1. Eat a variety of foods
2. Base your diet on plenty of foods rich in carbohydrates
3. Replace saturated with unsaturated fat
4. Enjoy plenty of fruits and vegetables
5. Reduce salt and sugar intake
6. Eat regularly, control the portion size
7. Drink plenty of fluids
8. Maintain a healthy body weight
9. Get on the move, make it a habit!
10. Start now! And
keep changing gradually.
1. Eat a variety of foods
· A high-fat lunch could be followed by a
low-fat dinner.After a large meat portion at dinner, perhaps
fish should be the next day’s choice?
2. Base your diet on plenty of foods rich in carbohydrates
About half the calories in our diet should
come from foods rich in carbohydrates, such as cereals, rice, pasta, potatoes,
and bread. It is a good idea to include at least one of these at every meal.
Wholegrain foods, like wholegrain bread, pasta, and cereals, will increase our
fiber intake.
3. Replace saturated with unsaturated fat
These tips could help us keep the balance
right:
·
We should limit the consumption of total and
saturated fats (often coming from foods of animal origin), and completely avoid
trans fats; reading the labels helps to identify the sources.
When cooking, we should boil, steam or bake,
rather than frying, remove the fatty part of meat, use vegetable oils.
4. Enjoy plenty of fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are among the most
important foods for giving us enough vitamins, minerals and fiber. We should
try to eat at least 5 servings a day. For example, a glass of fresh fruit juice
at breakfast, perhaps an apple and a piece of watermelon as snacks, and a good
portion of different vegetables at each meal.
5. Reduce salt and sugar intake
There are different ways to reduce salt in
the diet:
·
When shopping, we could choose products with
lower sodium content.
·
When cooking, salt can be substituted with
spices, increasing the variety of flavors and tastes.
·
When eating, it helps not to have salt at the
table, or at least not to add salt before tasting.
Sugar provides sweetness and an attractive
taste, but sugary foods and drinks are rich in energy, and are best
enjoyed in moderation, as an occasional treat. We could use fruits instead;
even to sweeten our foods and drinks.
6. Eat regularly, control the portion size
·
Cooking the right amount makes it easier to
not overeat.
·
Some reasonable serving sizes are: 100 g of
meat; one medium piece of fruit; half a cup of raw pasta.
·
Using smaller plates helps with smaller
servings.
·
Packaged foods, with calorie values
on the pack, could aid portion control.
7. Drink plenty of fluids
Adults need to drink at least 1.5 liters of
fluid a day! Or more if it's very hot or they are physically active. Water is
the best source, of course, and we can use tap or mineral water,
sparkling or non-sparkling, plain or flavored. Fruit juices, tea, soft drinks,
milk and other drinks, can all be okay - from time to time.
8. Maintain a healthy body weight
The right weight for each us depends on
factors like our gender, height, age, and genes. Being affected
by obesity and overweight increases the risks of a wide range of
diseases, including diabetes, heart diseases, and cancer.
Excess body fat comes from eating more than
we need. The extra calories can come from any caloric nutrient -
protein, fat, carbohydrate, or alcohol, but fat is the most concentrated source
of energy. Physical activity helps us spend the energy, and makes us
feel good. The message is reasonably simple: if we are gaining weight, we need
to eat less and be more active!
9. Get on the move, make it a habit!
Physical activity is important for people of
all weight ranges and health conditions. It helps us burn off the extra
calories, it is good for the heart and circulatory system, it maintains or
increases our muscle mass, it helps us focus, and improves overall health
well-being. We don't have to be top athletes to get on the move! 150 minutes
per week of moderate physical activity is advised, and it can easily become
part of our daily routine.
We all could: use the stairs instead of the elevator, go for a walk during lunch breaks (and
stretch in our offices in between) make time for a family weekend activity.
10. Start now! And keep changing gradually.
·
Skipping breakfast? A small bowl of muesli, a
piece of bread or fruit, could help slowly introduce it into our routine.
·
Too few fruits and vegetables? To start with,
we can introduce one extra piece a day.
·
Favorite foods high in fat? Eliminating them
abruptly could fire back, and make us return to the old habits. We can choose
low fat options instead; eat them less frequently, and in smaller portions.
·
Too little activity? Using the stairs daily
could be a great first move.
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