From time to time, we are all looking to make positive changes that make our regular diet much healthier, but few of us follow through because committing to something that will make our diet healthier can sometimes be a daunting task.
The truth is: it’s likely you don’t have to change your diet plans completely. What you need to do, is make small changes that transform your regular diet. Here are fifteen small changes you need to make your regular diet healthier:
1. Eat More Eggs
If you have not been eating eggs, then it is time to start.
Eggs are a healthy source of protein and other nutrients your body needs; they offer you enough nutrients without loading you with excess calories.
Whole egg contains nutrients such as Vitamin A, Choline, Vitamin D, and Vitamin K.
Choline is a necessary compound for the synthesis of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter.
Try to include eggs in your breakfast. Since eggs can keep you full for a while, they have an impact on your appetite and can help you lose weight.
2. Eat More Protein
Including more protein in your diet can make a significant difference.
Protein is needed by virtually every cell in the body. With enough protein, your tissues repair themselves, and your muscles grow.
Include both animal sources of protein such as eggs, poultry, and plant sources. Just be sure that these sources are not loaded with excess calories.
Read: 10 Foods to Help You Achieve a Lean Body for Good
3. Hydrate
Water is needed for virtually everything. It is water that makes your blood move. Water keeps your kidneys, liver, and intestines healthy.
When you are dehydrated, you may find that it gets difficult to focus and be productive and that you get hungrier. This is because your body is responding to the changes within it.
Drink water as often as possible because water is a good addition to your regular diet as it makes it healthier, especially if you live in a temperate environment and/or sweat a lot.
Whenever you feel the urge to drink water, go ahead and have that drink. Don’t substitute water for soda or fruit juices.
4. Don’t Fry Much
Calories and nutrients stored in food can be affected by how you prepare these foods.
Frying food can make it a little unhealthy because when you fry your food, especially your meat and chicken, some compounds from within the food.
These compounds form as a result of reactions you don’t see, reactions between the hot oil and compounds stored in your food. Instead of frying, stick to boiling.
Boiling does not create unhealthy compounds within your food. It may even help with hydration, as some foods absorb a lot of water when you boil them.
5. Don’t Overcook
Overcooking is simply cooking the nutritional value out of your food. Many of the nutritional compounds stored in food can be affected by heat.
Heat the food too much, and they are gone. This is especially true with vegetables. Don’t overcook your vegetables. Take them off the fire before they lose their vitamins and minerals. Some vegetables are to be eaten raw.
Note: cooking can be a form of sterilization. The heat kills whatever germs and parasites in the food. So, whilst you keep not overcooking in mind, be reminded that there is such a thing as undercooking, and it is unhealthy too. Don’t undercook.
6. Take Your Time When Eating
It is a good table habit to take your time when you eat. You really don’t have to rush whenever you eat.
The pace at which you eat can affect your appetite and then your health in general.
A center in your brain called the satiety center, which figures up when you have had enough food, usually needs up to 20 minutes to fully conclude that you have had enough.
So, when you eat too fast, your brain may have a hard time figuring out when you have had your fill. You just may keep eating and eating.
Also, when you eat too fast, you may throw up.
7. No Snacking
If you are one who always wants to have some snacks, it is time to cut it down. Or, if you can, stop.
Whilst snacking can help with keeping your calories up, it can cause you problems like unwanted weight gain and appetite problems.
When you snack too much, you might be prone to skipping meals because you won’t feel hungry when it is time to have some food.
8. No Late Night Meals
A healthy diet during the day isn’t always a healthy diet at night.
For example, some high-calorie meals may make a great breakfast because you are just starting your day. But it may cause you problems if you eat it late at night.
At night, our gut does not function as actively as it does during the day. So eating too late at night means digestion problems.
You may wake up feeling bloated or full. You may also gain weight.
If you must eat food at night, then stick to eating low-calorie meals and maybe even fruits. These will give your body the healthy environment it needs.
Read: 10 Eating Habits That Will Help You Shed Pounds
9. More Fiber
Dietary fiber is a non-glycemic carbohydrate. What this means is that since the body cannot digest it, dietary fiber does not have a direct effect on your blood sugar.
Dietary fiber is considered healthy because:
- It may protect against heart diseases. In 2017, results from a study confirmed that people who ate meals high in fiber had a lower risk of heart disease.
- It helps the digestive system function better: dietary fiber is needed to maintain the health of the lower bowel. It can help prevent and ease constipation.
- Fiber may have a role in lowering the risk of diabetes since they help with slowing down the rate at which the body absorbs sugar.
Read: Low-Carb Diet List: The Best Low-Carb Foods to Eat
10. Fruits
A small change that can make your regular diet healthier is including fruits in your meals. Fruits are loaded with vitamins and antioxidants, which will significantly improve your health.
Be particular about eating apples since they are rich in fiber and antioxidants. Eat the whole apple; you don’t have to peel it or squeeze it into juices. The whole thing contains what you need.
Also, eat some grapes and oranges.
11. Drink Some More Greek Yoghurt
Greek Yoghurt is Yoghurt that has been strained some more so that it becomes thicker and a lot creamier than regular yoghurt.
It delivers a lot of protein whilst containing fewer carbohydrates. Fewer carbohydrates mean less lactose, a sugar that many people show reactions to.
Greek Yoghurt is, therefore, a bit more suitable for lactose intolerant individuals.
It can be included in a number of recipes since they can make your regular diet healthier, and you can also drink it as a late-night snack.
Drink Greek Yoghurt to help you maintain muscle mass and make your diet healthier.
Note: Greek Yoghurt can make you feel for a while after eating it.
12. Seafood
By simply including seafood in your diet, you can make that diet much healthier. Seafood is a storehouse for vitamins, saturated fatty acids, and antioxidants.
The Omega-3-Fatty acids stored in seafood like shrimps and salmons are helpful in keeping your heart healthy. They also have an anti-inflammatory effect on the cells and tissues of your body.
The antioxidants fight against free radicals and may help prevent cancer since free radicals cause cancer by changing the structure of cell organelles.
Vitamin B in seafood helps in the production of red blood cells and improves immunity.
13. No Energy Drinks
Energy drinks may make you feel hyped up for a while. But the truth is, you are better off without them.
Most energy drinks contain a high amount of caffeine, which works by increasing alertness—that is, they make you feel alert.
Caffeine might be a regular ingredient, but when one consumes it in large quantities over a period of time, it starts to pose problems such as increased heart rate and increased blood pressure.
Energy drinks also contain a lot of processed sugar, which are able to impact your appetite negatively. They may also increase your sugar level if you are someone with diabetes.
Read: 15 Recipes for Healthy Living
14. Eat to Your Full
You may be tempted to eat just a little quantity of food, hoping that it’ll make you healthier. This isn’t always true.
Starving yourself is not a great way to stay healthy. When you do this, you are only starving your body of important nutrients that it needs to function optimally.
Whenever you eat, be sure to eat until you are satisfied. Not over-fed. Satisfied. You don’t have to be anxious that you will gain too much weight. That fullness will keep you going about your daily activities recharged, not lacking any essential calories.
15. Don’t Skip Meals
Try as much as you can to not skip meals. Skipping meals has such a negative effect on the body.
When you skip meals, you deprive the body of the calories it needs to function. Your blood sugar level is going to drop, and you will begin to show signs of irritability and confusion, etc.
You may also find that you have appetite changes; that you no longer feel hungry when you should.
Eat all your meals, especially your breakfast, when you should. And eat healthily. Take your time.
Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash
