How to Eat Healthy

Today, there are many diets talking about weight loss and many super foods claiming multiple health benefits. However, following any of these diets means overloading your body with certain types of foods which only burns calories and doesn't provide a balanced nutrition.

Also, the effect of such diets tend to wear off after some time. If you wish to remain healthy then to prevent any deficiencies and manage your weight, follow a healthy diet.

Before you start following a healthy diet, it is important that you understand what are the nutrients which form a balanced diet. Given below are the important components that should be present in your diet.

• Fat which can be found in animal and dairy products, nuts, and oils
•  Protein, which we can get from fish, meat, beans, nuts, eggs, pulses, soy, and dairy products
• Carbohydrates, that one can get from vegetables, whole grains, rice, beans, legumes, and sweets

• Vitamins (like A, B, C, D, and K) which one can find in fruits and vegetables
• Minerals (like potassium, iron, and zinc) which can be obtained from fruits, vegetables, and grains 

And lastly 'water'

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it is important that you have a healthy and big breakfast. Did you know that people who tend to skip breakfast are heavier than people who regularly have it? This is because not having breakfast slows down your metabolism and you will binge on other meals if you skip your breakfast.

So, if you wish to lose weight, then always have a good breakfast. Have cereal, fruit, milk, and eggs in your breakfast. This will provide you with important nutrients and energy for the day.

Try to have medium-sized lunch and light dinners. If you have a heavy breakfast, then automatically you won't have a large lunch. Having light dinners is important, as having a heavy dinner will only overload your digestive system and your body will store these calories. As there are mostly no activities performed after having a dinner. So, try to stick to this meal planning.

Instead of having any junk like fries or soda for snacks, carry healthy snacks like a small packet of dry fruits and nuts. Or if you have time then make a mixed fruit bowl in the morning and then eat it in the evening when you feel hungry. You can enjoy this snack with a cup of green tea.

Everything in excess is not good, hence having too much of cholesterol-containing fats is not good for your health. It is also important that you distinguish between good fats and bad fats. The bad fats are saturated, cholesterol, and trans fat. The good fats are the monosaturated fats which you can find in fish oil, olive oil, nuts, and seeds oils.

Always have a colorful meal - proteins and carbs will add 2 - 3 colors to your meal, so always try to add various colored fruits and salads to your meal too. This will not just make the meal look appetizing, but will also add more nutrients to your meal. Colorful meals are also more appealing to children.

Many fruits like apples, guava, and strawberries are considered to be the healthiest fruits. Try to find food products which are cheap and loaded with nutrients, for example green tea is inexpensive and a teaspoon of tea is required to make a cup of green tea. So, have 2 - 3 glasses of green tea in a day.

If you are a college student, then healthy eating will be a challenging task. However, there are many ways of eating healthy when in college. Milk and eggs are loaded with nutrients, easily available, and cheap.

You can also store milk cartons and eat boiled eggs while staying away from home. Eating these two food items will provide you with nutrients and immunity. You can also have green tea and inexpensive fruits like bananas.

The above information will help you to eat healthy, but one needs to understand if one is balancing the body daily calorific intake. On an average the daily calorie intake for men is 2000 calories and women is 1500 calories.

This will take some time getting used to, so maintain a dairy of daily calorie intake. Then find out the average calories you are consuming and add/reduce the amount of calories you are eating.

Lastly, avoid junk, alcohol, coffee, sugary sodas, and too many sweets. Fast food is harmful to health. But, you can have alcohol and desserts in moderation. In the beginning keep a transition period of few months, so that you still indulge in these things once a while. Once you pass the transition period avoid these food products. With time you will be able to change these unhealthy habits.

So, plan a weekly menu and fill it with as much variety of healthy foodstuffs as possible. Stick to healthier habits. Soon, you will see a noticeable difference in your health by following a healthy and nutritious diet.