Make your Meals Healthier with this Step-by-Step Guide
If you want to try and make your meals healthier so you can make the most out of your healthy eating routine, then you have come to the right place. Here you will find out the changes you need to make while also finding out if there is anything you can do to avoid some of the top mistakes that people make.
Base Everything on Starchy Carbohydrates
Starchy carbs should really make up around a third of the food that you eat. These happen to include bread, pasta, rice, cereal, and potatoes. However, you should aim for less processed carbohydrates like starchy vegetables, beans, legumes, whole grains and whole fruits. If you are going to have processed carbs such as pasta and rice, you need to choose wholegrain varieties, such as foods that are high in fibre as well. You can even choose pastas that are made from beans and legumes to increase your fiber. You should know that foods like this are ideal if you want to feel fuller for longer. If you want to eat better, then thissweet potato casserole recipe is a great starting point.
Eat Fruit and Vegetables
It is said that you should be eating around five portions of vegetables and fruit every day. This can be frozen or fresh. You can also choose canned or juiced vegetables as well if this is more convenient for you. If you want to help yourself, then it is a good idea for you to try and chop up a banana so you can have it scattered over your breakfast cereal. You can also swap your snacks for fruit if you want. Don’t forget fruit is a carbohydrate too, so try to stick around 2-3 servings per day and spread them out throughout the day. Skip the juice which takes out all the fiber and can increase your blood glucose and insulin levels.
Eat More Fish
Fish is a fantastic source of protein, and it contains a lot of minerals and vitamins too. Ideally, you need to be eating two portions of fish every week and one portion of oily fish if you can. Oily fish is great as it is very high in Omega-3, and this can help you to stop heart disease. You can choose canned or even frozen fish if you want but you should know that smoked fish can be incredibly high in salt. Always look at the source, too. You want fish that is sourced from clean waters, such as Wild Alaskan Salmon. Limit tuna and swordfish - they have healthy fats, but are also typically high in mercury!
Cut Down on Fat
You have to make sure that you are getting some fat in your diet but at the end of the day, you have to make sure that you are eating the right type of fat too. There are two major types of fat, and they include saturated fat and unsaturated fat. If you have too much saturated fat, then this can rocket the amount of cholesterol in the blood and this can greatly increase your chances of developing heart disease. Men should make sure that they do not eat more than 30g of saturated fat a day and women should eat no more than 20g. If you can aim for this amount, then you should be able to reap the benefits that come with healthy eating. There are plant sources of saturated fats too, such as coconut and avocados. These have extra benefits and do not have the same impact on heart health as do saturated fats from animal fats, for example. Not all fat is the same! Also, avoid trans-fats, which are labelled on the Nutrition Facts label and are typically found in processed baked goods, like cookies and crackers. These are the worst of the bunch - so try to avoid these altogether.
So, there are many things that you can do to make sure that you are eating as healthily as possible and if you follow this guide, you may find that you are able to make a really positive change to your energy levels.
