is important to know, no matter your age, eating a healthy diet is very important throughout your life. So lets start now or continuing with your healthy journey to be rewarded in the future. It's always great to change and improve your eating habits to a more healthier and happier life.


To obtain more insight into healthy living, the following facts and figures are emphasized to give you an overview about people health and lifestyle. Please, click here.

Good nutrition, healthy eating or a healthy balanced diet is important to have a healthy lifestyle and maintain an overall good health. Before starting with any diet plan, it is important to know what healthy eating means and why is it important. 

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What is Healthy Eating? _______________________________________________________

Healthy eating means consuming the right amount of food from each food groups that give your body all the nutrients needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle by feeling good and having the required energy. A good nutrition or healthy diet provide you with all the nutrients needed that promotes good health. Not only what you eat on a daily basis matters, but also when you eat.

Below you obtain information regarding what you should eat that defines healthy eating and when is it important to eat.

Best time for eating

Eating a healthy food by consuming food that should be eaten and avoiding bad food is important to stay healthy, but consuming a particular food at the right time is also important to control your weight and help you prevent and overcome diseases.

People frequently ask questions, such as should I eat big or small meals? how many meals should I eat per day (3 big meals or 6 small meals)?

The answer to each of these questions could be different per person, depending on your nutrition intake and diet plan. The important thing here is that you consume the right amount of nutrients and calories per day, which allow you to reach your specific goals (even it is losing fat, controlling weight, building muscles or being healthy). Also you have to be aware that eating a bunch (a lot) of food at the same time, affect your health and weight. Eating too much food at the same time lead to stomach growth and quick hungry, which resulted into fat retention, belly fat and/or stomach disease. Always take it easy and be careful  with the amount of food you eat on each served plate. Remember always, excess of everything you do has its side effects.

Also take the right amount of water per day, which equals to 1 to 3 liter of water every day. Our body contains 2 liters of bloods; drinking 2 liter of water is essential to clean our body and blood from toxins an impurities. Drinking 2 liters of water is equivalent to 8 or 9 glasses of 8oz.  As an alternative you can drink at least 1 glass of water (8 oz) every hour and preferably 1 hour before and after each big meal. It is also recommended to drink the last cup of water at 7 p.m., 1 or 2 hours before bedtime.

Next follows a few meals and their best time for consuming that shouldn't be missed or skipped during your diet plan.

Breakfast in the morning

I know most of the time we are in a rush in the morning, because we have to be at work or school on time. Thinking about the traffic that we have to faces, make us rush out the door without something to eat or with only 1 cup of tea on our stomach. No, no, no... don't do that! The next time put your wake up alarm 15-30 minutes earlier to have a good nutritious breakfast in the morning to start your day right. Just think about it, skipping breakfast in the morning could lead to overeating later during the day. In contrast, a  healthy morning meal boosts your energy and makes you feel happy during the day. It is also proven that a healthy diet maintain you in a normal weight and controls your blood sugar by preventing high and low blood sugar. A well-balanced breakfast could also increase the brain function and concentration. Therefore, do not skip your breakfast anymore and think it twice before doing it in order to have a healthier life.


Remember to eat foods that boost up your energy level, instead of foods that give you sleep or take away your concentration. A healthy big breakfast should contain 700 calories in order to lose weight and lower the risk of heart disease, high cholesterol and diabetes.

 
Do you want to know the ideal food for breakfast? Read more about
Best Foods to Eat for Breakfast.

Foods defining Healthy Eating   

As mentioned earlier, a well-balanced diet - or healthy eating - means consuming the right amount of different food groups. The eat-well plate summarized all the food groups that should be consumed, with the respective proportions or quantities. The eat-well pate defines five main  foods groups, which are carbohydrates (whole grains), fruit and vegetables, protein and legumes, fat and sugars, and dairy.

Carbohydrates (whole grains)

 

Consuming the right amount of healthy carbohydrates is essential in order to maintain an optimal overall heath in the long run. Meaning that our body needs large amount of carbohydrates for the proper functionality of our brain and nervous. Carbohydrates provide our body with energy, proteins and fats, nutrients for stimulating good bacteria and protect our muscles and bones. Therefore, a healthy diet is recommended to contain 45 to 65% of carbohydrates of the total consumed daily calories, at least 130 gram of carbohydrate daily. Each gram of carbohydrate contain 4 calories. More important choose the right carbohydrates from natural sources, such as whole grains (unrefined), vegetables, fruits and legumes. Avoid those carbohydrates from refined or processed foods such as white rice, white flour, packaged foods, alcohol and all sugar added foods because they do more harm than good to your body.

Choose always whole grains because they are rich in fiber, vitamin and mineral. Whole foods grains could be recognized on their dark color and most of the time are labelled with the words whole or wholegrain  in the list of ingredients.

Whole grains foods, including breads, pastas and cereals, should be made of 100% whole grains. Whole grains foods and flours are 100% whole wheat, brown rice, corn, buckwheat, oatmeal or oats and wild rice (basmati rice).

Fruit and vegetables

 

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of healthy eating, a well-balanced diet. You have to consume the right amount of fruits and vegetables during the day in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Fruits and vegetables contain high quantities of mineral, vitamins and fiber, which are vital for your body to be and feel good.  Not only eating the right amount, but also knowing which combination of fruits and vegetables, are ideal to improve an overall health. Here eating a variety of fruits and vegetables everyday are important to provide you with the nutrients needed for your health. Meaning that you should eat plenty of them everyday.

A healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables provide a lot of benefits to the body; it can lower heart disease and stroke, lower  blood pressure, control blood sugar, lower the risk of eye problems, lower the risk of digestive problems, and prevent some type of cancer.

Now you are asking yourself, what amount of fruits and vegetables should be consume everyday to obtain an overall health? Well, it is recommended to consume five (5) portions or servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
A portion or servings equals one (1) large fruits such as banana, mango, apple, kiwi or oranges; 1 cup of grapes, strawberries or cherries; 1 handful of blueberries, raspberries, cranberries or blackberries; or 3 tablespoons of vegetables. A portion also include one (1) glass of 100% fruit or vegetables juice.

Protein and legumes

 

Protein is found in every part of our body. Your hair, muscle, bone, skin and literally every part or tissue of your body contain protein. Your body needs protein in order to build and repair tissue.

You may be asking; how many protein should  I take in daily to obtain all the protein needed for my body to function properly?
In order to answer this frequently question, we should be aware about the lack of information regarding the ideal amount of protein per day in a  healthy diet.
According to Douglas Paddon-Jones, PhD, Associate Professor, The University of Texas Medical Branch, the daily protein consumption should be between 20 to 25 percent of your daily nutritional intake.
The Institute of Medicine  also set a wide range of the protein intake between 10 to 35 percent of daily calories. Furthermore, the Institute of Medicine recommends adults to get a minimum of 0.8 grams of daily  protein for every kilogram of body weight  (equals 8 grams of protein for every 20 pounds of body weight). While the United States recommended a daily protein intake of 46 grams for women over 19 years old, and 56 grams for men over 19 years.

Studies concluded that millions of people worldwide do not get enough protein on a daily basis. Lack of protein can cause growth failure, loss of muscle mass, decreased immunity, weakening of the heart and respiratory system, and even death. Therefore consuming the right amount of protein daily is essential.

Not only the quantity of protein intake matters, but also the quality of protein is very important. Each individual should consume protein from protein-rich sources such as meat, fish,eggs, beans and nuts. Meaning that there are two protein sources, which are animal sources and other protein sources. Animal sources is when you consume protein from animal and provide you with the more essential amino acids your body needs by eating meat, fish or eggs. Other protein sources are obtained from fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds that lack one or more essential amino acids your body needs. Thus people who do not eat meat should consume a higher portion of protein from other protein sources in order to get the right daily recommended quantities of protein. Vegetarian should be aware about this concern.

Do you want to know the foods rich in protein. Please click on: Foods Rich in Proteins.

In order to obtain information about the different types of legumes, refer here:
Commonly Eaten legumes.

Fats and sugars

Sugars and fats also contribute to our health, but we have to be aware of the quantity and quality of fats and sugars we consume daily.

Your body needs some sugars to function properly. Sugar is a type of carbohydrates and is considered as a quick source of energy. Glucose is a type of sugar that your body needs and it provides energy to the brain and other cells and tissues in your body. Always try to consume glucose or sugar from natural sources and try to avoid chemical sugars, which are harmful for your body and lack additional nutrients, because chemical sugars promote high blood sugar and body overweight as well.

The natural sources of sugars are raw fruits, vegetables and dairy products. Instead of only providing glucose (sugar) these natural sources of sugars also add other healthy benefits to your diet such as, minerals, vitamins and fiber. Thus, it is better to obtain the right quantity of daily sugar from natural sources, which will be transform by your body into the right amount of glucose.

Fats are also important for your health. Similar to sugar, fat promote high concentration of energy to your body. By consuming the right amount and quality of fats, your body will store the energy for a longer time. Furthermore, fats are important to grow and develop your body's tissues and organs.  In order to obtain the healthy benefits from fats, you should consume the right amount of fats and, more important, the right quality of fats. The best quality of fats that you should consume on a daily basis are referred to as unsaturated fats, especially those from essential fatty acids. Unsaturated fats offer health benefits such as inflammation reduction, heart healthy and improve blood cholesterol. According to Harvard School of Public Health, the essential fatty acids could be obtained from olive oil, coconut oil,  peanut, flax seed, avocados, nuts and seeds. According to the University of Illinois McKinley Health Center, you should consume 20% of your daily calories, but remember to not exceed 35%. Oils contains a high portion of calories. In fact, each tablespoon of fats contain about 120 calories.

Do you want to know the differences between saturated and unsaturated fats? Please refer to the following link: Saturated Fats v/s Unsaturated Fats.

Dairy

Dairy products also provide health benefits, especially to improve bones. Furthermore, consuming dairy products also offer other benefits such as regulate blood pressure in adults, reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, may also reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Dairy products contain nutrients, such as calcium, potassium, vitamin D and protein, which are vital for maintaining a healthy body.

When consuming dairy products, you should choose from the dairy foods that are low-fat or fat-free, because those containing high saturated fats and cholesterol are bad for your overall health. High saturated fats could result in health implications such as bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein = LDL cholesterol) that could increase the risk for coronary heart disease. A lot of cheeses, whole milk and products make of high saturated fat contain high saturated fat. In order to keep the blood cholesterol levels healthy and under control, limit foods or dairy products that contain high saturated fats.

It's all about a healthy lifestyle.