Our body is a reflection of what we eat
It’s no secret that obesity has become a huge problem for modern people – we move less, consume a large amount of fatty foods, high-calorie sauces, sweets. There are endless temptations everywhere, and manufacturers are competing who will offer the next super-product, against which no consumer can resist. The result of this race can be observed on the streets of any metropolis – according to statistics, almost every second inhabitant of developed countries is overweight. Obesity, unfortunately, leads to problems not only in aesthetics and self-esteem, but also to serious consequences for the body: the risk of many diseases is directly proportional to the amount of excess weight. Diabetes, problems with the heart, gastrointestinal tract, with reproductive function – this is only a small part of the possible diseases that arise when the diet is not adhered to.
The good news is that in recent years, taking care of your body has begun to come into fashion: more and more calls for sports are being heard from the state, public organizations, organic and dietary products appear on store shelves, tips on how to eat right are spread in the press. …
The basics of healthy eating, or how to eat right
When compiling a healthy food menu, you should remember a few general rules: firstly, you need to eat often and in small portions. Your best bet is to have a small plate that can hold a handful of portions. No need to be afraid of hunger! A healthy diet involves 5-6 meals a day. It is also good to train yourself to eat at the same time – this will stabilize the stomach and will contribute to weight loss.
The second important rule is to remember about calories. There is no need to scrupulously calculate them throughout your life every time after eating, it is enough to follow your diet for a week or two, and the habit of automatically “estimating” the calorie content of food will appear by itself. Everyone has their own calorie rate, you can find it out, for example, using a special calculator, which is easy to find on the Internet. For example, a woman of 30 years old, weighing 70 kg with a height of 170 cm and little physical activity per day needs about 2000 kcal. To lose weight, you need to consume 80% of the calories from the norm, that is, in our example, about 1600 kcal per day. Additionally, there is no point in cutting back on the diet – the body will simply slow down the metabolism, and the harm from such a diet is more than good.
Rule three – we observe a balance between “income” and “expenses”, that is, the energy that is spent by the body for basic metabolism, work, sports, and calorie intake. Food contains four main constituents: proteins, fats, carbohydrates and dietary fiber – all of which are needed by our body. The only question is which of them (fats and carbohydrates are different), in what quantities and proportions to use. The indicative recommended values are 60 g of fat, 75 g of protein, 250 g of carbohydrates and 30 g of fiber. The fourth rule is to drink water. Often we do not want to eat, our body simply takes the lack of fluid for hunger and forces us to eat what is actually not needed. One and a half liters or more of clean drinking water will help get rid of pseudo-hunger, make the skin more elastic, improve the general condition of the body,
And the fifth rule is to choose your products wisely. Read labels, composition and calorie content of products, exclude fast food, mayonnaise sauces, products with chemical additives, preservatives, dyes from the diet. You must know what you eat, and then the path to beauty and health will be quick and pleasant.
Healthy food
We will try to answer the age-old question “what to eat to lose weight?” The main thing in compiling a menu for a healthy diet is maintaining a balance between expenses and consumed products.
So, be sure to include in the diet of a healthy diet for every day:
cereals, in the form of cereals and muesli, rich in slow carbohydrates, which will provide our body with energy;
fresh vegetables (cabbage, carrots) provide the body with dietary fiber – fiber;
legumes are a rich source of vegetable protein, especially necessary for those who rarely or do not consume meat at all;
nuts, especially walnuts and almonds, have a beneficial effect on the entire body and are a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids omega-6 and omega-3, trace elements;
fermented milk products: natural yoghurts (without added sugar), kefir, low-fat cottage cheese provide calcium and improve the digestive tract;
sea fish contains protein and essential omega-3 fatty acids;
fruits and berries – a storehouse of vitamins, heal the skin and protect the body from diseases;
lean meat – chicken breast, rabbit meat, beef – a source of protein.
From drinks it is recommended to use mineral water, chicory, smoothies, green tea and natural freshly squeezed juices, preferably vegetable ones.
Healthy products should not contain preservatives, artificial colors, palm oil. It is better to limit pickles – you can pamper yourself with them from time to time, but you should not get carried away.
If you have a problem of excess weight, then sugar should be abandoned altogether, even if you have a sweet tooth and cannot live without a cup of sweet coffee in the morning – sweeteners will solve this problem. Do not be afraid of them, quality substitutes on a natural basis are harmless, practically do not contain calories and taste good.
Under a strict ban!
We have decided on healthy foods, let’s take a look at the list of foods that are incompatible with a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition:
Sweet carbonated drinks. They do not quench thirst, irritate the stomach lining, as a rule, they contain a monstrous amount of sugar – about 20 g in each glass, artificial colors and flavors, preservatives.
Deep-fried food. French fries, chips, croutons and anything fried in a lot of oil should be eliminated from the diet. Carcinogens, lack of nutrients and fat are not what a healthy body needs.
Burgers, hot dogs. All such dishes contain a mixture of white bread, fatty sauces, meat of unknown origin, appetizing spices and a lot of salt. What do we get as a result? A real high-calorie “bomb” that instantly turns into folds on the body and does not carry any nutritional value.
Mayonnaise and similar sauces. Firstly, they completely hide the natural taste of food under spices and additives, forcing to eat more, and secondly, almost all mayonnaise sauces from the store are almost pure fat, generously seasoned with preservatives, flavors, stabilizers and other harmful substances.
Sausages, hot dogs and semi-finished meat products. This point hardly needs any clarification – just read the product label. And this is just the official data! Remember that under the items “pork, beef” in the composition, most often hide, cartilage, fat, which you would hardly eat if they were not so skillfully processed and beautifully packaged.Energy drinks. They contain a loading dose of caffeine combined with sugar and acidity, plus preservatives, dyes, and many other ingredients that should be avoided.
Fast food lunches. Noodles, mashed potatoes and similar mixtures, which are enough to pour boiling water, instead of nutrients, contain a large amount of carbohydrates, salt, spices, flavor enhancers and other chemical additives.
Flour and sweet. Yes, our favorite sweets are one of the most dangerous foods. The problem is not only in high calorie content: the combination of flour, sweet and fatty multiplies the harm several times and instantly affects the figure.
Packaged juices. Vitamins and other useful substances almost completely disappear during processing. What is the use of a concentrate diluted with water and flavored with a fair amount of sugar?
Alcohol. Enough has already been said about its harm to the body, we will just note once again that alcohol contains calories, increases appetite, interferes with the absorption of nutrients, and if the minimum doses are not observed, it slowly destroys the body, because ethanol is a cellular poison.
Nutrition Tips
The transition to a balanced, healthy diet will not be a burden if you follow simple guidelines.
First, do not starve yourself. If you feel uncomfortable, eat an apple, some nuts, dried fruit, or muesli.
Second, drink a lot and choose healthy drinks. Chicory promotes weight loss well – it suppresses hunger due to the large number of fibers in the composition, has a beneficial effect on the body. Green tea is also helpful, especially with ginger.
The Famous singer says food journaling is one way she maintains a super fit physique.
Diversify your diet! The more different healthy foods you consume, the more the body receives various microelements, vitamins, amino acids.
If you really want something forbidden, eat it for breakfast. Of course, it is better to give up harmful products altogether, but at first the thought that sometimes you can still pamper yourself helps.
The less unnatural ingredients in food, the better. If you want to eat healthy foods, it is better to choose a piece of meat instead of sausage, fresh vegetables instead of canned, muesli instead of buns.
We compose the menu “Healthy food”
How do you start eating right? First of all, you need to find out how many calories your body needs. Let’s say this is 2000 kcal daily. In order to lose weight, you need to consume 1600 kcal per day, distributing them over 5-6 meals.
So, let’s put together a healthy food menu for every day:
