Food affects health, well-being and mood. The basics of proper nutrition are not to deny yourself your favorite foods and suffer from hunger. Food should always bring joy.
The body reflects our eating habits, activity or lack thereof. This can be seen in the weight, condition and color of the skin, the shine and elasticity of the hair, and the strength of the nails.
Flaws in the diet lead to external negative manifestations and hidden diseases.
We understand the role of proper nutrition for a healthy lifestyle.
The basics of a healthy lifestyle and the role of rational food in it
A healthy lifestyle involves avoiding everything dangerous and harmful, physical and mental activity, positivity and harmonious relationships with others. Proper food and eating habits are important. Rational food can be considered one that covers the energy consumption of energy resources per day, but does not exceed it.
It is important to separate healthy and unhealthy foods.
Among the most useful products:
- fresh vegetables, berries and fruits, a variety of leafy greens;
- nuts and seeds;
- natural virgin vegetable oils;
- lean meat and fish (especially sea fish);
- cereals in the form of porridges and muesli;
- dairy products with normal or low fat content.
The most harmful products:
- refined oil, margarine, refined sugar;
- sausages and sausages;
- soda;
- fried with a crust in butter;
- fast food;
- energetic drinks.
Conditionally unhealthful foods include packaged juices (they contain few vitamins and a lot of sugar), baked goods and sweets (they often contain trans fats and yeast of dubious origin), alcohol (ethanol is a poison for living cells).
Important! Look carefully at food packaging. If the composition contains many inclusions that are not typical for the product, you should not take the risk. This means that a low-quality product was flavored with additives in advance so that its taste could become a little more attractive. If it contains palm oil, dyes, preservatives, or flavor enhancers, it is better not to consume it.
Be sure to look: Rules and recipes for a menu for healthy eating Rules for compiling and an approximate menu for a week as part of proper nutrition The meaning and rules for drawing up a regime for healthy eating for a healthy person We create a menu for older people correctly: we take into account the characteristics of the body at 60 and 80 years old
Proper nutrition for weight gain
Thin people often dream of gaining a little weight. This is also easy to do with the right diet. There should be no uncontrolled eating of sweets, fatty meats and buns. Such food is unhealthy and can cause severe obesity, diabetes and hypertension.
It is important to include healthy protein foods in your menu:
- chicken and quail eggs;
- brown and white rice;
- legumes;
- fish;
- lean meat steak.
Carbohydrates are also necessary, but not in the form of fried potatoes and white bread, but beets, bananas, milk, grapes, and various cereals. It is recommended to choose vegetable fats - sunflower or olive oil, which is used to season salads with vegetables.
You should not choke on large amounts of food, gorge yourself on fatty sour cream, cream, sandwiches with raw smoked sausage, cheese and butter. It will be difficult for the body to digest such heavy food, and digestive disorders will begin.
Before starting food therapy, it is worth getting tested for parasites, which may be an internal cause of unnatural thinness.
Principles of diet planning
When compiling a menu for the day, you can adhere to the scientifically established average value: protein should be 10-15%, fat – 20-30%, and carbohydrates – 40-60%. The harmony of this ratio has been proven through scientific experiments and tested by experts. Small adjustments in the proportions of these macronutrients are acceptable.
For those who want to build muscle, you need more protein; for those who want to maintain the results achieved in building your body, protein and carbohydrates should be approximately equal. Those who are losing weight can reduce the proportion of carbohydrates by adding proteins. The set of vitamins and minerals is usually approximately the same for all people.
It is important not only what to eat, but also how. Basic Rules:
- eat small portions every 2-3 hours;
- prevent hunger;
- try to eat at certain hours;
- be aware of calories, proteins, fats and carbohydrates;
- do not abuse alcohol;
- drink a glass of clean water every couple of hours;
- exclude fast food foods that are of no benefit.
Such moments as leisurely eating, the ability to enjoy food and moderation in everything are also important.
Timeliness
Metabolism and diet are closely interconnected. Dr. Sophie Warens from the United Kingdom described in detail in her writings how the timing of a meal affects the functioning of a person’s “internal” or biological clock.
Based on the experiment, it was found that a late meal affects blood sugar levels. Delaying food intake can also disrupt the biological clock, “resetting” it.
If you eat by the hour, the body will be ready to accept food, will begin to produce enzymes to break it down, and the digestion process will proceed favorably. Food will be most efficiently absorbed by the body.
Read about organizing a proper diet.
Moderation
The importance of moderation in food has been proven in practice. Dr. Herbert Shelton, using moderation and a special combination of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, proved that you can even get rid of a serious disease. And also look younger and get back active. It's better to undereat than to overeat. Moderation is a slight feeling of hunger when you get up from the table. Overeating is harmful. External signs are:
- constipation;
- bloating;
- heaviness in the stomach and abdomen.
Moderation in food will allow you to:
- cleanse the body of toxins;
- improve well-being;
- normalize weight;
- maintain longevity;
- improve the condition of the skin, hair and complexion.
And the food is fully digested, the body cells receive vitamins, minerals, and macroelements in full. This is where the healing mechanism starts.
Slowness
Doctor Andrei Beloveshkin experienced the effect of eating slowly. American scientists also conducted a number of experiments. A logical fact was established: those who eat slowly look fit and athletic. And all fat people eat hastily. And the more weight, the faster the food disappears on the plate.
Leisurely eating leads to normal weight and overall improvement of digestion. A person feels full even with a small amount of food, which means he consumes fewer calories. Thorough chewing protects the walls of the stomach from rough food and promotes rapid digestion.
The average time for eating, according to doctor Andrei Beloveshkin , is 20 minutes. During the meal, you need to feel the pleasure of food, and not just think about its benefits.
Compatibility
Many products don't like being next to each other. It has been proven that the simpler the combination of products, the healthier the food. Dr. Herbert Shelton generally came up with his own theory, which has become widespread - separate nutrition. The doctor bases his ideas on the facts that when digesting different types of macroelements, the stomach produces different enzymes. Some of them have the opposite effect (acid-alkali), so they neutralize each other. Digestion is disrupted.
According to supporters of separate nutrition, you cannot eat carbohydrate and protein foods at the same time. And fresh greens and fruits can be combined with proteins and carbohydrates.
Neighbors especially dislike products such as:
- watermelon:
- melon;
- strawberry;
- milk.
These products should be eaten as a separate dish, then there will be more benefits from them.
Diversity
Diversity in food allows you to simultaneously get three positive aspects:
- provide the body with the necessary nutrients;
- promote the production of serotonin – the hormone of “happiness”;
- satisfy taste needs.
Variety means healthy foods, dishes based on them, which are not repeated throughout the day or even the week.
Individuality
There is a saying: what goes into your mouth is useful. Our body tells us what exactly it needs at the moment. This is reflected in our desire to eat something.
If you don’t want to eat buckwheat, even the most beneficial properties of this porridge will not bring the desired result. If you have a desire to eat chocolate, no strict diet should prevent you from eating a small piece.
But there is one rule that applies to everyone. For those who want to lose extra pounds, they should try to consume forbidden foods in the first half of the day. During this period, metabolism is accelerated. By the way, the nutritional method of Ekaterina Mirimanova, the author of a popular method and book called “Minus 60,” is based on biorhythm. According to her recommendations for healthy eating and losing extra pounds, you need to eat everything, but at certain hours, taking into account the natural metabolic processes in the body.
Individuality also implies an emphasis on certain types of products. Food can even be medicine. Therefore, nutritionists prescribe a special diet for sick people.
Activity
Even the healthiest food will not do any good if a person is inactive. Movement, walks, and simple exercises accelerate metabolism, improve intestinal motility, and awaken a healthy appetite.
It is only important not to perform active actions before the meal and immediately after it. On average, you need to delay the start of active activities from an hour to 3 hours after eating. But if we are just talking about a walk, there are no prohibitions here.
Main conclusions
- Proper and rational nutrition is a source of health, good physical shape and beauty.
- To eat well, you need to follow a diet, count calories and monitor the ratio of BZHU.
- The main part of the food should consist of simple dishes.
- Losing weight depends on nutrition: you need to eat moderately and properly. To lose weight, you need to increase your protein intake.
- The daily diet is prepared individually for each person. Even if a family eats the same meals, portions and snacks need to be adjusted to balance nutrition and calorie expenditure.
Proper nutrition is simple and tasty!
Product selection
When choosing products, you should be guided by the following advice from nutritionists:
- look at the expiration date;
- study the composition (GMOs, dyes, enhancers, flavorings are not suitable for a healthy diet);
- try not to buy products with a long shelf life.
You should also not get carried away with highly processed products. They are no longer of much use.
You may also be interested in: Healthy Food Pyramid
Recommendations from professionals on menu planning and diets as elements of a healthy lifestyle
Food can both harm and strengthen the body. Menu creation professionals always take into account the individual characteristics of a person. But there are general recommendations.
Family doctor, nutritionist, nutrition specialist Anna Antonova
This specialist believes that you should never skip breakfast. The lack of morning appetite indicates that not everything is in order with the metabolic process in the body. To “start”, she recommends drinking a glass of water with a spoonful of honey or 1 tsp in the morning on an empty stomach. linseed oil. And also do 5-6 exercises. And then start eating.
Doctor Ksenia Selezneva
Does not recommend following diets that exclude one of the three “golden components” of a healthy diet - proteins, fats, carbohydrates. Nutrition, even for weight loss, should be varied and nutritious. And you can achieve the weight loss effect by reducing the calorie content of regular food by 10-15% and increasing activity. Ksenia Selezneva, Candidate of Medical Sciences, worked for several years as a nutritionist-gastroenterologist at a Moscow medical clinic, and is now a leading nutritionist at the capital’s medical clinic.
Artyom Tkachev, healthy food specialist
The holder of a diploma from the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness, a popularizer of physical education and a healthy lifestyle, claims that you need to eat everything except fast food, chips and soda. Everything is beneficial in moderation. And the best breakfast is porridge, any kind.
Twenty to thirty years
You are young, healthy, metabolic processes are intense. There are no problems with excess weight. These are positive points. Negative ones include: unhealthy diet, nightlife, alcohol and smoking. All this negatively affects the body, and it begins to hurt.
The question of how to eat properly to be healthy at this age can be answered like this:
- No long-term diets, especially low protein ones. They lead to a decrease in muscle mass. Calories begin to be stored in fat.
- The diet should contain seventy percent animal protein and thirty percent plant protein. The healthiest protein is found in dairy products, meat, fish, and eggs. It is advisable that at least something from this set be included in your daily menu. Remember: the meat must be lean, any fish will do.
- Pay special attention to carbohydrates. Thanks to them we are energetic and strong. Complex carbohydrates are beneficial. These include: cereals, whole grain bread. Simple but very tasty carbohydrates - sugar, cookies, candies and others - should account for only ten percent of the required amount of organic compound. The norm is sixty percent of the energy value of the diet.
