DIET - Healthy Diet and Eating Habits

As we’ve already established, what you put in your body is important. The basics to eating healthy are to eat a variety of foods from the 5 food groups;

-          Grain foods (bread, rice, etc.)

-          Vegetables and legumes/beans

-          Fruit

-          Dairy Products (milk, yoghurt, etc.) 

-          Proteins (lean meats, fish, etc.)

Visit the link for more information:  https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/the_guidelines/n55_agthe_large.pdf

Of course, water is also important in healthy living. It is recommended that you drink at least 8x250ml glasses of water a day, which is approx. 2 litres. But of course, the more, the better!

So how much do I have to eat a day?

Well, the most basic and well known rule is ‘2&5’, which is 2 fruits and 5 vegetables. For 14-18yrs, it is best to consume 7+ serves of grains, 2-3 serves of proteins and about 3.5 serves of dairy products.

Other things like sweets and alcohol should be consumed in moderation; a small treat occasionally or a small drink at a catch up with friends.

Eating habits, if established from a younger age, make it easier to eat healthy. But some are also possible to adopt at a later age, they just may require extraordinary willpower if you’re converting from an unhealthy lifestyle. Some that I personally recommend are:

-          Don’t give anything up: It is easier to ease yourself off ‘treats’ or ‘unhealthy’ foods because cutting yourself off from them completely makes the rebound worse, as you overeat to compensate. Eat smaller quantities until you feel that you have the strength to indulge in it once in a blue moon.

-          Eat until you’re 80% full: Have you ever eaten so much that you get a massive stomach ache afterwards? That happens because you’ve eaten more than your stomach can take but you can’t recognise that before it’s too late. It takes about 15-20minutes for the stomach to communicate to the brain that it is full so keep in mind that when you’re eating and you don’t feel full yet, don’t take that as a sign to keep eating. Take a break, check in with your own body and see how you’re feeling. 

-     Eat more smaller meals instead of less bigger meals a day: It is healthier for you to eat 5-6 smaller meals (including snacks) instead of 3 big meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) a day. Of course, your meals/snacks would have to be nutritious. Though, the frequency of your meals is up to you and what works for you, the idea is that you reduce your intake of calories for each meal.