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Have you ever heard the phrase – ‘Your body is your temple’? If yes, then do you know what does it mean? While people take it in a different context – the literal meaning of this phrase is that you should respect your body, just as you respect a holy or sacred place. It is because your soul resides in your body!
Just you keep a temple clean and maintained – your body needs your care and attention as well. And the journey to start respecting your body begins with your eating habits. You are what you eat. So hence if you want a healthy lifestyle you need to switch your eating habits.
Many people struggle with their diet plans. One of the major reasons behind this is wrong or inadequate planning. With the right and healthy diet plan, you can easily get used to eating balanced and healthy meals. Which is why we have listed some smart tips and tricks that will help you map out your weekly/monthly meal plan with a healthy food list.
1. Welcome Whole Grains To Your Life:
People who want to switch their diet plan from unhealthy to healthy must add whole grains in their meal. Whole grains are enriched with dietary fibres that improve digestion and hence play a key role in keeping you healthy and active. With improved metabolism and digestion, whole grains prevent obesity and weight gain. Furthermore, whole grains also provide your body with nutrients such as proteins, antioxidants and Vitamin B, etc. So adding whole grains to your meal plan is a healthy and wholesome option.
2. Befriend Veggies and Fruits:
When planning your healthy diet plan, don’t forget to add vegetables and fruits. In fact, a healthy meal plan requires you to fill at least half of your plate with veggies and fruits. Eating fruits and vegetables, not only provides your body with all the essential nutrients but also provides other health benefits as well. People who consume an adequate amount of fruits and vegetables have fresh and glowing skin, healthy hair, etc. So hence, you must add fruits and vegetable to all your three meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner.
3. Fat-free Dairy Products Are Good:
Unless you are lactose intolerant, skipping the dairy products is not a wise decision. Dairy products also contain several nutrients and enzymes which our body require for proper functioning. One of the reasons why most people took out the dairy products from their meal plans is fat! However, the easy option is to consume fat-free dairy products.
4. Don’t Forget The Lean Proteins:
Proteins are the building blocks of many things in our body such as nails, hair, etc. Therefore, our body requires an adequate amount of proteins. You can easily get lean proteins from meat such as chicken, beef, or turkey, eggs, beans and nuts. Also, if you are a vegan you can replace the eggs and meat with mushrooms – as mushrooms are also a rich source of proteins. Moreover, to maintain a balanced and healthy diet make sure that you consume seafood at least twice a week.
5. Say Good-bye To Heavy Sauces & Gravies:
If you really want to healthy then you have to cut out the heavy gravy and sauces from your life. Not only these sauces and gravies contain lots of calories, but also slow down your metabolism. If you experience heartburn, acidity, nausea etc after eating your meal – it is probably because of all the sauces or gravy you consumed. Which is why one of the rules to start eating healthy is to avoid such food items. The best alternative is the steamed, grilled or baked food. This way the nutrients of the food would not be lost, hence a win-win situation.
6. Savour Your Sweet Tooth With Healthy Options:
One of the misconceptions about healthy meal plans is that people think to take off the deserts from the healthy food list. Eating healthy doesn’t mean any deserts. Just replace your regular sweet delights with healthy ones. Make use of fruit salads and use honey for dressing. Add some cinnamon powder on top of it and satisfy your sweet tooth. Moreover, there are other healthy options to savour your sweet thirst. However, don’t consume too much of sugary products.
7. Keep Your Meals Interesting:
Do you know the biggest reason why people stop following their diet plan? It’s because they get bore of their same meal routine. Therefore, when planning your meal plan, make sure to keep it interesting. Don’t stick to basic dishes. Explore the cooking world and try out new and delicious yet healthy dishes. You can easily find the dishes online. Trying new food would keep you motivated to continue eating healthy food items.
8. Give Yourself A Break:
The most important thing about mapping out a healthy diet plan is to give yourself a treat. Yes, we are talking about a cheat day! But wait, don’t get too excited. We are not suggesting a cheat day every week. Add a cheat day after two weeks in your diet plan – or at least once a month allows yourself to eat whatever you want to. however, whether you choose to eat out or at home don’t forget to count your calories and nutrient intake.
Start From Small Changes!
You can’t rush yourself into a healthy lifestyle. It takes time, patience, determination and consistency. If your overburden yourself to adopt a lifestyle you are actually moving backwards instead of forward. A wiser plan of action is to start making small changes such as adding more fruits and vegetables in your plate, or steaming, grilling or baking your food instead of frying etc. Furthermore, your journey towards healthy should be fun. Therefore you should try and mix different foods. Shuffle your weekly meal plans to keep it interesting. Cook your own food, set small goals. And remember one thing, don’t be so hard on yourself. Cheer your little accomplishments and stick to the plan!
