Eating habits: What can be done to have a healthier diet?

Make sure you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables

In order to have a healthy, balanced diet, we must make sure we eat enough vegetables and fruits throughout the day. According to the Heart Foundation, we should be consuming at least five servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit every day.

These foods are very important because they are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants that are essential for the human body to function at its best. Some are even recommended as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant foods, as their nutrients and bioactive compounds can help reduce inflammation in the body and protect against oxidative stress.

An effective strategy for increasing our intake of fruits and vegetables is to incorporate them into all meals and snacks throughout the day. Fruits, for example, can double as a healthy dessert or as part of a nutritious between-meal snack. 

Choose whole foods

Eating whole foods is another great way of improving your dietary habits and working towards a healthier lifestyle. The Mayo Clinic points out that these foods are an excellent source of fiber, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that are essential for the body to function properly.

Whole foods can also be very helpful in controlling cholesterol levels, weight and blood pressure. In some cases, they are even recommended as part of a diet to reduce the risk of diseases such as type 1 diabetes and heart disease.

In this food group, we can find whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds. What's more, oats, brown rice, quinoa and barley, for example, are excellent sources of complex carbohydrates that nourish the body and help maintain blood sugar levels. 

Control your portion sizes

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases also talks about healthy eating habits, and states that the size of our meals is just as important as what goes into them. In other words, not only should we be looking to incorporate healthy foods into our meals, but we should also be mindful of the portion sizes we eat.

This particular eating habit is all about being aware of the amounts of food we eat at each meal and making sure we don't exceed the recommended amount. This can vary depending on a number of factors, as the calorie intake required to maintain a healthy weight depends on variables such as age, type of metabolism, and level of physical activity. 

Plan and prepare healthy meals

To have more control over what we eat, we need to plan our meals in advance. This way, we know exactly what groceries we need to get at the supermarket, and we can be certain that we are cooking with nutritious and healthy ingredients.

Another key point of planning is that doing so avoids resorting to unhealthy options for the sake of convenience. Planning ahead can also help save time and money in the long run. 

Use lean protein sources

Protein is one of the most important macronutrients within a healthy eating plan, but we must be very careful about choosing the right source of protein. According to Healthline, protein is an essential component in nutrition, especially because it plays a major role in building and maintaining the body's muscles and tissues, and because it also helps regulate a number of bodily functions.

Lean protein sources, which include foods such as chicken, fish, legumes and tofu, are low in saturated fat and calories, but rich in essential nutrients and amino acids that are critical for growth, tissue repair and cellular function. 

Prepare balanced meals that include carbohydrates, proteins and fats

A balanced diet should include three essential macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats. This is the key to good nutrition and providing the body with the nutrients it needs to function at its best.

Keep in mind that carbohydrates provide the body with an instant energy boost, protein is essential for tissue repair and growth, and healthy fats are essential for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and cellular function.

Another benefit of preparing balanced meals is that it can help maintain a healthy weight and promote proper body composition. By meeting the body's macronutrient needs in a balanced manner, we can avoid caloric excesses and overconsumption of any one type of nutrient. 

Include fiber-rich foods in your diet

High-fiber diets typically contain foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. These foods are generally recognized for helping to prevent constipation, but they also have many other key health benefits. They help us to maintain a healthy weight and they also reduce the risk of certain diseases, such as diabetes and some types of cancer.

When incorporating more fiber into our diet, it's important to include a variety of fiber-rich foods in every meal and snack. This is a fairly straightforward process, although it is advisable to make an appointment with a nutritionist for individual recommendations. 

Adopt healthy cooking techniques

Using healthy cooking techniques is a fundamental part of any healthy eating plan, as this preserves the nutrients in the food, minimizes the addition of extra fat and reduces the formation of harmful compounds which can occur during the cooking process.

One of the healthiest cooking methods is steaming, which involves cooking food with the steam of hot water. This method preserves the natural nutrients and flavors of the food without the need to add additional fats.

The same goes for the oven roasting, which also requires no additional oils to cook the food. 

Avoid eating processed foods

The UK National Health Service notes that, in processed foods, ingredients such as salt, sugar or fats are often used to enhance the flavor of products and increase their shelf life. This implies that the healthy limits for sodium, sugars and fats are often exceeded when we consume these products.

These components can be detrimental to our health, potentially increasing the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension (high blood pressure) and other chronic health issues.

With this in mind, eliminating processed foods from our diets is essential to promote health and prevent diseases in the long term. 

Regulate the consumption of added sugars

One of the main problems with added sugars is their ability to rapidly increase blood sugar levels and cause sharp spikes and drops in energy levels.

When we overconsume added sugars, it can lead to insulin resistance, which means that we may be more at risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other blood glucose-related diseases.

In order to adopt healthy habits, it is important to control our intake of added sugars, which means limiting the consumption of products containing ingredients such as high-fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, maple syrup, agave syrup and other added sweeteners.

In some countries it is easier for consumers to choose products because there are regulations that require brands to incorporate front-of-pack labeling indicating, for example, whether a product has excess sugars. 

Don't skip important meals

Skipping important meals, such as breakfast, lunch or dinner, can have negative effects on our metabolism, blood sugar regulation and physical and mental performance. Eating Well points out some of the negative health implications of skipping meals indicating that:

• It increases the risk of experiencing anxiety and other mental health problems.
• It drastically reduces energy levels in the body.
• It increases the risk of suffering from eating disorders.
• It can irritate the digestive system.

What’s more, skipping important meals can lead to increased hunger and cravings for unhealthy foods later in the day. When you are hungry for a long time, you are more likely to indulge in foods that are high in calories, fat and added sugars to satisfy your appetite quickly. 

Read food nutrition labels

To complete this list of healthy eating habits, we must mention the importance of reading food nutrition labels. These labels provide detailed information about the nutritional content, including the number of calories and macronutrients.

This is an excellent way to control what we eat and to make more conscious decisions about what to eat. It also allows us to identify and avoid potentially harmful additives and ingredients in processed foods.