To maintain good health, we need to eat a healthy balanced diet. Couldn't be easier could it? Due to our diverse life styles, eating a balanced diet is much harder than we imagine. Most articles dealing with healthy living tend to list food sources that are beneficial and give reasons why we should eat more of them, that's fine as far as it goes, but how do you manage it?
This article is not so much about the right foods, you know what they are, nor is it about a weight loss diet; though if you are overweight, along with some exercise and a healthy diet you will lose weight. This is about strategies that we can adopt to help us eat a more balanced diet long term.
Let's start right there, there are no right and wrong foods. The idea that there are some foods you must not eat is totally wrong. There are though foods you should try to eat more of and those that you should eat less of. You may be able to remain on your diet longer if you realize that you can have an ice cream or chocolate, you just can't do it too often. In other words it is the balance we are after.
Making ridiculous changes to your diet overnight probably isn't a good idea, after a few days your resolve is going to weaken and you will end up reverting to your old ways. It is better to make small changes, this way it will have a more lasting effect.
Before you consider your actual diet, look at your lifestyle. This is very important because you need to plan your meals around your everyday activities. Often people will say "It's hard for me to eat properly because I go out a lot." or "I'm a shift worker and meals are never at the right time." These are valid reasons, but they can be overcome with proper planning. |
