A healthy and balanced diet comprises all the essential nutrients, such as proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, fats, minerals, and water, that are available in the proper quantity. A balanced diet should contain 60–70% of total calories from carbohydrates, 10% from protein, and 20% of total calories from fat. However, it depends on age, genetic makeup, and one’s personal body needs, so what I eat to stay fit and healthy may not apply to everyone.
But we should know that diet is one of the major determinants of good health, so it is impossible to stay healthy without a rational food plan. In fact, a proper diet is no less than medicine that saves you from various diseases. A diet has its effects on our bodies and its influence on our minds equally.
Healthy eating increases energy, improves the way our body functions, strengthens the immune system and prevents weight imbalance. Other benefits of healthy food include our nutritional requirements.
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Bread, Indian style
A common misconception about food is that skipping food keeps you healthy, but the most important rule of healthy eating is not to skip any meals. Sometimes, skipping meals lowers your metabolism. I eat breakfast, two main meals, and snacks as needed, but my snacks are mostly fruits and vegetables. But Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I always make sure I eat it. I eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible and consume vegetable juices every day. Sometimes, I skip my lunch for fruits and salads.
Choosing healthy foods doesn’t mean one has to give up their favorite foods. I am a fitness freak, so I try my best to turn my favorite foods into healthier options. For example, I use multigrain flour instead of simple wheat or refined flour. Also, I use home-made curd instead of flavored yogurt from the market. I add chopped fruits without adding sugar to home-made curd or vegetables with a small quantity of salt.
I mostly rub the vegetables instead of peeling them because the peel contains many nutrients. I use low-salt whole foods or whole grains, reduced-fat cheese spread, low-fat cottage cheese, and lots of vegetables to make my sandwiches. Lentils are also part of my diet at least five times a week.
Sprouts and lentils are healthy and rich sources of protein, and I add them to salads, which go well with vegetables. I use olive, sunflower, and mustard oils, and stay away from hydrogenated oils, as they contain unhealthy trans fats. Let me add here that simply having low or zero fat doesn’t make food any healthier, but can prove harmful.
I consume enough water besides tea and coffee to keep myself hydrated. I am not a big fan of sweets, so I avoid them or limit myself to one or two servings per week. I am fond of milk and other milk products like buttermilk, in addition to at least one glass of fruit juice every day.
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Juice
Eating healthy is a way to keep your weight in balance. The main purpose of eating is to achieve "dietary quality," or the quality of the food. As they say, we eat to live or live to eat. I am of the first type, which means I eat to live and not to satisfy my taste buds.
It is more important to consider the carbohydrates we consume in our diet than the amount of carbohydrates we consume because some carbohydrates, such as vegetables (other than potatoes), fruits, whole grains, and lentils, are beneficial.
I love eating beans, which are rich in soluble fiber and perfect antioxidants. Apart from this, the amount of protein in them is more than any other leafy food, but the protein content in beans is not enough, so I eat them with rice or roti (Indian bread). By eating kidney beans, cowpeas, etc. with rice and roti (Indian bread), I get the nutrition for my body.
I am a vegetarian, so beans are a substantial source of protein for me. Sometimes I mix beans in my salads. A quarter cup of beans has the same amount of nutrition as a full serving of meat.
How to make curd at home
Yogurt is another favorite healthy food of mine. The calcium in curd is very beneficial for bones. The probiotics present in curd play an important role in providing nutrition to the body and fighting diseases. So I use curd regularly in my diet. If I'm having stuffed parathas for breakfast, I have to have some homemade curd on the side.
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Curd
I am a great fan of fruits, so by adding apples, nuts, or strawberries to a bowl of curd, its nutritional value and benefits increase manifold. Consumption of curd is helpful in relieving urinary tract infections. It adds nutrition value to your food by adding it to salads or mixing it with fruits and vegetables, for example. By the way, I am a great fan of Lassi, the curd shake with lots of ice during the summer.
All fruits and vegetables are beneficial, but green and leafy vegetables help decrease the risk of disease. I don’t much like the taste of certain vegetables, such as spinach and cabbage, but I eat them. I don’t much like eating citrus fruits, such as oranges, but I drink orange juice for its nutrient values. Mangoes, watermelon, bananas and lichis are my favorite fruits. I eat sweet limes in small quantity for its health benefit, even though it's not my favorite fruit.
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Fruits
I eat from a long list of my favorite healthy fruits and vegetables, which are part of my regular diet. They say apples are one of the best fruits for keeping doctors away, but I prefer pears and guavas, which are tastier and less expensive. I prefer all the berries available in India, but our berries differ from the popular berries available in Europe and other western countries.
Video from YouTube and header image made using all the images on this page from pixabay.
