Fitness and health are not just about exercise; your diet can have more influence on your overall health than your gym routine!
But, how can you get started on making sure your diet is conducive to you feeling and looking your best?
It might seem intimidating to start out. Many people feel so overwhelmed by the amount of changes they think they need to make that they simply give up before they can see results. But, there are a few easy, basic, essential tips you can utilize to jump-start your health routine!
Read on to find out what small tweaks you can make to your eating habits that can lead to positive changes in your health.
Getting Started on Your Healthy Eating Journey
First, it’s important to approach any lifestyle change with a positive attitude and tools for success.
That’s why, before you begin making changes, you need to ensure your outlook and tactics are strong. Your foundation needs to be solid so that you don’t give up even if you experience difficulty or setbacks.
These eating well guidelines are great to remember as a backdrop for all the other habits you want to build.
Mindful Eating
First, start taking the time to savor the foods you eat.
We are often too distracted to really enjoy our meals, which makes us seek out more flavorful (fatty, salty, and sugary) foods. Additionally, we often overeat because we aren’t aware that we are full when we aren’t paying attention.
If you eat in front of the TV or while using your phone, try to eat at least 5-10 bites distraction-free before indulging in electronics. Even reading a book or newspaper is a distraction, so avoid those while eating as well.
When you can savor each bite and notice the flavor, you will chew more which helps digestion, have a healthier relationship with food, and notice when you are full which reduces overeating.
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Find Exciting (and Realistic) Recipes
Keep a database of your favorite recipes and new ones that you’d like to try. You can use a physical recipe book, Pinterest, Google Drive, an Excel sheet, or any other method that works for you.
The important part is to choose recipes you will actually make. Do you love cooking elaborate meals with many ingredients that take a long time to make? Ensure that your recipes are up to your caliber.
Do you dislike cooking and only want to do the bare minimum? Collect recipes that use minimal ingredients, are easy and fast to make, and can make more than one serving at once, so you can skip cooking again for a day or two.
Shop With a List
When you do your grocery shopping, make sure you have a list.
Write down which ingredients you need for the recipes you want to make so that you can successfully cook them later without missing anything. You also don’t want to shop aimlessly and end up buying a lot of snacks that will cause you to consume too many calories.
It also helps save money because you will avoid overshopping and buying perishable items that will end up rotting before you can use them.
Limit Sugar, Salt, and Saturated Fats
It’s important to have these nutrients in a healthy diet, however, it is very easy to have too much of them which can cause health problems. Being aware of your daily intake of these nutrients is paramount. To prevent illness and disease, you need to know the importance of eating well.
Sugar
We are hard-wired to seek out and love the taste of sugar by design. Many people are even addicted to it!
Some sugar is healthy and fine, but it’s very easy to get way too much, especially because so much food these days has a lot of hidden sugar.
Sugar on a nutrition label can be found as the following names:
- High fructose corn syrup
- Cane sugar
- Glucoselactose
- Maltose
- Dextrose
- Malt syrup
- Molasses
- Agave nectar
- Honey
- Jaggery
- Maple syrup
- Dates
As a general rule, the average man should consume no more than 36 grams/150 calories of sugar in a day, and women should consume no more than 25 grams/100 calories of sugar.
To decide which foods are lower in sugar, take a look at the nutrition label.
Foods low in sugar have less than 5g of sugar per 100g portion. Foods high in sugar have more than 22.5g of sugar per 100g portion or more than 27g per serving.
For a sweetener alternative, you can use a product like Sugar Free which uses aspartame, sucralose, and stevia to give you a sense of sweetness without the actual sugar. Other alternatives include monk fruit, allulose, and erythritol.
Salt
The second in the trifecta of naturally addictive substances, salt is an essential mineral that all animals need to survive and therefore have a natural craving for.
This is why animals like cows, horses, deer, rodents, and even elephants are provided with salt licks in captivity.
While salt is vital for health, too much can cause problems. According to a study by the George Institute of Global Health, Indians on average consume about 10.98 grams of salt per day, which is more than double the recommended allowance of less than 5 grams for an average adult per day.
Avoid too many high-salt foods like pre-prepared and packaged foods and salty snacks, fried foods, cured meats, and even things like ketchup and chutneys.
Check the nutrition label. If a food has more than 1.5g of sodium per 100g, it is high in salt.
Reduce salt in your cooking by using more spices, herbs, and aromatics. Try a squeeze of lemon or lime juice.
Saturated Fat
Last but not least, we are also programmed to crave high-fat foods.
Saturated fat is found in foods like fatty meat, cheese, butter and ghee, fatty milk and cream, curd, pastries, lard, and foods fried in animal fats and ghee. Coconuts are high in plant saturated fat, which is healthier than animal fat but too much is still unhealthy.
Saturated fat increases the amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream.
Reduce fats by choosing lean meats, using vegetable oils to cook with (like soybean, corn, or olive oil), choosing dairy-free options, and eating more plant-based proteins like beans and tofu.
The average adult male should have no more than 30g of saturated fats per day, and an average adult female should have no more than 20g.
Know Your Macros and Micros
When you eat a varied diet consisting of different ingredients, proteins, vegetables, grains, and fruits, you are likely getting all the nutrition you need. But, it’s still a good idea to have an understanding of macronutrients and micronutrients.
Macronutrients
Macros are the nutrients we need large amounts of in order to survive and thrive.
There are 3 macronutrients that provide energy (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) and 3 macronutrients that do not provide energy (fibre, water, and oxygen).
Carbs, Proteins, Fats
There are a lot of sub-types of each of these nutrients, but the main point is that the majority of your diet should be high in these nutrients in the right proportion.
The basic recommendations in terms of calories are:
Men
- 2500 calories per day to maintain weight
- 2000 calories per day to lose weight
Women
- 2000 calories per day to maintain weight
- 1500 calories per day to lose weight
Diet Guidelines for Adults
- Carbs: 45–65% of your daily calories
- Protein: 10–35% of your daily calories
- Fat: 20–35% of your daily calories
Another factor to consider is that, in general, your daily protein intake should be 0.83 g of protein per kg that you weigh per day. So, if you weigh 60 kg, you should eat about 50 g (0.83 x 60) of protein per day.
Fibre, Water, Oxygen
These macronutrients are essential for health even though they do not contain any calories.
Obviously, you need oxygen and water to survive.
But what about fibre?
Fibre is vital for a healthy gut and makes up the bulk of solid waste. It helps remove toxins and waste products from the body, ensures intestinal health, and is overall important for health. It also makes you feel full without relying on the other macronutrients, helping you stay within a healthy range of calories per day.
Generally, adults should aim for 25 to 35 g of fibre per day.
Micronutrients
Micronutrients are the many vitamins and minerals needed in small quantities to facilitate the hundreds of bodily functions we have on a daily basis.
Minerals
There are two categories of minerals: major minerals and trace minerals. You need more of the major minerals and just a tiny bit of the trace minerals in order to function. Some of the major minerals include calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, and sulfur.
Some trace minerals are chromium, copper, fluoride, iodine, iron, manganese, and zinc.
To understand the difference in daily intake needs, here are some average recommended daily intakes of adults for some major minerals and trace minerals:
Major Minerals
- Calcium: 1,000 to 1,300 mg
- Potassium: 2,600 mg to 3,400 mg
- Sulfur: 850 mg
- Phosphorous: 700 to 1,250 mg
Trace Minerals
- Iron: 8 to 18 mg
- Chromium: 25 mcg (micrograms)
- Iodine: 150 mcg
- Zinc: 10 mg
Vitamins
As for vitamins, think of Vitamin A, Vitamins B1, B2, B3, etc, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and so on.
The measurement of vitamins is confusing: they are measured in IU (International Units), but the size of an IU is different for each vitamin.
You can use a handy converter to find out more about how to understand how much of each vitamin you need in terms of grams.
Most people will be able to ingest all the vitamins and minerals they need to survive with a balanced diet, however, it can be prudent to get an annual blood test to be sure you have the proper levels in your body.
Checking for low or high micronutrient levels can be an important step in your health; when these vitamins and minerals are out of balance, it can cause all sorts of different symptoms in the body. Likewise, different conditions and diseases can cause an imbalance, so it’s important to pay attention to these scant nutrients.
Hydration 101
We know water is a macronutrient, but what else is there to know?
A lot of people are dehydrated without even knowing it! Having too much of sweet drinks like soft drinks (Coca-Cola, Thums Up, Fanta), sports drinks, and even juice and smoothies contributes to dehydration and overindulgence in sugar when consumed in excess.
Coffee and tea offer some hydration, but too much caffeine can be harmful. And those who load up their coffee and tea with milk and sugar are again adding unnecessary fats and sugars.
The bottom line is: water should be your number one drink. Make sure the majority of your drinks are pure water, or with lemon or another sugar-free flavoring.
We also get water from the foods we eat.
The general recommendation is that adult males should consume about 3.7 litres, and adult females should consume about 2.7 litres of water per day. This includes all the water you get from eating and drinking throughout the day.
Health conditions like diabetes, liver or kidney disease, heart conditions, and pregnancy can affect how much water you should drink. Hot weather, dry air, exercise, labour work, and sun exposure can also make you need to drink more water.
How Dieticians and Personal Trainers Can Help
Feeling overwhelmed by all the nutritional and dietary info there is to remember? How many macros and micros do I need? Am I getting enough vitamins in my diet? What is a balanced diet?
It can be daunting!
That’s why there are people who have undergone nutrition and dietary training programs and are certified experts on the topic.
If you are looking for someone to help you understand nutrition and/or work with you to optimize your nutrition plan, you can always look for a personal nutritionist.
Nutritionists, dieticians, and personal coaches are all people who aim to help their clients (you) reach their health and fitness goals. They have experience in helping people determine and meet their dietary needs.
Find nutritionists, dieticians, and personal coaches who can assist you in your health journey here on Superprof!
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