How to Have a Good Diet and Nutrients in Healthy Lifestyle

Diet and nutrients are both components which help in our healthy lifestyle. Having a healthy diet and good nutrients is one of the key you can do to help your overall health. These components help us in various ways but do you realize that “how to have a good diet and nutrients in healthy lifestyle?”

Healthy eating habits are the foundation of good health and a healthy weight. However, there is no accepted definition of what a healthy diet is, or what proportion of foods it should contain. The first thing we should do is to eat a variety of nutritious foods from all the food groups. We may be eating plenty of food, but our body may not be getting the nutrients it needs to be healthy. Nutrient-rich foods have vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients but are lower in calories. To get the nutrients we need, choose foods like fruits, vegetables, whole-grain products and fat-free or low-fat dairy products most often. Eat a variety of fruits whether fresh, frozen, canned or dried rather than fruit juice for most of our fruit choices. For a 2,000 calorie diet, we will need 2 cups of fruit each day for example, 1 small banana, 1 large orange, and 1/4 cup of dried apricots or peaches. Furthermore, we also should vary our veggies. Eat more dark green veggies, such as broccoli, kale, and other dark leafy greens; orange veggies, such as carrots, potatoes, pumpkin, and winter squash.

We also should get the calcium-rich foods. Besides that, we also can control the amount of fat by choosing fat-free, 1 percent fat, and low-fat dairy products. We also can minimize the intake of whole-fat dairy products such as butter and whole milk or full-fat dairy products such as yogurt and cheeses. If we drink whole or 2 percent milk, or use full-fat dairy products, gradually switch to fat-free, low-fat or reduced-fat dairy products to reduce the percentage of fat in our body. Get 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free milk or an equivalent amount of low-fat yogurt or low-fat cheese
(1 1/2 ounces of cheese equals one cup of milk) every day.

For kids aged 2 to 8, it is 2 cups of milk. If we don’t or can’t drink milk, choose lactose-free milk products or calcium-fortified foods and beverages. In addition whole-grain also is good. Eat at least 3 ounces of whole-grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice, or pasta every day. One ounce is about 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of breakfast cereal, or 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta. We should limit how much saturated fat, trans-fat and cholesterol we eat. These fats are usually found in meat and dairy foods and products that are commercially baked and fried. By cutting back on these foods, it can reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease by lowering “bad” cholesterol in our blood.

Secondly, we should cut back on beverages and foods with added sugars. Many snack foods and beverages have added sugar. Cut back on added sugars to lower your total calorie intake. These foods tend to be low in vitamins and minerals and the calories add up quickly. Also, drinking calorie containing beverages may not make you feel full. This could persuade you to eat and drink more than you need and gain weight. Examples of added sugars are sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, dextrose, corn syrups, high-fructose corn syrup, concentrated fruit juice and honey. Before we buy anything, read the ingredient list. Choose items that don’t have added sugars in their first four listed ingredients.

Next, choose and prepare foods with little or no salt. Foods low in salt lower the risk for high blood pressure and may help us control it. Compare the sodium content of similar products (for example, different brands of tomato sauce) and choose the products with less sodium. It is better to choose frozen foods, soups, cereals, baked goods and other processed foods that are labeled “reduced-sodium”. Besides that, try to limit high-sodium condiments and foods such as soy sauce, steak sauce, Worcestershire sauce, flavored seasoning salts, pickles and olives. We can replace salt with herbs and spices or some of the salt-free seasoning mixes. We also can use lemon juice, citrus zest or hot chillies to add flavor. Try to rinsing certain foods, such as canned tuna and salmon, feta cheese and capers, to remove some of the sodium. Lastly, aim to eat less than 2,300 mg of salt per day. This is the best ways to prevent from the blood pressure.

Last but no least, we should eat less of the nutrient-poor foods. There are a right number of calories to eat each day based on our age and physical activity level and whether we are trying to gain, lose or maintain our weight. We could use our daily part of calories on a few high-calorie foods and beverages, but we probably wouldn’t get the nutrients our body needs to be healthy. We should limit the foods and beverages that are high in calories but low in nutrients, for example junk food. This is the most favorite foods among children. Therefore, as an adult we should control and limit how much they take this food to ensure their healthy lifestyle.

As a conclusion, there are a lot of things to do to be in a healthy lifestyle but in short if there is a will, there will a way. So, as an educator, to help our pupils to be in a healthy lifestyle, we can give them some tips or advice for them to follow. It is because we are as a role model, we should play our role to make sure we will have a good generation in the future. It is better late than never.