During the warmer months due to vacations and summer fun we sometimes find ourselves veering off course in terms of our eating habits. Perhaps ice cream has replaced fruit for your sweet treat during the day. Or maybe you are eating more barbecued food or are ordering in because it is too hot and you are too exhausted to cook.
Here are some tips to ensure that you will eat as nutritiously as possible not just in the summer months but all 12 months of the year!
Eating nutritiously is all about balance and moderation with some variety thrown in for. In order to eat as healthy as possible it is important that you consume an array of foods that are rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. While there are plenty of healthy foods that you can choose from to eat, no one food can provide you with all of the nutrients you require. In fact, each person requires more than 40 nutrients in order to remain in good health.
When selecting foods to eat on a consistent basis, regardless of the time of the year, choose fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, poultry and other foods for protein. But that is not all.
You also need to choose low fat dairy products, whole grain bread and other whole grain products such as pasta and cereals. It is recommended that every person eat three to five servings of vegetables a day and two to four servings of fruit a day.
Do you tend to be someone who is very particular about what they eat? In other words, a picky or fussy eater? If yes then it helps to know that you have plenty of options to pick from for your meals and your snacks. Have some fun with this by experimenting with different foods and recipes. You might even want to try a new fruit or vegetable every week or every other week. Just think- you will be supplying your body with what it needs and you will never get bored!
It is hard to discuss nutritious eating without making mention of weight.
A healthy body weight and healthy eating are connected. If you maintain healthy eating habits and a healthy lifestyle then maintaining a body weight that is good for you should not be a problem. It is important to bear in mind however that everyone’s ideal weight is not the same. What is right for you is not necessarily right for the other people in your life. The ideal weight for a person is dependent upon their gender, age, height and genetic makeup.
Having too much fat on your body can put you at risk for a variety of diseases including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer. It can also place an excessive amount of pressure on your back and the rest of your skeletal system which can lead to back aches, headaches and pain in the arms and legs.
On the other hand, being underweight can also lead to health problems such as osteoporosis, menstrual irregularities, etc. If you find that you are prone to crash dieting and do not have sensible eating habits then seek out the help of a registered dietitian to improve your lifestyle and health choices in this area.
Remember if you’re looking to eat healthy to lose weight, then a healthy diet, as explained here, is just one leg of the weight loss stool.
Becca
Hi Becca,
I must say your blogs are very informative, and I look forward to each and every one of them 🙂 Just wondering, do you have a website? I’d like to bookmark it for future reference.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon,
Faith
My Holistic Temple
http://myholistictemple.wordpress.com
Thank you for your comment Faith. Apart from this blog I also do a lot of writing on health related topics at http://www.smokingliberation.com for Erika Slater – A well known hypnotist in the metro-west Boston Massachusetts area. Erika specializes in smoking cessation and weight loss and I contribute a lot of material to her blog.
Becca Scott