Having a balanced nutrition is essential in ensuring that you follow through with a healthy lifestyle. Whilst exercising and physical fitness plays an important role, your dietary intake is also important to assess when it comes to reducing the risk of contracting health-related diseases such as heart disease, obesity. diabetes and a multitude of other health risks. This article aims to highlight some of the meals or ingredients you may incorporate in your daily diet to maintain a balanced nutrition.
1) Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables.
Do not miss out on having fruits and vegetables on your plate no matter what meal you are having throughout the day! A desired baseline would be half of your plate to be dedicated to fruits and vegetables. You may also indulge in other low fat and cholesterol-free components such as grains, vitamins and minerals. These food components contain fibre which can ease digestion and prevent constipation. Research has shown that increasing your intake of greens and fruits may help with lowering your blood cholesterol and blood sugar levels. It may also help with reducing the risk of heart disease. You may include low fat dairy products and lean protein in your diet, but it is advisable to include them in small portions and to prioritise fruits and vegetables.
2) Portion sizes are important!
‘Portion distortion’ is a rampant among many people, especially in the USA! The famous slogan made popular in the state of Texas where “everything is bigger, and better” may also suggest that larger portion sizes correspond to more satisfied consumers. What this message fails to relay to its audiences is that these portion sizes are often heavily skewed towards high fat, salty (high sodium intake) as well as sugary components often found in fast-food meals! Not only are people’s health compromised when they consume these largely unhealthy food components, but the large servings and portions can procertain health risks such as obesity and heart disease.
Research has shown that the benefits of portion control include:
- Better digestion
- Balanced blood sugar
- Weight loss
- Improved satiety
- Save money
3) Increase Unsaturated Fat Intake and Reduce Saturated Fats
Cholesterol is often associated with a negative connotation – the most common one referring to low density lipoproteins (LDL) which are also referred to as ‘bad cholesterol’. These are often found in ‘comfort’ foods such as pizzas, cupcakes, french fries and most fast food items.
According to an article written by the RealBuzz Team, there is also protective cholesterol which can be increased when you consume unsaturated fats, which are useful when it comes to reducing the amounts of harmful cholesterol in the bloodstream. These foods often contain high density lipoproteins (HDL) which gets rid of excess cholesterol so that it less likely to end up in your arteries.
4) Drink Plenty of Water!
Water makes up 60% of our body, but when there’s plentiful of other drinks available, many people may be lured to other tempting drinks – which leads them to undermine the importance of drinking crystal clear, refreshing water! At least 8 glasses of water is recommended by the average person a day (3.7 litres for an adult man and 2.7 litres for an adult woman).
Water regulates our internal body temperature, assists in flushing waste and transports carbohydrate and proteins.
5) Choose a fiber-filled diet
If your diet doesn’t consist of fibre-rich foods, then start now! Fibre helps to keep our digestive system healthy and helps to prevent constipation. It is also a useful food component that helps to reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease and bowel cancer.
The question remains, how much fibre do we really need?
The table above shows the recommended intakes for each age group.
What are the kinds of foods that are rich in fibre? They are as follows:
- Wholegrain breakfast cereals, barley, wholegrain bread
- Fruits such as pears and oranges
- Vegetables such as broccoli and carrots
- Peas and beans
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Potatoes with skin
