Whatever your New Year’s Resolution is, a healthy and balanced diet will provide many benefits in 2020 and beyond. What we eat and drink, how well we exercise and rest can affect our body’s ability to fight infections, as well as how likely we are to develop health problems later in life. How then can we live healthily?
Here are a few tips for a healthy lifestyle:
Eat a variety of foods: our bodies are exceptionally complex and no single food contains all the nutrients we need for them to work at their best. Our diets must, therefore, contain a wide variety of fresh and nutritious foods. Some tips to ensure a balanced diet:
- Aim to mix staple foods with legumes, plenty of fresh fruits and veg and foods from animal sources.
- Choose wholegrain foods like unprocessed rice, wheat, etc; they are rich in valuable fibre.
- For snacks, choose raw veggies and fruits rather than foods with a high amount of sugars and salt.
Cut back on salt: too much salt can raise blood pressure which is a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Always go for products with lower salt contents.
Reduce the use of certain fats and oil: we all need some fat in our diets but eating too much especially the wrong kind increases the risk of obesity, heart disease and stroke. Tips to reduce fat consumption:
- Choose white meat like poultry and fish.
- Try steaming or boiling instead of frying foods while cooking.
- Check labels and avoid processed, fast and fried foods that contain industrially produced trans fat.
Limit sugar intake: too much sugar is not only harmful to our teeth but increases the risk of unhealthy weight gain which can lead to serious health problems.
Avoid hazardous and harmful alcohol use: remember, less alcohol consumption is always better for your health and it is perfectly okay not to drink.
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