Proper Diet and Nutrition

We live in a world where time whizzes by so fast, we don't get time to plan and think for ourselves. We are caught in the game of survival where money matters the most. The result is our lifestyles are now devoid of physical activity and full of unhealthy food.

Our stomach has become a waist basket and therefore, we need intake a well-balanced diet and ensure we get all the necessary nutrients and also cut out on excess calories.

Here is a small guide on how we should plan for a healthy diet:

1. Nutrition experts say that eating frequent small meals over the day, rather than 3 large meals, helps stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels, so long as these meals are nutritionally well balanced. You must try to eat small meals every 2-3 hours and stay off fried food.

2. Include vegetables in your diet as they are packed with the minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and fiber.

3. Go for whole grains instead of the refined, processed ones.

4. Don't go on a crash diet – reduce your food intake gradually.

5. Avoid sodas, cookies and junk food as they contain far too many calories and unhealthy preservatives. If you're hooked on to them, then consume them in moderation – maybe once or twice in a week at the most (provided you don't binge on them).

6. Build in exercise into your routine. You can play a sport or sweat it out in the gym or jog around in the park or work on indoor equipment – it's your choice, so choose an exercise that works best for you. Exercise will burn calories, increase your metabolic rate (which in turn will burn fats faster), keep you in good shape and make you look really cool – yeah, exercise is indispensable and dieting without exercise is no fun!

7. The end-of-the-day meal of the day must be light and sprightly. A heavy end-of-the-day meal can cause heartburn, gastric problems, accumulation of fat, and may even disturb your sleep.

8. Chew well. Most of the time we swallow our meals. We have to understand that our teeth have been given to us to perform an important function – chewing. If we chew well (experts say that every morsel must be chewed 32 times), our stomachs will digest and process the foods better.

---> Step 3 - Exercising Is Essential