How to start eating right and not quit

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Healthy food isn't just spinach and celery. We explain how to eat a healthy diet and share simple and delicious recipes.

What is proper nutrition?

Healthy nutrition - balanced and regular.

Try to eat at the same time every day and not take long breaks between meals: short-term fasting increases the level of bad cholesterol in the body, and because of this, there is an additional risk of developing heart disease. Scientists have no consensus about how many times a day you need to eat: there are pros and cons. Increased meal frequency does not promote greater weight loss in subjects who were prescribed an 8-week equi-energetic energy-restricted diet and three meals a day, and more fractional food. So experiment and choose the regimen that you find easier to stick to.

For nutrition to be balanced, it must be varied, including proteins, fats and carbohydrates (FFA), vitamins and minerals.

What if you don't want to drastically change your habits?

And it is not necessary sharply. Do this gradually: first, get used to eating regularly, then gradually switch to healthy foods. To make it easier, play sports. The study showed the Behavioral impacts of sequentially versus simultaneously delivered dietary plus physical activity interventions: the CALM trial, that those who started eating healthy food and at the same time included physical activity in the daily routine found it easier to maintain such a routine than people who started with something. then one.

Here's how you can gradually change your familiar foods for healthier ones:

• Eat boiled or baked vegetables as a side dish, and cut back on potatoes.
• Take fruit, unsalted nuts, or yogurt with you for a snack instead of chocolates or other sweets.
• Add low-fat milk to your coffee instead of cream.
• Use yogurt dressings instead of mayonnaise for salads.
• Buy whole grain breads, pasta, and cereals instead of regular ones.

If I miss breakfast, what should I do?

A delicious breakfast is a good argument to wake up earlier. If oatmeal doesn't inspire you, make fruit smoothies, yogurt with granola, fruits and cereals, or cream cheese toast. Choose simple recipes and alternate them - so that it is enough to buy the necessary groceries once a week and get up just 15-20 minutes early.

Together with us, we have selected several recipes that will help form a habit.

Mango smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 glass of orange juice
• 0.5 cups of natural Danone yoghurt. For those who do not eat dairy products, Danone launches Alpro vegetable yogurt;
• 1/3 mango;
• 1 grated carrot.

Preparation

Send all ingredients to a blender and mix.

Toast with yogurt and red orange

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons Danone low fat yogurt
• 1 teaspoon honey (can be replaced with jam);
• 0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract;
• 1 slice whole grain bread
• 0.5 oranges, cut into wedges;
• 1 tablespoon of almonds

Preparation

Mix yogurt, honey and vanilla extract with a spoon, spread the mixture on a slice of bread, put oranges on top and sprinkle with almonds.

Sandwich with cottage cheese and avocado

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of fat-free Prostokvashino cottage cheese;
• 1 teaspoon of Prostokvashino milk, 1%;
• ground black pepper and herbs - to taste;
• 0.5 avocado;
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 whole grain bun
• sunflower seeds.

Preparation

Mix cottage cheese with milk with a spoon, add pepper and herbs. Finely chop the avocado pulp, mix with the already obtained mass and lemon juice, spread on a bun, decorate with seeds.

French breakfast

Ingredients

• 0.5 cups of Prostokvashino milk;
• 0.5 banana;
• 3 slices of whole grain bread.

Preparation

Combine milk and bananas in a blender. Soak the slices of bread in the liquid and bake in the oven.

I am constantly at work and do not have time to dine at all. How to deal with this?

Add lunch to your to-do list for the day. Planning your lunch break in advance can make it easier to remember.

In case of emergency, take healthy snacks with you: yogurt, vegetables or fruits, a boiled egg, granola or Danone's super breakfast with cereals and seeds. Replacing a full meal every day with a snack is not worth it, but it can help out great if you are hungry, and it is still far from lunch or dinner.

In the evening I have a healthy meal for dinner, but in the morning I still feel the heaviness. Why it happens?

Heaviness can occur if you eat too heavy and too late.

Eat 2-3 hours before bed and avoid simple carbohydrates and foods high in sugar and avoid fried foods. It is better to opt for complex carbohydrates and grains, which will increase the production of serotonin - a hormone, the lack of which leads to depression and insomnia. For example, give preference to boiled fish with vegetables, lean meat, and whole grains. If you want to have a snack right before bedtime, it is better to drink a mug of chamomile tea, a glass of kefir or drinking yogurt.

Here are some late dinner recipes from.

Multigrain porridge

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of barley;
• 2 tablespoons of oats;
• 2 tablespoons bulgur;
• 1 glass of low-fat milk (Prostokvashino milk, 1.5% is suitable);
• 1 pinch of cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons of raisins;
• nuts and berries to taste.

Preparation

Combine barley, oats, bulgur and milk in a bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Add cinnamon and raisins, heat for another minute, then add nuts and berries to taste.

Light omelet with pepper and herbs

Ingredients

• 3 chicken eggs;
• 1 glass of Prostokvashino milk, 2.5%;
• salt to taste;
• 1 bell pepper;
• herbs to taste;
• 10 g of butter "Prostokvashino", 72.5%;
• fresh herbs for decoration.

Preparation

Mix eggs and milk, sprinkle with salt, do not beat. Add pepper and herbs. Rosemary and basil are great choices. Grease the mold and pour the mixture into it. Bake at 180 ° C for 30 minutes. Decorate with fresh herbs.

Curd casserole with peaches

Ingredients

• 300 g fat-free cottage cheese "Prostokvashino", 0%;
• 2 eggs;
• 8 g vanilla sugar;
• 3 tablespoons of Prostokvashino sour cream, 15%;
• 3 tablespoons flour;
• vegetable oil - for lubricating the mold;
• half a peach.

Preparation

In a bowl, combine cottage cheese with yolks and vanilla sugar. Then add sour cream and flour and mix. Beat the whites separately and add to the mixture. Grease the form with vegetable oil, distribute the mass evenly and decorate it with peach slices. Bake for 40 minutes in an oven preheated to 160 ° C.

Cottage cheese with fruit

Ingredients

• 100 g of soft cottage cheese "Prostokvashino", 0%;
• 3 tablespoons of honey or jam;
• a handful of nuts and fruits;
• prunes - for decoration.

Preparation

Combine all ingredients and garnish with prune pieces.

If I eat right, will I lose weight?

Most likely, without playing sports, you will not be able to lose weight - you need not only to establish a diet, but also to choose a training program.

If you are active in sports, add more complex carbohydrates to your diet to compensate for energy, such as whole grain breads and fruits. For muscle growth, you need protein. You can eat it both before and after your workout, so always keep a thick yogurt or soy drink handy.

Eat 2–3 hours before class to avoid feeling heavy. If you have a snack in no earlier than 40-50 minutes, choose Pre-Workout Nutrition: What to Eat Before a Workout foods that contain more carbohydrates and less protein.

I had to break the diet. What to do in this case?

The main thing is not to give up everything. If you once gorged on fried potatoes at night or forgot to dine, that's okay. Just keep sticking to your rules from the next meal. Allow yourself extra for the night - prepare a light and healthy breakfast in the morning. And if you are invited to a party where there is a lot of junk food, try to eat nuts, cheese and fruits instead of chips and drink more water.