8 Healthy Eating Tips
Aren't we all a bit lazy sometimes? And trying to live a perfectly healthy life can be a bit exhausting, let's face it! We've put together a few simple tips for you that will do the trick. If you only want to do little, do at least these - the effect is huge!
1 Stay hydrated
and don’t wait until you’re thirsty. Drink at least 1.5 liters of clean water plus herbal teas (green tea, camomile, nettle, fennel, mint, rooibos, ginger) if you like. Drink more on the days you work out. Make sure you don’t drink too much during meals as it can dilute your stomach acid leaving you with a reduce ability to breakdown and absorb foods.
2 Limit your intake of stimulants
such as coffee, black tea and alcohol. They can affect your nervous system and your mood as well as impair your liver detoxification capability. This can lead to accumulation of toxins in your body. A maximum of one coffee (no sugar!) per day is a healthy limit for most people.
3 Eat a rainbow
Make your plates as colourful as you possibly can. With that you will make sure to eat as many different vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals as possible to provide your body with a full spectrum of what it needs. Antioxidants help fight and eliminate free radicals coming from the environment and the body’s own metabolism.
4 Large bowl of leafy greens daily
Some of the most nutritious and healthiest foods out there. They supply your body with a large dose of calcium without being acidic like dairy products and they have many more important vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals to protect you and make you strong. They are also rich in fibre which aids digestion and can contribute to weight loss.
5 Warm lemon water upon rising
to start the day properly. It kick-starts your metabolism ready to take on the day and provides you with a constant energy release from the food you eat. It also boosts your immune system by adding an extra dose of vitamin C, it cleanses your liver and kidneys and you add to your daily water intake to stay hydrated.
6 Protein with every meal or snack
Proteins are the building blocks of your body and it is vital to ingest at least the nine essential amino acids on a regular basis as our bodies cannot make them. By having a variety of different proteins (nuts, seeds, oily fish, poultry, natural yoghurt, pulses and beans) with every meal and snack your proteins needs will be covered plus it will keep you full for longer supporting a slow and constant sugar release.
7 Make fibre part of your meal
It is incredibly important for a healthy digestive function. Make sure you have a good amount of both soluble (dried beans, oats, avocado, brussels sprouts and many other fruit and veggies) and also insoluble fibre which can be found in the skin of fruit and vegetables as well as grains. Another good reason to choose whole grains over processed white products.
8 Avoid or limit refined and processed foods
including refined sugars, flours, pasta, bread and white rice. These foods at the most just empty calories that don’t supply your body with anything nutritious. They may also be processed with chemicals and come with other unhealthy additives such as preservatives, flavourings and colourings. Make food from scratch using only whole foods and natural ingredients!
