We all know that we should be eating healthy. The facts are obvious such as eating a lot of fatty foods could cause heart complications and high blood pressure. However, healthy eating doesn’t have to be dull and bland like many people think.
You can create healthy meals that are also quite delicious. Check out these simple tips to see how easy it can be.
1. Know your Portions
Knowing portion sizes is an easy way to eat healthily. You can enjoy your favorite dessert or steak if you’re responsible and have a small portion. As a guide, a serving size of meat is no larger than 3 ounces; it’s about the size of a deck of cards. If you keep these simple guidelines in mind, you can treat yourself to your favorite foods without feeling guilty. It’s important to view this as a lifestyle change for the better and not as punishment.
If you want to be more exact about portion sizes and calorie counting, you can buy a food scale to know exactly how much you’re eating. Furthermore, try taking smaller bites and eating slower. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that chewing for 9 seconds resulted in “significantly less food intake than quickly chewing for just three seconds.” Your brain can’t automatically identify that you’re full, and if you eat slower, you’re less likely to overeat.
2. Balance your Meals
Good meals should be balanced to provide you with a variety of nutrients. This can be easily accomplished by making sure that your foods contain a variety of ingredients from several categories, such as dairy, grains, protein, meats and vegetables.
Let’s check out the typical meal of a hamburger and French fries. With this meal you just get starch, protein, and fat. Try eating a grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato, and fresh fruit on the side. This provides you with a much healthier meal with a larger variety of nutrients and much less fat. Simple changes like this could greatly improve your health.
3. Get in the Kitchen
Cooking meals at home is a simple way to have more control over your calorie and fat intake. You can know how much fat and oil is going into your food. Also, cooking can save a lot of money, so try and get in the habit of cooking several nights a week. On the weekends, you can cook large meals and have leftovers for the week. You’ll finally have an answer for the age-old question: “what’s for dinner?”
Try creating new meals to keep things interesting, such as this quick and delicious recipe for eggplant parmigiana. It’s a fresh alternative from going out to an Italian restaurant for the stereotypical lasagna dinner. This recipe is also great because it contains eggplants. Eggplants contain nutrients such as starch, vitamin C, and lutein. It’s important to make sure your plate is colorful. Different colored fruits and vegetables contain different nutrients and minerals that your body needs, and they also make for a more colorful, visually appealing, and delicious meal.
Check out these tips and see just how easy and tasty healthy eating can be!