Principles of healthy eating

 Nowadays, people are aware of the health consequences that threaten them when they do not eat properly and spend time actively outdoors. However, do we know what proper nutrition really is? It turns out that the principles of healthy eating are not just as clear and unambiguous for everyone. That is why it is worth systematizing knowledge and checking the 10 rules of healthy eating, thanks to which the body can start functioning better.

Did you know that each of us consists of approx? 70% water? Despite this, water is the most important fluid that we should replenish every day. Unfortunately, many people still do not do this, despite the awareness that water is the most precious thing for the human body. Not only do we drink sweet drinks instead of water, but we also do not hydrate ourselves properly. This means that many of us do not get the right dose of fluids, which results in various health problems. A person without food can live up to several weeks. However, when it is deprived of water, it can live for about 5-6 days. Dehydration can become noticeable after a few hours, manifesting itself with, for example, dizziness, spots in front of the eyes, and delusions.

The generally accepted norm is that a person should drink a minimum of 1.5 liters of water a day. However, a lot also depends on our personal reasons, such as where we are (e.g. in a tropical country), playing sports, or various health ailments (e.g. diarrhea or vomiting). It is recommended to drink water in smaller amounts but at frequent intervals. It is better to avoid long breaks and not to drink only when you feel like it - this is a serious sign that the body is dehydrated. Also always pay attention to the color of your urine - a lighter color is a good sign. If you turn dark yellow, it's time to refill your fluids.

This is the basis of healthy eating. If you want to take care of your health and enjoy it for a long time, you should always eat your meals at the same time. Setting specific hours of eating will positively affect the better functioning of the entire digestive system. Fixed meal times will also allow you to avoid snacking, and thus also avoid weight gain. Many nutritionists recommend eating 5 meals a day, the largest of which is breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Meanwhile, in fact, not everyone will benefit from such a number of dishes, especially since each of us has a completely different organism and functions completely differently. Therefore, it is worth testing the amount and regularity of eating meals in order to develop your own norm. During testing, you need to watch your body closely. Only in this way will we be sure that the chosen number of meals and the intervals between them really serve us.

To enjoy your well-being and impeccable health, you should eat fresh fruit and vegetables every day. It may not be the most outstanding discovery, but many people still forget how important it is to consume these foods. A more colorful and varied diet will benefit any organism, strengthening it and providing it with lots of valuable vitamins and minerals. In addition, fresh vegetables and fruits are also a real treasury of fiber, which improves the digestive processes and speeds up the metabolism. Regardless of how often you eat your meals, add a portion of vegetables to each one. In turn, try to eat fruit at least once a day. It is also worth taking care of the balance of meals, i.e. the right amount of protein, fats and carbohydrates. This is very important because only the balance of nutrients will ensure good health.

The problem of today is the abuse of sugar. In the past, people ate much less, but nowadays sugar is added to most ready-made products. Sugar appears not only in sweets but also in still and carbonated drinks. Consuming it in excessive amounts, unfortunately, is very harmful to your health. Not only is it a threat to overweight and obesity, but also insulin resistance and diabetes - and thus cardiovascular diseases or cancer. In order not to join their group, limit sugar consumption to a minimum. Be sure to read labels as well, and try to use sugar substitutes such as xylitol or erythritol. As a last resort, you can also use honey.

Another problem of the modern world is too much salt in dishes. Of course, a bit of taste should not have a harmful effect on the body, especially when using Himalayan salt. However, when we eat it too often along with processed products, it can seriously harm us. The salt in cured meats should come as no surprise because it is supposed to preserve it. However, its presence in breakfast cereals, vegetable juices, and other products that theoretically should not contain salt can surprise and shock. Before you decide on a product, be sure to read its composition and pay attention to the amount of salt. Do not forget that an excessive amount of salt consumed daily is a huge risk of being overweight, but also of developing cancer. Therefore, bet on products with a small amount of it. If you season the dish yourself, add lots of herbs to it. Not only will they fantastically emphasize the taste of the selected dish, but also cover the lack of salt.

This is the basis of healthy eating. You must not consume too much alcohol, because only empty calories and zero nutrients are provided to the body in this way. Alcohol can also be addictive, which causes numerous diseases, not only physical but also mental. Unfortunately, many changes are irreversible. If you want to enjoy good health and fitness for many years, one of the basic principles should be to limit the amount of alcohol you drink. It is best, of course, to set it aside completely. If anything, it makes the best sense to drink an occasional glass of red wine, for example, for better digestion.

You surely know very well that an excessive amount of fat in the diet can cause many health problems. However, you cannot stop eating it completely, because the vitamins delivered to the body along with vegetables or fruit will not be able to get to it. Healthy fats include, among others sea ​​fish, avocados, nuts, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, rapeseed oil, and seeds. Why do we need to consume unsaturated fatty acids? Well, thanks to them, our entire nervous system functions better. If it weren't for fats, we wouldn't be able to dissolve vitamins A, D, E, and K. Besides, they are also the most efficient source of energy in terms of body weight. So let's include eating healthy fats in your diet for better health.

Did you know that the way food is prepared has an impact on whether and what health properties it will have? Storing food and the process of its thermal processing may lead to a loss of nutritional value, which we want to avoid, of course, if we want to eat healthily. So how do you preserve as much of the valuable minerals, vitamins, and nutritional value of your meal as possible? Always put vegetables in boiling water - you can do it not only with broccoli and cauliflower but also with potatoes. The longer we cook something, the more vitamins we lose. Do you want to season something with salt? First, use only a pinch of it. Secondly, always add salt at the end of cooking so as not to precipitate too many valuable vitamins.

In order to eat healthily and ensure the proper functioning of the digestive system, natural prebiotics should be included in the daily diet. Prebiotics in the form of, among others, fermented products. This is an excellent and, of course, the most natural method of maintaining the bacterial flora in our digestive system so that it is always in perfect condition. When the intestines and stomach are healthy, the body will also pay off with health and increased immunity. Then we will also be better able to assimilate certain foods. However, it should not be forgotten that the proper functioning of the digestive system may be disturbed, for example, by long-term use of antibiotics, as well as drinking alcohol and smoking. Our bacterial flora can even be destroyed by long-term stress, so you should avoid stressful situations at all costs. The menu of each of us should include prebiotics that protects the digestive system in the form of, for example, sauerkraut or cucumbers, kefir, and yogurts. Thanks to them, the intestinal peristalsis will accelerate, which will improve the "action" of the whole body. Remember to bet on sugar-free products - it destroys the effect of prebiotics.

If you want to eat healthily, take a close look at the food pyramid. Among the most important food ingredients that should be eaten in it, there are wholesome and whole grain cereal products. They should be included in our daily menu, if only because they contain much more fiber than other products from the food pyramid. Usually, it is insoluble fiber, which in part forces us to chew our food longer. This process stimulates the secretion of saliva, so thanks to carbohydrates you can feel satiety faster. Whole grain cereal products also stimulate the intestines to work much more intensively - this, in turn, prevents constipation. By eating high-fiber meals, you can minimize your risk of developing colorectal cancer. Among them, that stand out, among others buckwheat and barley groats, brown rice, wholemeal pasta, and wholemeal bread. These products have a low glycemic index and do not cause sudden spikes in blood sugar.

The last important element of the principles of healthy eating is to avoid junk food. There should simply be no place for each person in a healthy menu. So don't buy ready-to-reheat food, powdered dishes and "Chinese" soups. They are highly processed foods that are devoid of any nutritional value. Most of the nutritional elements that make up these foods are irreversibly broken down. Besides, heating up ready-made fast foods depletes any value even more. Junk food is only a caloric bomb harmful to the body, which can contribute to rapid weight gain and serious lifestyle diseases. Also, avoid products made of white, wheat flour, as well as deep-fried. Cross out sweets as well, and put fresh fruit and nuts in their place.