Health is a basic necessity if we want to achieve our goals in life. A healthy mind and body allows us to act on our goals. Most of us focus on our careers and financial goals, putting our health in the backseat for the time being. This should not be the case. Taking care of our health should come first and we should work on maintaining it while we work on our other goals. Getting optimal nutrition from the food we eat is one of the most important ways to maintain our health. By carefully choosing the food you eat, you can also boost your nutrient intake.There is no need to have a complete change in diet. You can start with baby steps to reach optimal nutrition.
Eating the right foods will ensure that you can maintain a healthy body and you have the energy to move through your day.
Here are some baby steps that you can integrate into your daily eating goals to achieve optimal nutrition.
1. Eat a Healthy Breakfast
If your breakfast consists only of coffee, then you don’t have enough fuel for your brain for working. You may even space out while trying to concentrate on a task. Slowly introduce breakfast into your morning routine. Start by eating something with your coffee until you replace your coffee entirely with a healthier breakfast.
What can you eat for breakfast? Your breakfast should include food rich in protein to keep you full until your next meal and give you energy for work.
Check out the rest of the tips to guide you on what you should eat for each meal. (If you’re the type who starts the day late or just isn’t into breakfast, then just follow the tips on what to eat for your meals.)
2. Lay Off the Sugar
Most of us have a sweet tooth which we usually indulge in when we crave for desserts. Unfortunately, sugar is not only highly addictive; it also triggers inflammation in the body. If you have allergies, sugar can make it worse. If you can’t seem to get rid of your pimples no matter what face cream or treatment you try, sugar maybe the culprit.
Take a look at the sugary items in your diet and replace them with healthier options. For example, if you usually drink soda, drink water instead. Get wholewheat bread instead of plain, white bread. If you love white rice, try cooking with half white rice and half brown or red rice until you can fully replace white rice.
3. Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
This can’t be stressed enough – eat your fruits and veggies. Leafy greens are usually emphasized when eating vegetables and this is because they are not only packed with nutrients but also have fiber which aids in proper and regular digestion. However, you should try to include all types of vegetables into your meals so instead of just greens, try to eat a rainbow of vegetables.
Fruits are also a good substitute for sugary snacks. Instead of fruit juices, eat the fruit. The fruit is more nutritions, has no added sugar and it has fiber to help your digestion. Many fruits are also high in vitamin C that help the absorption of other nutrients into the body and strengthen the immune system.
4. Reduce Intake of Processed Foods
One way to ensure that you are getting the most nutrients from the food you eat is by getting them as close to the original source as possible. Processed foods have added chemicals and preservatives that may be harmful to your health in the long run. They also have their natural nutrients stripped from them. That’s why some processed foods are fortified with vitamins and minerals but they do not give you all the nutrients from the original source.
Processed foods have their day but consider them a treat instead of an everyday essential. As much as possible, get your vegetables and fruits in their original form so you also get to enjoy all the benefits.
5. Practice Portion Control
How do you make sure that you are eating everything that’s healthy for you in each of your meals? You can do this not just by watching and selecting what you eat but by controlling how much you eat.
Portion control ensures that you are eating the right amount of nutritious food to satisfy you and provide you the needed energy until your next meal. If you have weight goals, these portions can be adjusted.
These tips should help you on your way to gaining ideal nutrition needed by the body and enjoying better health. Don’t forget that you should also drink lots of water, engage in daily exercise and get enough sleep so your body can better process all the nutrients from the food you eat. Do it slowly. Doing baby steps on the improvement of your food intake everyday will lead to optimal nutrition in the future.
Feature Image: Original Photo by Ella Olsson from Pexels.
