Basic healthy diet and living

A person following any type of healthy diet doesn’t certainly mean to lose weight,infact maintaining a healthy diet helps individuals to stay healthy and fit.

Being healthy doesn’t only mean on to staying lean and slim,it is a state in which a body is in perfect physiological,mental and emotional shape and balance.

This balance between physiological,mental and emotional states could be achieved by having right amount of nutritional and whole diet through foods ,adequate amount of water and some form of physical activity.

#Benefits of a healthy diet:

1.Manages Diabetes
2.Prevents cardio vascular diseases
3.Strong bones and teeth
4.Better mood
5.Increses memory and concentration
6.Promotes good gut health
7.Manages weight and prevents obesity
8.Increases immunity
9.Maintance healthy and glowing skin

10.Induces a good night’s sleep

So what does a basic healthy diet looks like???

A healthy diet includes:

#Macro nutrients:These are those nutrients which our body needs in large amount.These includes:

-Carbohydrates, proteins and amino acid,fats,fibres,vitamins, macrominerals and water.

#Micro nutrients: These are those nutrients which us humans take/require in small amount.These includes:

–Certain vitamins and micro minerals.

The following recommended allowance is for diet within 2000 kcal/day.

1.CARBOHYDRATES:

-Carbohydrates forms the major constituent of our diet.

-According to recommended dietary allowance(RDA) given by Indian medical council research(ICMR) for indians,about 55-65% of daily calories should come from carbohydrates.

-Carbs for a person should be atleast 4-5grams/kg of body weight i.e about 250-350 grams per day.

–Carbs rich foods:

–High carb veggies:sweet potatoes,corn ,legumes and beetroots

–High carb fruits:Banana,apple,mango

High carb grains:

Quinoa,brown rice,oats,wheat

2.Proteins:

-According to RDA by ICMR about 15-20% of total daily calories should come from proteins.

-Proteins for an individual person should be atleast 0.8-1 gram/kg of body weight i.e about 45-55 grams per day.

–Protein rich foods:

–Veg source: chick pea,Green peas,kidney beans,milk,lentils, paneer(cottage cheese),soy bean,tofu,nuts,almond,peanuts

–Non veg source:chicken breast, salmon,tuna,turkey breast,egg whites

3.Fats:

-According to RDA by ICMR about 20-30 percent of total daily calories should come from fat. 

-Fats for an individual person should be atleast 0.5-0.8 grams/kg of body weight i.e about 40-70 grams per day.

–Fat rich foods:

-Avocado,cheese,dark chocolate,whole egg,olive oil,ghee and butters,olive oils.

4.Fibers:

-According to RDA given by ICMR daily fiber intake should be about 0.3-0.4 grams per kg of weight i.e about 25-30 grams of fibers per day.

–Fiber rich foods:

–Fruits:

Apple,banana, strawberries, oranges

–Veggies:

Broccoli,carrot,beetroot, potato.

–Whole grain:

Breads and cereals

5.Vitamins:

VitaminA(Retinol), VitaminD(cholecalciferol) ,Vitamin E(Tocopherol) ,Vitamin k(phylloquinone) , Vitamin C(Ascorbic acid)

Vit.B1(Thiamine) ,Vit.B2(Riboflavin),Vit.B3(Niacin) ,Vit.B5(panthetonicacid) ,Vit.B6(pyridoxine) ,Vit B7(Biotin) ,Vit.B9(Folate) ,Vit.B12(Cobalamine

6.Minerals:

-Macrominerals:

These are those minerals which we require in large amounts.

Calcium ,Magnesium,Phosphorus,Sodium,Potassium

–Microminerals:

These are those minerals which we require in small amounts.

Chromium,copper,iron,zinc,molybdenum,selenium,fluorine,iodide,manganese.

Vitamin and mineral rich foods:

–Vitamin A :sweet potato, spinach, carrots

–Vitamin C :oranges, peppers, broccoli, and bananas

-Vitamin B1:Beef, legumes,oranges,seeds,eggs

–Vitamin B12 : beef, fish, cheese, and eggs

–Zinc :beef, cashews, garbanzo beans, and turkey

–Calcium : milk, yogurt, spinach

–Iron:apple,banana, pomegranate

-Potassium : bananas, spinach, potatoes, and apricots

7.Water:

-Drink lots and lots of water because water is the key for many health benefits.

-Atleast 2500ml or 3000 ml should be consumed by a normal functioning adult.

8.Calories:

-Calorie maintenance is a vast concept,I won’t go into deep.

-Calories should be maintained according to our height,weight,activity level,age and sex.

-But an approximate calorie consumption for an avg.adult female to maintain their weight is about 1500- 2000kcal/day.

-For an avg.adult men is 2000-3000kcal/day for maintaining their weight.

9.Working out:

Also,every individual must add some form of physical activity in their daily life such as swimming,running, jogging,weight liftings,or any type of physical work to make themselves more stronger and healthier.

#Foods to avoid:

-Highly processed foods

–Sugary drinks

–Fast foods

-White sugar

-cakes and pastries with excess frosting

–Instant noodles and other foods

Treating yourself with ice creams,fast foods, fried food,cake, pastries and desserts once a week is fine because such treats has a positive psychological response just because we enjoy it and as we know this food does not have any nutritional value this should be avoided as much as possible.

So just by including these healthy foods in your daily breakfast,lunch,snacks, and dinner;drinking adequate water and exercising daily you would be a lot fitter and stronger than you were before.