Enhance Your Diet with These 5 Healthy Eating Tips

Eating the right amount of calories for your activity level is crucial for a healthy diet. This means balancing the energy you consume with the energy you use.

If you consume more energy than your body needs, it gets stored as fat, leading to weight gain. On the other hand, if you consume too little, you'll lose weight.

It's also important to eat a variety of foods to ensure you're getting all the necessary nutrients for a balanced diet.

Men are advised to consume about 2,500 calories (10,500 kilojoules) per day, while women should aim for around 2,000 calories (8,400 kilojoules) per day.

However, many adults in the UK are actually eating more calories than they require and should try to cut back on their calorie intake.

1. Make starchy carbohydrates with lots of fiber the foundation of your meals: Starchy carbohydrates should make up a little over a third of your diet. These include foods like potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, and cereals. Opt for higher fiber or wholegrain options, such as whole wheat pasta, brown rice, or potatoes with their skins on.

Try to have at least one starchy food with each main meal. Some people believe starchy foods contribute to weight gain, but gram for gram, the carbohydrates they contain provide less than half the calories of fat. Be mindful of the fats you add when cooking or serving these foods, as they increase the calorie content. Examples include oil on chips, butter on bread, and creamy sauces on pasta.

2. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables: Meeting your 5 A Day goal is simpler than you might think. For instance, you could sprinkle a chopped banana over your breakfast cereal or swap your usual mid-morning snack for a piece of fresh fruit. A portion of fresh, canned, or frozen fruits and vegetables is 80g. For dried fruits (best saved for mealtimes), a portion is 30g.

You can also count a 150ml glass of fruit juice, vegetable juice, or smoothie as 1 portion. However, it's wise to limit these drinks to no more than 1 glass per day because they contain sugars that can harm your teeth.

3. Include more fish in your diet, especially oily fish: Fish is a great source of protein and is packed with vitamins and minerals. Try to have at least 2 portions of fish a week, with one of those being oily fish. Oily fish like salmon and mackerel are rich in omega-3 fats, which can be good for your heart.

Oily fish include salmon, trout, herring, sardines, pilchards, mackerel and others. Non oily fish include haddock, plaice, coley, cod, tuna, skate, hake and others.

You have options like fresh, frozen, and canned fish, but be cautious as canned and smoked varieties can be high in salt. While most people should include more fish in their diet, there are recommended limits for certain types of fish.

4. Make sure you eat breakfast: Some individuals skip breakfast, believing it aids weight loss. However, a healthy breakfast, rich in fiber and low in fat, sugar, and salt, is actually an essential part of a balanced diet. It provides the necessary nutrients for good health. A breakfast comprising wholegrain, low-sugar cereal with semi-skimmed milk and sliced fruit on top is both delicious and nutritious.

5. Stay active and maintain a healthy weight: In addition to eating well, regular exercise can lower your risk of serious health issues and is crucial for overall health and happiness. Maintaining a healthy weight is important because being overweight or underweight can lead to various health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, heart disease, and stroke. For most adults, losing weight requires consuming fewer calories.

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