Eat Healthy: What To Eat

This part 2 of healthy eating is a very elaborate & complicated. Nevertheless, it's knowledge. Knowing is half the battle!

Healthy eating is not about strict diet plan, losing many kilos of weight or depriving yourself of the food you love. It's about feeling good about yourself, having more energy & keeping as healthy as possible. Your food choices can reduce the risk of all sorts of illness. In addition, learning the habits of healthy eating can boost your energy, sharpen your memory & stabilizes your mood.

How do we eat healthy? It begins with learning how to "eat smart", it's not just what you eat, it's how you eat. The food pyramid can help you plan your healthy food choices.



Here are some tips on how to learn the habit of healthy eating:

1. Set yourself for success
• make it simple- no need counting calories or measuring portions. Think in terms of color, variety & freshness 
• make changes gradually- small changes will become habit
• every change you make to improve your diet matters
• think of water & exercise as part of your diet
2. Moderation is key
• reduce, don't eliminate certain foods
• think smaller portions
3. It's not just what you eat, it's how you eat
• eat with others whenever possible
• listen to your body- drink a glass of water when you feel hungry, stop eating before you feel full & eat slowly 
• eat breakfast, and eat smaller meals throughout the day
4. Fill up on colorful fruits & vegetables- low calorie but rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants & fibre
• greens- go beyond dark green lettuce
• sweet vegetables- corns, carrots, sweet potatoes
• fruits- berries, apple, oranges, mangoes
5. Eat more healthy carbohydrates & whole grains
• good carbs- whole grains, beans, fruits & vegetables (digested slowly, feel full longer & keep blood sugar & insulin stable)
• bad carbs- white flour, refined sugar & white rice (digested quickly & cause spikes in blood sugar and energy)
6. Enjoy healthy fats & avoid unhealthy fats
• healthy- monounsaturated (canola oil, olive oil, avocado, almond, hazelnut, pecan, pumpkin, sesame); polyunsaturated fats including omega-3 & omega-6 (fatty fish, sunflower, soybean, flaxseed, walnut)
• unhealthy- saturated fats (red meat & dairy) & trans fat (shortening, some margarines, partially hydrogenated vegetable fat)
7. Put protein in perspective
• try different types of protein- beans, nuts, tofu, soy
• downsize your portions of protein
• focus on quality/fresh sources of protein
8. Add calcium for strong bones
• dairy- milk, yogurt, cheese
• vegetables & greens
• beans- black-eyed beans, kidney beans, white beans, pinto beans
9. Limit sugar & salt
• avoid sugary drinks, processed/prepackaged foods
• try slowly reduce the salt in your diet

To be continued