You are probably aware that you should be eating well, and that is the truth. The food we eat fuels our bodies so that we can lead a good life. However, most people don’t know what they should be eating to keep themselves healthy. Here are some smart nutritional tips to keep in mind so you can be healthy.
1. Avoid eating too many carbohydrates for breakfast. After sleeping, you do need to refuel your body with energy, and it is true that carbs are what the body uses for energy. However, if you fill your body with sweets and simple sugars, your blood sugar levels will spike. That means that, in about an hour, those levels will crash and you will feel sluggish and sleepy. You will also be extremely hungry again. Instead, have a good breakfast with a solid blend of complex carbohydrates high in fiber and protein. You will feel much better throughout the morning.
2. Keep a journal about what you eat. This is a great way to find out how food affects you. You may not think that your food intake has much to do with how your body feels, but after a few weeks with a food journal, you will change your mind. See how you feel if you remove a few foods from your diet, or increase the number of vegetables you eat. By tracking what you eat, you will also be able to stop yourself from overeating, as you will be better able to notice how many times you are eating during the day. Food journals are also great because they can show you where you’ve come from.
3. Beware of buffets. Buffets can be tempting sources of cheap food, but be very careful. Buffets often serve crowd-pleasers, and crowd-pleasers are usually fatty, high sugar foods that don’t have the nutritional value you need to eat during the day. Not only that, but because you can visit the buffet any number of times, it is possible that your entire diet will go out the window.
4. Eat five to six small meals everyday, rather than just three larger ones. It was long thought that you need “three square meals” a day, but the truth is that you are more likely to overeat if you wait so long to eat. By eating smaller meals, you can make healthier choices because you know you will eat again soon.
5. Have protein at every meal. It can be hard to understand what role protein plays in nutrition, but at the most basic level, protein helps the body repair itself. It is also filling and helps mute the effect that carbohydarates have on you. If you pair carbs and proteins at every meal, you will find that you aren’t so hungry as often, and are satisfied with eating less.
Eating well is a great way to enhance your overall life, so it’s important to get started in good nutrition as soon as you can. Use the tips laid out here, and you will find that good nutrition is easy and achievable.