What are the best tips for a healthy adult lifestyle?

The best tips for a healthy adult lifestyle

Eat different food

We need more than 40 different nutrients for good health and no single food can provide them all. It's not about food, it's about balanced food choices over time that will make the difference!

A high-fat lunch can be followed by a low-fat dinner.

After a large serving of meat at dinner, maybe fish should be the next day's choice?

Base your diet on lots of high-carb foods

About half the calories in our diet should come from high-carbohydrate foods such as cereals, rice, pasta, potatoes, and bread. It's a good idea to add at least one of these to every meal. Whole grain products such as whole grain breads, pasta, and granola increase your fiber intake.

Replace saturated fat with unsaturated fat

Fats are important for good health and proper functioning of the body. However, too much of it can have a negative impact on our weight and cardiovascular health. Different types of fat have different health effects and some of these tips can help us maintain the right balance:

We need to limit our consumption of total fat and saturated fat (which often comes from foods of animal origin) and avoid trans fats entirely; Reading the label will help identify the source.

Eating fish 2-3 times a week with at least one serving of oily fish contributes to proper intake of unsaturated fats.

When cooking, we should boil, steam or bake, not fry, remove the fatty parts of the meat, use vegetable oil.

Eat more fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are one of the most important foods that provide us with sufficient vitamins, minerals and fiber. We have to eat atleast 5 times a day. For example a glass of fresh fruit juice for breakfast, maybe an apple and a slice of watermelon as a snack and a good portion of different vegetables with each meal.

Reduce salt and sugar intake

High salt intake can cause high blood pressure and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. There are several ways to reduce salt in your diet:

When shopping, we can choose products with lower sodium content.

When cooking, salt can be substituted for spices, which increases the variety of flavors and tastes.

When eating, it's a good idea not to have any salt on the table, or at least not to add salt before tasting.

Eat regularly, control portion sizes

Consuming a wide variety of foods in correct amounts on a regular basis is the best formula for a healthy diet.

Skipping meals, especially breakfast, can lead to uncontrollable hunger, which often leads to helpless overeating. Snacks between meals can help control hunger, but breakfast shouldn't be a substitute for proper nutrition. As a snack, we can choose yogurt, a handful of fresh or dried fruit or vegetables (such as carrots), unsalted nuts, or maybe bread and cheese.

Paying attention to portion sizes helps us not to consume too many calories and allows us to eat all the foods we like without having to go without anything.

Preparing the right amount makes it easier for you to avoid overeating.

Some reasonable serving sizes are: 100 grams of meat; a medium-sized piece of fruit; half cup of raw pasta.

We should eat in smaller plates because it serves smaller amount of meal.

Packaged foods with caloric value on the packaging can help control portions.

If we eat out, we can share portions with friends.

Drink enough fluids

Adults should drink at least 1.5 liters of fluids a day! Or more when the weather is very hot or physically active. Water is of course the best source and we can use tap water or mineral water, sparkling or unscented, fresh or scented. Fruit juices, teas, soft drinks, milk, and other beverages can all be good - once in a while.

Maintain a healthy weight

The right weight for each of us depends on factors such as gender, height, age and genes. Being affected by obesity and being overweight increases your risk for various diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Excess body fat occurs when we eat more than we need. Extra calories can come from high-calorie nutrients - protein, fat, carbohydrates, or alcohol, but fat is the most concentrated source of energy. Physical activity helps us use energy and feel good. The message is relatively simple: if we gain weight, we need to eat less and be more active!

Get used to it, Make it a habit !

Physical activity is important for people of all weight and health. It helps us burn excess calories, is good for the heart and circulation, maintains or increases muscle mass, helps us focus, and improves overall health. We don't have to be top athletes to move! 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week is recommended and can easily become our daily routine. We can all:

use the stairs instead of the elevator,

take a walk during your lunch break (and stretches in our office in between)

Make time for family activities on weekends.

From now on! And gradually continues to change.

Gradual changes in our lifestyle are easier to sustain than major changes all at once. For three days we were able to record the food and drink we consumed throughout the day and the amount of exercise we did. It won't be hard to find where we can improve:

Skipping breakfast? A small bowl of cereal, a piece of bread, or fruit can help slowly introduce it into your daily life

Not enough fruits and vegetables? For starters, we can think of an extra piece per day.

Prefer high-fat foods? Their sudden removal can take revenge and return us to old habits. Instead, we can choose low-fat options, eat less frequently and in smaller portions.

Not enough activity? Using the stairs every day can be a great first step.