Saturday, July 12, 2008
Eating smart: The first step towards healthy eating
Healthy eating begins with learning how to “eat smart”. It's not just what you eat, but how you eat. Paying attention to what you eat and choosing foods that are both nourishing and enjoyable helps support an overall healthy diet.
- Take time to chew your food: Chew your food slowly, savoring every bite. We tend to rush though our meals, forgetting to actually taste the flavors and feel the textures of what is in our mouths. Reconnect with the joy of eating.
- Avoid stress while eating: When we are stressed, our digestion can be compromised, causing problems like colitis and heartburn. Avoid eating while working, driving, arguing, or watching TV (especially disturbing programs or the news). Try taking some deep breaths prior to beginning your meal, or light candles and play soothing music to create a relaxing atmosphere.
- Listen to your body: Ask yourself if you are really hungry, and stop eating when you feel full. It actually takes a few minutes for your brain to tell your body that it has had enough food, so eat slowly. Eating just enough to satisfy your hunger will help you remain alert, relaxed and feeling your best, rather than stuffing yourself into a “food coma”!
- Eat early, eat often: Starting your day with a healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, and eating the majority of your daily caloric allotment early in the day gives your body time to work those calories off. Also, eating small, healthy meals throughout the day, rather than the standard three large meals, can help keep your metabolism going and ward off snack attacks.
Health and Fitness - Diet
More than any other time in history, today’s folks are striving for health fitness. As a result, the health and fitness industries are raking in billions of dollars a year on herbal supplements, fitness equipment, gyms, and special diets. Watch TV, read newspapers and magazines, or surf the net and you will always some absorbing commercial promising to get you get into shape. However, one of the best ways to stay fit is to concentrate on limiting or emphasizing a specific food group. If approached sensibly, diets based on food groups will help enhance and improve your health.
A High Fiber Diet, for instance, balances out the digestive system and improves overall health. It lays stress on a balanced approach to all food groups and an hike in fiber content through natural sources, such as fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrates. A Protein Diet focuses on limiting sugar and starchy foods to accelerate weight loss. Laying emphasis on a protein diet can stabilize your blood sugar as well; that, in turn, that will help prevent mood swings.
A Vegetarian Diet is normally more of a lifestyle choice. This diet normally comprises plant-based foods, even though some vegetarians include dairy products and eggs in their diet. Contrary to popular belief, there are plenty of plant-based sources of protein that make the vegetarian diet healthy and balanced.
Since you are committed to taking good care of your body, both internally as well as externally, it is imperative to do it the right way. In this site you will find valuable tips for diet, health, and fitness that will help you lose weight, maintain a better healthy lifestyle, and remain in the best shape for the rest of your life.