Three Key Components of a Healthy Diet
By: Deborah Shteierman
Part of living a healthy lifestyle is eating a nutritious diet that provides your body with the nutrients it needs from wholesome foods. Whether you need to lose weight or simply maintain a healthy weight, there are a few things to keep in mind when planning a healthy eating pattern.
Include all food groups
The five food groups are Proteins, Vegetables, Fruits, Grains, and Dairy. Each one of these food groups provides essential vitamins and minerals that our bodies need in order to function. Despite popular diet trends that encourage cutting out things like carbs, etc. eliminating food categories, can actually cause more harm than good. Unless you have an allergy, or food sensitivity, limiting specific food groups could result in a nutrient deficiency.
Don’t Restrict
In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, it’s important not to over restrict yourself. If you never allow yourself to enjoy foods that you love, which may be less nutritious, you may come to resent your healthy food choices altogether. Even worse, if you constantly tell yourself “no,” your self-control will only hold out so long and you can end up bingeing on all sorts of food that isn’t good for you. Stay ahead of the game and allow yourself to indulge every once in a while. In the long run, it’s a good move.
Eat a Variety of Foods
Including a variety of foods in your meals and snacks is a good way to keep things interesting, and prevent getting bored. A common complaint among some health conscious people is that eating healthfully gets boring. Who wants to eat salad and grilled chicken day in and day out? Well, the short answer is: you don’t have to! With some recipe hunting and planning, you can prepare and enjoy a wide range of good-for-you foods that are satisfying More importantly, different foods provide different nutrients, so eating a varied diet ensures that your body is getting everything it needs to keep you healthy.
http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/chapter-1/a-closer-look-inside-healthy-eating-patterns/