Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Choosing Healthy Foods and Drinks
• Method 2 of 3: Changing Your Eating Habits
• Method 3 of 3: Proper Diet
• Tips
• Warnings

There is so much information on proper nutrition that it is easy to get confused! While you may have heard about which foods to eat and which ones to avoid, there are some simple rules to help you make the right choices. For starters, make sure your diet consists of healthy foods and drinks. Then adjust your eating habits: cook your own food, study labels, and replace some foods with healthier counterparts. Also, stick to your diet and eat and snack at the right time.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Choosing Healthy Foods and Drinks

1. 1 Each meal should contain half of vegetables and fruits. They are rich in nutrients and dietary fiber and contain fewer calories compared to most other foods. Eat 1-2 servings of vegetables or fruits with each meal. This will help you eat faster and stay full longer.
   • You can steam, fry, bake, or boil vegetables. Cook your vegetables the way you like!
   • If you don't want to cook vegetables, make a salad or simply cut raw vegetables into slices.
   • If you're short on time, grab fresh fruit that you can eat on the go, such as an apple or banana, or grab a container of cooked fruit.
2. 2 Include whole grains in your diet and limit your intake of refined carbohydrates. Carbohydrate-rich whole grain foods are healthier because they contain more fiber and other nutrients. In addition, they satisfy hunger well and provide the body with energy for longer. Opt for whole wheat bread and pasta and brown rice instead of refined white foods. The following whole grain foods are also helpful:
   • quinoa;
   • barley;
   • Rye bread;
   • oat flakes.
3. 3 Include a serving of lean protein with every meal. Protein sources should be about 1/4 of each main course. High amounts of protein are found in meat, fish, beans, tofu, and eggs. Some dairy products, such as cottage cheese and Greek yogurt, are also high in protein. Choose lean protein sources such as skinless chicken breasts, tilapia, ground turkey, beans, tofu, egg whites. This will reduce the amount of fat and cholesterol in your diet, which is beneficial for your health.
   • Examine labels to determine serving sizes. The serving size depends on the type of protein food. For example, one serving of meat or fish weighs 85 grams, while a serving of beans or curd is 1/2 cup (120 grams).

   Advice: To make the meat less greasy, trim or skin the fat layer before eating.

   
   
4. 4 Limit your oil and fat intake. The amount of fat in a healthy diet should be 20–35%. If you eat 2,000 calories a day, this equates to 44-77 grams, since one gram of fat contains about 9 calories. At the same time, it is better to consume healthy (mono- and polyunsaturated) fats and minimize the amount of harmful ones, which include saturated and trans fats. For healthy fats, include 2-3 servings of olive oil, nuts, seeds, or avocados in your daily diet.
   • Aim to keep saturated fat for no more than 10% of your daily calories. For example, if your daily value is 1,700 calories, saturated fat should be no more than 170 calories. This equates to approximately 19 grams of saturated fat.
   • Be sure to check food labels for trans fat content. If a particular food contains trans fats, do not buy or eat it. Trans fats are commonly found in margarine, confectionery fat, powdered coffee creamer, and many packaged convenience foods such as baked goods.
5. 5 Drink mostly water and limit or avoid sugar drinks altogether. Water will provide your body with the necessary fluids. You can get by with water alone, but if you drink other drinks, limit the amount. Drink no more than 1 cup (240 milliliters) of fruit juice per day, and avoid soda and other beverages with natural or artificial sweeteners.
   • Different people require different amounts of fluid. Drink as soon as you feel thirsty. You drink enough water if you have light yellow urine and are not thirsty.
   • You should also limit your alcohol intake. Women are advised to drink no more than one, and men - no more than two servings of alcoholic drinks per day. One serving equals 350 milliliters of beer, 150 milliliters of wine or 45 milliliters of spirits.
6. 6 Allow yourself to feast on occasionally and do not make any foods "taboo". While you should generally stick to a healthy diet, occasionally you can indulge yourself - there is nothing wrong with that! If you eat healthy most of the time, you can sometimes enjoy a donut, a couple of pizza slices, or a milkshake. However, try to do this no more than 1-2 times a week, and plan ahead to reduce the likelihood that you are not following the measure.
   • For example, you might schedule a pizza for a Friday night or go out with your family on Sunday for some ice cream.
   • Consider the calories you consumed when you allowed yourself to relax if you count the number of calories using the corresponding application for your mobile device or food diary. For example, if you know there are about 600 calories in two slices of pizza, eat less at lunch to compensate.

Method 2 of 3: Changing Your Eating Habits

1. 1 Replace unhealthy foods with healthier ones. This simple replacement will help you improve your eating habits easily and painlessly. Determine what unhealthy foods you like and find healthier alternatives that satisfy your cravings. It might just be a less fatty counterpart or a similar food.
   • For example, if you really like chips with sauce, try switching from fried potato to carrot or baked chips and substitute freshly made guacamole or low-fat yogurt sauce for the fat sauce.
2. 2 Train yourself to read food labels. This will help you avoid foods that contain unhealthy ingredients such as added sugars and trans fats. Look at the contents of all packaged foods, and if they contain a lot of fat, sugar or sodium, do not eat them!
   • Certain foods are labeled on the front of the packaging as low in fat, have no added sugar or trans fat, or are low in sodium. However, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the composition to make sure that this or that product does not contain harmful components.
   • Check the ingredient list on the package! If you are trying to avoid certain foods, such as sugar, vegetable oil, or wheat, check to see if they are on the ingredient list.
3. 3 Measure the amount of food to meet the recommended serving sizes. Many packaged foods indicate the amount of nutrients in a specific weight or volume. To make sure you are consuming the desired amount of calories and fat, you need to measure the amount indicated on the package. To do this, you may need a kitchen scale or measuring cups, depending on the type of food.
   • For example, if you are making mac and cheese, one serving might be 1 cup (240 grams) of cooked mac and cheese. Use a measuring glass to determine the exact amount.
   • Typically, a package contains a lot more of a product than is required per serving, so read the labels on any prepackaged food you buy and avoid serving too large.
4. 4 Get rid of unhealthy foods. To resist the temptation to eat any junk food, just don't buy it! Don't keep this type of food at home so you don't have to fight temptation. You can even look through the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets and remove all harmful products from them.
   • If you share your home with other people, offer them a separate shelf or drawer in your kitchen cabinet or refrigerator for healthy food. Here you can always choose the products that suit you.

   Advice: Buy groceries at the outer edge of the supermarket hall. Usually, the healthiest foods, such as fruits, vegetables, meat, fish and dairy products, are located around the perimeter of the supermarket.

   
   
5. 5 Eat mindfully so you don't overeat and enjoy your food more fully. The habit of eating consciously will allow you not to rush to eat and thus not to eat too much. It also helps you enjoy your food more fully. Always eat while sitting at the table and try to time your meal so that the meal lasts about 20 minutes. The following measures are also helpful:
   • eliminate everything that distracts you while eating - turn off the TV and put your phone aside;
   • examine and smell food properly before eating;
   • Hold a fork or spoon in your non-dominant hand, or try eating with chopsticks.
   • chew your food slowly and enjoy every bite.
6. 6 Consult with a psychologist about how control emotional overeating. If you start eating to feel comfortable when you're sad, lonely, or bored, it could be a sign of emotional overeating. As a result, you can eat when you're not hungry, eat unhealthy foods, and overeat. Learning to deal with your emotions without food can help you eat healthier. Find a psychologist who has experience helping people with emotional binge eating and make an appointment.
   • For example, a psychologist can teach you how to sort out your feelings and improve your mood using healthy techniques such as walking, breathing exercises, or listening to music.
   • If you have a VHI policy, check if it covers the services of a psychologist. In some cities, there are centers for psychological assistance to the population, where you can get an appointment with a psychologist or psychotherapist free of charge.

Method 3 of 3: Proper Diet

1. 1 Learn to identify when you are really hungry.. Learning to recognize hunger can help you prevent overeating and avoiding boredom. If you are not sure if you are hungry, remember when you last ate and how much you ate.If less than 3 hours have passed since then, consider if the urge to snack is caused by something other than hunger.
   • Craving for food can be triggered not only by hunger, but also by irritation (or anxiety), loneliness, or fatigue. To avoid eating unconsciously, consider if you are experiencing any of these emotions, and if so, try to deal with your feelings without eating.
   • For example, if you are feeling annoyed or anxious, it can be helpful to establish what exactly makes you feel like this. If you're feeling lonely, call a friend and make an appointment. If you're tired, take a nap to recharge your batteries.
2. 2 Eat and snack at approximately regular intervals throughout the day. Eating food at regular intervals will provide your body with energy throughout the day. Eat breakfast shortly after waking up to recharge your batteries early in the day. After that, grab a mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner.
   • Don't skip meals! This often leads to overeating the next time, as the body tries to compensate for the missed meal.

   Advice: Try to have a hearty breakfast and then eat and snack less throughout the day. This will help you conserve energy.

   
   
3. 3 Eat early to avoid stressing your digestive system before bed. During rest, including a night's sleep, the body does not need energy. Do not eat shortly before going to bed, as this can disrupt normal sleep and your body cannot metabolize food efficiently, which can lead to the formation of excess fat. Try not to eat anything three hours before bed, and give your digestive system a good rest between dinner and breakfast.
   • For example, have dinner at 6:00 pm if you go to bed at 9:30 pm. After that, do not eat anything until breakfast the next morning.
4. 4 Try to observe intermittent fasting diet. Intermittent fasting involves eating for the same 8 to 10 hour period during the most active part of each day. This will limit the time you can eat and give your body more time to burn the calories you eat. As a result, you may find that you eat less. Determine the most suitable window for you and eat only during this time period every day.
   • For example, you can eat from 8:00 to 16:00 - have breakfast at 8:00, lunch at 12:00 and dinner at 16:00.

Tips

• Try to cook at home whenever possible. This will make it much easier for you to control foods and portion sizes. Plus, it can help you save money and have healthy, nutritious food on hand at all times.
• Avoid exotic diets that suggest avoiding any major food groups. These diets can produce impressive results at first, but you are unlikely to be able to stick to them for a long time.
• Let yourself relax from time to time! If you eat well most of the time, you can sometimes indulge yourself with a serving of ice cream, a chocolate bar, or a glass of wine.

Warnings

• Check with your doctor if you are unsure if your weight is normal. Your doctor will be able to determine if you should lose weight or gain weight.
• Talk to your doctor if you find yourself dreaming about food. Constantly thinking about food is a sign that you are not eating enough. If you start to get obsessed with your diet and food, consult your doctor.