Ultimate Nutrition Tips You Must Know
Staying fit and healthy is really a no brainer when you think about it. There are really only two things our bodies need to stay fit: regular exercise and proper nutrition. No matter what fad diet or exercise comes along each year, maintaining a healthy diet and getting regular exercise are the two things that everyone needs to know to stay healthy. If you want to stay fit, but don’t know what to do exactly, check out these nutrition tips:
Eat at least three meals a day
Skipping meals may seem like you’re saving a lot of calories, but it’s actually counter intuitive if you want to lose weight or maintain your weight. When you skip meals, your body will feel hungry, which signals your brain to eat to make up for it. Now, what happens is, once you do sit down to a meal, you may over eat, as a way to compensate for your hunger pangs? Worse, skipping meals may signal your body to lower your metabolism and prevent you from burning off calories. So, eat at least three healthy meals a day or four to six smaller meals so your body doesn’t feel hungry.
Eat healthy meals
This is again, a no-brainer, but what does a “healthy meal” really mean? Well, your meal should consist 50% vegetables and fruit, 25% protein, and 25% grains. You should also incorporate dairy into your diet by drinking milk or eating cheese, and try to avoid fat and sugar altogether.
Don’t wait until you feel full to stop eating
Many people tend to overeat and may not know it. When you eat, it takes a while for the food to reach your stomach and tell your brain that you’re full (about 20 minutes, according to most studies). If you keep eating until you feel full, you’re actually overeating, which leads to that uncomfortably full feeling later on. So, try to eat slowly (chew your food carefully) and once you stop feeling hungry, you should stop eating and see if you start feeling full.
Prepare meals ahead of time
One reason why we eat fast food and processed meals is because of convenience. We are so busy with our lives today because of the many commitments we have – work, school, kids, extra-curricular activities – that sitting down to a home cooked meal is almost impossible. So, we end up picking up the phone for delivery or going to the drive through for a quick, cheap meal. However, if you plan ahead, buy your ingredients ahead or time and even do some prep beforehand, you can come home to a fast and healthy meal. For example, slow cookers are a good way to do this. In the morning (or the night before) cut up veggies and some meat into the pot and turn it on. When you come home, you’ll have a healthy and cheap meal waiting for you.
Take Multivitamins
Multivitamins are great ways to ensure you get the necessary nutrients you need to keep your body strong. Let’s face it: there’s really no way for you to get the exact recommended daily allowance of vitamins and minerals recommended by health professionals, unless you spend all your time planning meals and measuring out each serving of vegetable or meat you cook. That’s why multivitamins are great. While these are no substitute for a healthy diet, they can be used to supplement what you may miss on a given day. Of course, for those growing bodies, you should also get vitamins for kids, to help your children grow strong and healthy.
A good, healthy diet doesn’t need to be complicated. With some common sense and proper care, you too can ensure you get the proper nutrition you need.
