Healthy Eating Habits

Guidelines about healthy eating routine

 How to develop healthy eating habits?

 The food that you eat in your daily life can affect your health and your risk for various diseases. To eat healthy food, you may need to change some of your daily eating habits. You also may need to do changes in your environment. Your environment includes everything around you, such as your home or the place you work.

 To improve your eating habits, it's best to make small lifestyle changes that you can keep doing over time. You don't need to change all your habits at the same time. It's better to set small goals and change your habits a little bit at a time. Within the time, small changes can make a big difference in your health and habits.

Tips to develop healthy routine :

Here are some ways to make good changes in your eating habits:

• Try to set your sleep-wake cycle or schedule . Sleep at least 7 to 9 hours per night and it is the  ideal amount to stay healthy and active all the day.
• Keep your body hydrated by drinking water (at least 8 glasses) daily. Avoid to drink cold drinks, other sugar-added drinks (that are high in calories) or alcoholic beverages.
• Eat whole-grain, high-fiber breads cereals (3-6 servings per day). Reduce or remove refined or processed carbohydrates; most of the grains in your diet should be whole grain.
• Eat all the seasonal vegetables , especially add dark green or leafy vegetables to your daily diet (3 or more servings per day).
• Eat all the seasonal fruits (2 servings per day), take fresh fruit juices (1-2 cups).
• Don't skip or delay meals, eat your meal on a specific time. If you ignore your feelings of hunger, you may end up eating too much or choosing an unhealthy snack and your eating schedule will proceed in a irregular manner.
• Avoid or restrict junk food; foods that contain solid fats or trans fats, refined white flour, large amount of spices, added sugars, and are high in sodium.
• Reduce the daily intake of salt or sodium in foods. (Reduce to less than 1,500 mg. per day). If you are older than 50, or have hypertension, diabetes or chronic kidney diseases. 
• Reduce intake of trans-fats and saturated fats (like partially hydrogenated oil) as much as possible.
• Prefer use of vegetable oils (such as olive or canola oil) instead of solid fats.
• Drink fat-free or low-fat milk and intake of low-fat dairy products.
• Add a variety of low-fat sources of protein to your daily routine ( including eggs, beans, lentils, poultry, seafood, lean meats, red meat, unsalted nuts, dry fruits, seeds, and soy products etc). If you eat meat, try to eat white meat at least four times more often than red meat.

For Body Fitness :

• Maintain or work toward a healthy weight.
• Walking for 30 minutes a day or more times in a week is a best way to improve or maintain your overall healthy routine (especially walk after taking a meal). 
• Do exercise daily for keeping the body fit and active.
• If you want to lose weight, maintain weight loss or do specific fitness goals, and also you may  need to exercise more.
• Do physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day or 5 days a week .
• Healthy eating provides the sustained energy you need to be physically active.
• Learn to manage your stress with healthy eating habits , relaxation, and good coping skills.