People have their own methods of eating healthy. Some believe eating no carbs or fat constitutes as healthy as well as no junk food. Eating a healthy diet means eating the best of all of the food groups and being in control of your ingredients and how the meal is prepared.
Eat a balanced meal.
Eating healthy does not mean that you need to avoid certain types of food groups as you are meant to eat a decent size portion of all of them. According to a Harvard healthy diet model, we should be eating a small amount of fruit, a large amount of vegetables, and only a quarter of whole grains and healthy proteins. You can eat a salad starter, the main course have proteins and vegetables, and your dessert being a small piece of fruit. We also need to drink water during each meal instead of sugary drinks and even adding a bit of canola or olive oil for more taste instead of butter or salt.
Eat a lot of whole foods.
Nutritionist Dr. Jonny Bowden feels like we should be eating natural, unprocessed foods since the amount of processing that the food has gone through makes a difference in diet. It can be foods like leafy greens, fresh fruit, root vegetables, brown rice, beans, wild salmon, and plain yogurt. The Harvard School of Public Health says that eating processed foods raise your chances of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and abnormal sugar levels.
Eat home-cooked meals.
Going out to eat every once in a while is good when celebrating or want to try new food. Going out to eat too much can be bad for your health. Health writer Liz Szabo says that eating at restaurants is consuming 50% more calories of fat and sodium than you would at home. Much of the food at restaurants is deep-fried, processed, and loaded with butter or salt for more taste. You do not know what ingredients are in the food or how it is prepared. At home, you will have control over your portion size, what ingredients are in your food, and how to prepare it. If you feel you must eat at a restaurant, ask for a small plate to better portion your food and take the rest to-go, eat a salad, or find the “fit” side of the menu that will show you the items with less calories.
Located in downtown Midland, The Springboard Center’s mission is to offer programs and services to treat alcohol and drug addiction treatment using an evidence based curriculum, 12 step programs, diet, nutrition, exercise, emotional, mental and spiritual development for a long recovery. For more information, please call us at 432-620-0255 as we are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
