5 Tips for Healthy Eating

Your diet has a big impact on your quality of life and health. Eating healthy can significantly reduce the risk of developing cancer and heart disease, as well as help your dental health. Combining this with good healthy habits, like brushing your teeth and flossing, and Dr Alex Silman (or any other dentist) should be more than happy with you. There’s other benefits too, however. A good diet can also improve your physical performance, and if you pair it with exercise, there is no doubt that you will be healthier. So here are five tips on how you can start eating healthy.

1. Eat more fruits and vegetables

Consume at least five portions of different fruits and vegetables daily. They can be frozen, fresh, juiced, canned, or dried. A glass of smoothie, fruit juice, or vegetable juice (150 milliliters) is already one portion. You can also replace your mid-morning snack with fresh fruits. One portion of frozen, canned, or fresh fruits and vegetables is 80 grams.

2. Reduce your salt intake

Consuming too much salt can increase your blood pressure and risk of stroke and heart disease. About 3/4 of the salt that you consume is already in the food you buy from supermarkets, such as bread, breakfast cereals, sauces, and soups. That is why you should read the food labels before buying anything. Avoid foods that contain more than 1.5 grams of salt per 100 grams. Both children and adults should consume no more than 6 grams of salt a day.

3. Include more fish in your diet

Fish is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals, so you should eat at least two portions of fish every week. Include at least one portion of oily fish in your diet. Oily fish is rich in omega-3 fats, which are essential fats that may help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease. Omega-3 fats may also help reduce triglycerides and the risk of abnormal heart rhythm. Oily fish include pilchards, salmon, mackerel, herring, trout, and sardines. Non-oily fish include cod, hake, haddock, coley, plaice, tuna, and skate.

4. Eat higher fiber starchy carbs

Starchy carbs such as rice, cereals, bread, potatoes, and pasta should only take up 1/3 of the food you eat. Include more wholegrain or higher fiber varieties in your diet, such as brown rice and wholewheat pasta. Since these varieties have more fiber than refined starchy carbs, they can help you feel fuller for longer. So, include at least one starchy food in each main meal.

5. Reduce sugar and saturated fat

There are two kinds of fat – unsaturated and saturated. Women should consume no more than 20 grams of saturated fat daily, while men should eat no more than 30 grams of saturated fat daily. A lot of foods contain saturated fat. Some of these foods include sausages, cream, butter, biscuits, hard cheese, pies, cakes, and lard. Try to reduce your intake of saturated fat and pick foods that are rich in unsaturated fats instead, like oily fish, avocados, spreads, and vegetable oils. When cooking, you can replace butter with a reduced fat spread to make your food healthier. When you are having meat, pick lean cuts and remove any visible fat. Additionally, try to keep your sugar intake down as well. It can be difficult, but not only will it help you be healthier overall, but your dentist will thank you for it as well.

Takeaway

Aside from following a healthy diet, you should also exercise regularly. Being obese or overweight increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. Being underweight is bad for your health as well. If you are trying to lose weight, you need to be more active and eat fewer calories. And do not skip breakfast. Skipping breakfast will not help you lose weight.

A healthy breakfast that is low in sugar, salt, and salt and high in fiber can help you get the nutrients that your body needs. You can prepare a bowl of wholegrain lower sugar cereals with fruit slices and semi-skimmed milk for a delicious and healthy breakfast. If you do not have any idea where to start, you can ask your dietician or GP for advice on how to maintain a healthy weight.

You should also drink a lot of fluids to avoid getting dehydrated. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water every day. Water and lower sugar, and lower fat drinks like tea are healthier choices. Fizzy and sugar drinks are high in calories, so avoid them. They can damage your teeth as well.  If you prefer smoothies or fruit and vegetable juices, just make sure that you do not drink more than 150 milliliters a day.