A diet can feel restrictive or even be one. Making smart food choices is the key to a healthy diet.
Healthy eating can reduce your risk for heart disease, stroke, and other illnesses and conditions. Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorite foods or be forced to eat less. It can also be delicious, easy and affordable.
Here Are A Few Tips To Help You Adopt A Healthier Diet With Your Family:
Include
- Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals. Fill half of your plate with fruit and vegetables. You can add them to many dishes as a healthy alternative to chips and fries.
- Whole grains contain a high amount of dietary fiber, and they provide nutrients to support the body’s functions such as carrying oxygen in blood and regulating thyroid. Also, they can lower cholesterol and improve your heart health. Whole grain pasta and breads, sorghum and oats are some examples.
- Legumes and beans contain a lot of minerals and fibers. Add beans such as pinto, black, or kidney to your meals to boost their nutritional value. To remove excess sodium, rinse and drain canned beans.
- Nuts, seeds and other nuts provide protein and healthy fats. They also contain fiber. Almonds, hazelnuts peanuts pecans pistachios walnuts and hazelnuts are all healthy choices.
- Fish (preferably oily fish containing omega-3 fatty acid) can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. Anchovies are a good choice of fatty fish. They can also be found in mackerel and salmon. The AHA suggests eating fish twice a week.
- Lean poultry and animal proteins have lower saturated fats than meats. Replace red meats such as beef, lamb, and pork with beans, chicken, or turkey.
- Plant based proteins may help reduce your risk of obesity and heart disease. Plant-based protein sources include lentils, nuts, seeds, quinoa and sorghum. They also include beans, peas and soy milk.
Limitations
- Sweetened beverages
- Salty and saline foods
- Saturated Fats
- Red meats that are fatty or processed (if you decide to eat meats, choose leaner cuts).
- Refined carbohydrates, including processed grains and added sugars
- Full-fat dairy products
- Coconut oil and palm oils are tropical oils
Avoid
- Trans fat, and partially hydrogenated oil are present in commercially prepared baked and fried food.
You can also check out our tips
- Be mindful when choosing even for healthier foods. The nutrient and ingredient content of processed foods can be very different.
- Read the labels. Compare Nutrition Facts labels and choose products that have the least amount of sodium, sugars added, saturated fats and trans fats and do not contain partially hydrogenated oil.
- Be careful with your calories. You can maintain a healthy body weight by eating only the calories you burn through exercise. You can lose weight by either eating less or burning more calories.
- Take reasonable portions. This is often less than what you are given, especially at restaurants.
- Cook and eat at your home. You will have greater control over the ingredients and methods of preparation.
- You can easily identify healthy foods by looking for the heart-check mark.
