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The 10 Rules To Eating Healthy: Snacking Is Healthy, So Is Fat; Read More Here

The only problem with cultivating healthy eating habits is that it looks like work. That kills the joy of trying to follow a healthy diet plan. Also, sticking to a rule always seems boring. Is there a way out? How to eat your favourite foods and still stay healthy? Wouldn't it be great to be able to munch something tasty and still maintain a healthy weight?

There's a lot of advice out there about what kinds of food you should be eating and avoiding. Proper nutrition helps prevent cancer, heart disease, and other serious ailments and helps one lose weight and also help keep the extra, unhealthy pounds off.

Today, Boldsky will help you with the top 10 rules for healthy eating, which consists of the best scientific advice on selecting foods for promoting health, preventing disease and maintaining or losing weight.

Note: These guidelines apply to most healthy people.

10 Rules To Eating Healthy

The 10 Rules To Eating Healthy

Under this section, the major 10 'rules' to healthy eating will be explained, along with some additional tips we deemed helpful for healthy eating habits. Take a look.

Breakfast

Rule 1: Ensure that your breakfast doesn't exceed 300 calories. Whether it is idli or puri, or poha, ensure that you follow the calorie count. For this, you can stick to foods with fewer calories, such as apples, oats, soup, and as aforementioned, steamed foods such as idli or puri made with no oil.

Rule 2: Your breakfast should supply at least 10 grams of protein, a small amount of healthy fat and fibre. If it contains grains, make it a point to have whole grains and not refined grains. You can consume eggs, milk, quinoa, Greek yoghurt, beans, peanut butter etc., for healthy protein [1].

Lunch

Rule 3: Ensure that your lunch never exceeds 400-500 calories. Whether you eat roti or a sandwich along with salads, maintain that calorie range. Some of the simplest ways to cut down calories in your food are skipping a second serving, using substitutes (low-calorie butter etc.), using a plate to eat your lunch, avoiding TV during eating (makes you eat more).

Rule 4: Your lunch must contain 50 per cent vegetables. If you are eating vegetables with rice, fill your plate half with vegetables only [2][3].

Indian Diet For Weight Loss: Foods To Eat, Foods To Avoid And MoreIndian Diet For Weight Loss: Foods To Eat, Foods To Avoid And More

Dinner

Rule 5: Your dinner should not exceed 400 calories. Eating a heavy meal at night is not advisable for the lifestyle that most of us follow.

Rule 6: Your dinner plate must also contain 50 per cent vegetables (non-starchy such as radish, carrots, leafy veggies, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, pumpkin, cucumber, spring onions, celery, tomato, pepper, mushroom, broccoli, okra, eggplant, cauliflower etc.), 25 per cent protein and whole grains [4].

Snacking

Rule 7: Whenever there is a gap of more than three hours between your main meals, you can enjoy a snack. But it should not exceed 100 calories. You can snack on popcorn, fruits, almonds, fruit smoothies, carrot with hummus, apple slices with peanut butter etc.

Rule 8: Ensure that even your snacks contain healthy fat, fibre and protein to make you feel full and reduce your cravings. No processed food, please!

11 Healthy Indian Snacks To Ease Your Hunger11 Healthy Indian Snacks To Ease Your Hunger

Rule 9: You can treat yourself to your favourite food once a day if it is not above 100 calories.

Rule 10: If you are dying to eat processed food, you can do it (only) once a month without feeling guilty about it. You can also buy all the ingredients in their natural form and prepare them at home [5].

10 Rules To Eating Healthy

# Golden Rule To Eating Healthy

Eat foods with five or fewer ingredients that a kid can pronounce. That is, ingredients in most processed (and unhealthy foods) will definitely be more than five and contains lots of additives that you know little about [6].

Some more tips for healthy eating:

  • Do not starve yourself to lose weight, as it will definitely backfire, resulting in you overindulging.
  • Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are known as the "good fats" because they are good for your heart, your cholesterol, and your overall health.
  • Cut down on processed foods.
  • Limit your sodium and sugar consumption.
  • Eat meat and fish in moderation; instead of eating a whole steak, stir fry a little chicken/meat with lots of vegetables [7].
  • Do not eat till you are full.
  • Eat foods that have a short shelf-life.
  • Buy organic whenever possible.
  • Cook more and eat less from outside.
  • And of course, drink water and fresh juices, and NOT sodas and energy drinks [8].

Last But Not Least, Enjoy Your Food

Finally, healthy eating does not have to be a 'task'. Eat in a way so that the food you consume benefits you towards a lifestyle built on healthy choices that are going to work for the long-term. Eat nutritious foods, and always remember, food should be something you enjoy and nourishes you, not something that just fuels you. Eating food does not have to be a controlled and calculated move- it is something you should enjoy.