How to choose a balanced diet correctly.
The average adult needs between 2,000 and 2,500 calories a day to maintain their current weight. The amount of calories you need depends on your height, muscle mass, activity level, age, and gender.
There are tables and calorie calculators available to help you estimate your daily calorie requirement. But keep in mind that these are really rough estimates - since you may have differences in your metabolism, you may need a little more or less calories than indicated on the calculator. Over time, you'll learn to increase or decrease your total calories by tracking your weight.
Keep a food diary
If you need to lose weight, gain weight, or monitor your fat, protein, or sodium intake, it will be easier if you use a food diary. You can use notepad or a program (an app on your phone) to monitor your nutrition.
Start by simply writing down everything you eat three or four days before you go on a diet, so you can see how many calories you are currently consuming. See how much healthy and unhealthy food you are eating right now. Be sure to include at least one day off, as many people eat differently on weekends than on other days of the week.
Once you understand your eating style and habits, it will be easier to determine which foods you need to eat more often and which ones less often.
Choose the right products
Once you know how many calories you need, your next step is to choose foods that will contain a lot of nutrients according to the calories you consume.
For example, during a snack, you can choose an 85-calorie glass of blueberries instead of a small 100-calorie glazed doughnut. Blueberries contain fiber, vitamins and minerals. Although blueberries contain only 15 fewer calories than a doughnut, they are more likely to give you a feeling of fullness and provide many other important nutrients that you need to consume daily.
Thinking about how food is prepared is another step towards a healthier diet. For example, a piece of grilled or baked salmon would be a better choice than fish sticks, because salmon doesn't have as much sodium as fish sticks, and it can be prepared using other healthy ingredients, such as lemon and herbs. This does not mean that you can not eat fish fingers. Better think about eating them less often.
Generally, foods will have less saturated fat, sodium, and sugar if they are not covered in a creamy sauce, deep-fried, or highly refined or processed. Again, this does not mean that you can not eat dessert or French fries. This simply suggests that it is better to eat whole foods more often. Here are some examples:
Replace the apple pie with a whole apple or apple slices with nut paste
Replace the fried chicken with the baked chicken or turkey
Several times a week, replace food with red meat, such as hamburgers, low-fat protein, such as chicken and fish
Choose whole-grain bread more often (at least 50% of the time)
Choose wholegrain breakfast cereals instead of sugary cereals
Following a healthy and balanced diet also means eating a variety of foods. Choose foods from each group (based on the content of certain substances) to make sure that you are getting all the necessary nutrients.
If you are not sure about the nutritional value of any prepared packaged food, be sure to read the labels with information about the nutritional value of the products.
Sources of calcium
Choose two or three servings daily from the dairy and calcium group. If you don't like or can't eat dairy products, look for dark green leafy vegetables, orange juice fortified with calcium, and other foods. You can also opt for calcium-rich vegetable milk and yogurt, such as nut-based milk and calcium-rich tofu.
1 cup skimmed or vegetable milk
2 slices of cheese
1 cup yogurt
1 cup boiled spinach
1 cup boiled or fresh broccoli
Whole grains and cereals
Whole grains and cereals are great ways to get enough fiber in your diet and add healthy vitamins and minerals.
1 slice of wholegrain bread
1/2 cup brown rice
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup whole grain cereals
1/2 cup oatmeal
4 or 5 whole grain crackers
2 cups popcorn
More fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables contain many vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and fiber. You probably need 2 or 3 servings or more of vegetables a day, as well as some fruit. Research continues to show that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is important for overall health. A good selection of fruit and vegetable dishes includes:
1/2 cup sweetcorn
1 cup of fresh fruit, such as apple, pear or peach
1/2 cup fruit cocktail
1/2 cup berries, such as strawberries or raspberries
1/2 half cup black beans or pinto beans
1 small baked potato
1 cup green beans
1 cup broccoli
Healthy sources of protein
Daily protein requirements can be obtained from plant sources, such as dried beans, nuts and seeds, as well as whole grains. However, many people like to eat meat, fish, and eggs, which are also good sources of protein. The amount of protein you'll need will depend on a variety of factors, including age, activity level, and so on. A typical serving of protein is the size of a deck of cards.
30 grams of cooked low-fat steak (21 g of protein)
30 grams of lean pork tenderloin (22 grams of protein)
300 grams of roasted chicken breast (26 g protein)
170 cooked fatty ocean fish, such as salmon (42G protein)
1/2 Cup of dry beans such as Pinto beans or Navy blue beans (about 16 grams of protein depending on variety)
30 grams of nuts, about 25 almonds, cashews 13 or 9 of walnuts (about 4 grams of protein depending on variety)
Healthy fats and oils
Olive oil and rapeseed oil are good fats. As are the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, and soy.
Small amounts of trans fats are naturally found in some animal products. They are also found in some packaged and processed foods, such as ready-made desserts and baked goods. Saturated fats are found in red meat, cured meats, and full-fat cheeses.
It is recommended to limit the consumption of trans fats and saturated fats, as these types of fats can increase cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease when consumed excessively. You don't need to add a lot of oil to your diet.
30 grams of nuts, about 25 almonds, cashews 13 or 9 of walnuts (about 18 grams of fat, depending on the variety)
100 grams of cooked fatty ocean fish, such as salmon (5.4 g fat)
2 tablespoons olive oil for cooking or mixed with vinegar for salads (28 g fat)
1 tablespoon of walnut oil salad (14 g fat)
1 tablespoon flax seed (4.3 g fat)
Canola oil for cooking (14 g per tablespoon)
Foods that should be consumed in moderation
If you don't have certain health issues (talk to your doctor), you don't need to skip every bite of certain foods. Simply limit your overall intake of foods that are high in sugar, fat, sodium, and calories.
Store these foods as treats (occasionally):
Excess sugar: cookies, cakes, sweets, syrups, table sugar, sweet soft drinks, sweet coffee drinks.
Excess trans and saturated fats: chips, fried foods, sausages, high-fat red meats such as ribs and steaks, fat cheese, gravies, cream sauces, desserts.
Excess sodium: ready-made dishes, such as frozen pizza, sauces in cans, canned soups, purchased salad dressing, pretzels, chips.
Balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins
A healthy diet should consist of the right ratio of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. The amount of carbohydrates, fat, and protein you need to consume will vary depending on a variety of factors, including age, height, weight, and activity level.
About portion sizes
Many people suffer from the wrong portions. It can be difficult to imagine how large a portion of a particular product is, and if you don't control the portion size, there's a good chance you'll eat too much.
Read the labels and use the kitchen scale if you have trouble determining the portion size. Be careful when eating out in restaurants and cafes. A typical bagel in a coffee shop is equal to 5 servings of bread, and one large serving of food in a fast food restaurant can be equal to all the calories you need throughout the day.
When you're at home or at a restaurant, use these tips to determine your healthy food portion size during meals:
85 g of meat - one serving the size of a deck of cards.
1 cup of pasta - one serving the size of a tightly clenched fist.
2 tablespoons of peanut butter - one serving the size of a ping-pong ball.
2 cups of green leafy vegetables - one serving the size of two clenched fists.
57 g of cheese - one serving the size of 2 dominoes.
1 cup of green vegetables - one serving the size of a tennis ball.
If you are serving food on a plate, divide the plate into four parts. One-quarter is reserved for a portion of meat or protein. The other quarter is a single serving of starchy carbohydrates, such as pasta, cereal, bread, rice, potatoes, or corn. The remaining half of the plate should be filled with low-calorie vegetables, salad or fruit.
Remember that butter, margarine, sauces, gravies, and cheese toppings add calories to your plate, so use them sparingly. Even better, use olive oil, lemon juice, herbs, and spices to add flavor to your food.
Try not to skip meals
If you prefer three large meals a day or three small meals and a couple of snacks, make it a habit to eat regularly. Skipping meals may seem like a good weight loss technique, but it can backfire when you feel like you're starving later in the day. Skipping a meal in the future can lead to overeating. It is not recommended to skip meals, especially if you have an eating disorder.
