Proper nutrition

Recently, the topic of proper nutrition has become increasingly popular. And this is not at all surprising, because natural beauty has confidently come into fashion, the manifestation of which is possible only with the correct daily routine and diet. Having overpowered yourself in nutrition once, you simply will not be able to stop, as you will feel a significant, and most importantly positive, difference both in your well-being and in your appearance. So, today the topic is proper nutrition.

The essence of proper nutrition

First of all, the essence of proper nutrition, of course, is the complete exclusion of all harmful foods from the diet. Just don’t try to do it all at once and in one day - it won’t work anyway, but your mood will drop. Start by gradually reducing the amount of unhealthy foods and foods, then everything will be easier from a psychological point of view. First of all, start with fast food, then fried, fatty, smoked, etc. It is not recommended to completely exclude fried foods and other foods from your diet (except fast food and cola). Maybe a little, but some of it will remain present. This is due to the fact that the body does not get used to it. Otherwise, if you ever have to eat some of this in the future, your body may simply reject the food.

Proper nutrition includes a meal schedule. It’s not enough to eat healthy, you also need to eat at the same time. Determine in advance the period during which you will eat and try to stick to it as much as possible. Then your body will work like a clock.

You need to eat often (about 5-6 times a day), but in small portions. This will allow you to constantly feel full without stretching your stomach.

Have dinner no later than 2 hours before bedtime. It doesn't have to be six o'clock in the evening. If, for example, you go to bed at 12 at night, but you should eat your last meal no later than ten in the evening. At the same time, do not forget that dinner is the “lightest” meal, just like the portion. Eat so that the total time between breakfast and dinner is 12 hours.

40% of the total diet should be fruits and vegetables. They contain a lot of vital vitamins and microelements, as well as fiber, which regulates the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and monitors cleanliness of the intestines.

Try to include cereals for breakfast. They are nutritious and very healthy. And the absorbents included in their composition also help cleanse the body, and this is a beautiful figure and clear skin!

Don't neglect nuts, legumes and seeds; they contain a lot of dietary fiber, unsaturated acids and potassium. It is advisable to eat them without salt, and eat nuts only raw.

Fermented milk products should be present on your table every day - this is the basis for healthy intestinal function and maintaining its microflora.

Every day the body should receive at least 60 g of protein. It can be extracted from animal products, such as meat, eggs, milk, etc. Lean on fish - it is a rich source of phosphorus.

Monitor your water-salt balance. You need to drink at least 30 ml of water per kilogram of weight per day.

Fall in love with dried fruits if you were cold to them before. They will bring invaluable benefits.

The number of calories per day, with proper nutrition, should not exceed 2,000.

Skip white bread for gray bread. It is advisable that coarse flour be used in its production.

Separate food

Supporters of separate meals adhere to the rule that not all foods are compatible with each other. And there is a grain of truth in this. For example, tomatoes and cucumbers, contrary to their usual use in tandem, do not go well together. Of course, after eating them, no one will run to the toilet, but they can cause increased gas production. Therefore, it is better to try to eat them separately with a short interval. It is also worth mentioning that “digging” deeper can make your head spin. Each specialist has his own opinion about separate nutrition. Some people consider the same products to be compatible, while others consider them the opposite. Get ready to learn all the basics the hard way.

When two incompatible foods appear in the stomach at the same time, it is difficult for the body to digest them, and unoxidized proteins and carbohydrates are sent to fats. The time interval for safe consumption of mixed food is 2 hours.

By consuming only products that are compatible with each other, you make the work of your stomach easier. This helps normalize metabolism.

You can see product compatibility in the table below. Select two products, one on top and one on the side, at the point of their intersection, look at the number, and then its decoding. For example, sauerkraut and meat are designated “5” - this indicates a high degree of compatibility. While meat and pasta have a compatibility level of “1”, which is very bad.

How to eat healthy

Ideally, the maximum amount of food on your table should be prepared or grown by you yourself. Unfortunately, on the shelves of both vegetable and grocery stores there are a lot of goods treated with chemicals or grown with their use. And this is already wrong. There will be an illusion that you are eating healthy food, thereby slowly killing yourself.

But even among so many pesticides, you can find decent food. It’s just difficult to detect this “by eye”. It would be a good idea to purchase a nitrate meter. You can use it to go shopping and markets, checking the amount of harmful substances in vegetables and fruits.

For breakfast Eat 60% of your daily carbohydrate intake, 30% protein and 20% fat. At lunch, be sure to eat the first and second courses. Dinner is the lightest, low-calorie.

If you want to eat healthy, learn how to create a menu. Determine the duration yourself, but from experience, a week is considered the most optimal period. There will be an opportunity to purchase everything you need over the weekend. Try to eat freshly prepared food, it contains the maximum amount of nutrients. During subsequent heating, they may be lost and the food itself loses its original taste.

Read literature on proper nutrition written by doctors. Do not take books by unknown authors or those who are far from medicine. This will save money and preserve precious health.

Proper nutrition: breakfast

Breakfast is the most important element of proper nutrition. It has been scientifically proven that people who neglect their morning meals are 4 times more likely to be obese than those who eat in the morning. It helps start the metabolic process and is very important for those who wants to lose weight without harm to health and diets. Skipping breakfast means a 30% lower metabolism.

Some people are looking for reasons why they don’t eat in the morning, while others simply do. No time? So you don’t need much to prepare it. We bring to your attention examples of several breakfasts that are quick to prepare and at the same time very healthy and nutritious.

Protein breakfast

A protein breakfast can be used if you want to get your figure in order. Proteins are very beneficial for muscles and are simply irreplaceable during physical activity.

• An omelet or scrambled egg prepared in the usual way is just right. You should cook with sunflower or olive oil, but not with margarine! In addition, you can eat green peas, bell peppers or tomatoes.
• Cottage cheese, to which a spoon is added honey with your favorite berries - no cooking required at all, but tasty and healthy.
• Soft cheese, such as ricotta, in which a spoonful of jam is stirred.

It is not advisable to eat meat for breakfast, since the gastrointestinal tract is just beginning its work, and this food will be very heavy for it.

Breakfast on carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are a source of energy, both physical and mental. Therefore, during intellectual activity it is better to give preference to it.

• Porridge comes first! And among them the leaders are oatmeal and buckwheat. Boiled in water or milk - it doesn’t matter, they still won’t lose their beneficial properties. But millet, corn, pearl barley and other porridges are not far behind (with the exception of semolina). Slow carbohydrates provide energy for at least 4 hours, which is just enough until the lunch break.
• Fruit salad. Of course, this option is more suitable for the summer. In winter it is more problematic to do so. But if possible, you can have breakfast with assorted fresh fruits, seasoned with natural yogurt without additives.

This is just a small example of what you can eat in the morning without spending a lot of time on it. As an assistant, you can purchase a multicooker that will work in delayed mode, preparing, for example, porridge before you wake up.

Proper nutrition: lunch

In the modern world, where people’s busyness simply goes beyond all limits, it is difficult to find time for a full lunch. But, as mentioned earlier, it must necessarily consist of dishes of two categories: first and second. Carrying such portions from home is difficult, but possible. To do this, you need to purchase special food containers with divisions. Or, if you can’t find it, two containers with tight lids.

If there is a canteen near your work, then it is better to go there at lunchtime. There you can enjoy fresh soup and a main course. Only to the dining room, and not to McDuck and the like.

Proper nutrition: dinner

As the famous proverb says, “...give dinner to the enemy.” This didn't happen without luck. In the evening, the body, like you, wants to rest, it is preparing for sleep and it can no longer handle heavy food. Try to compare for yourself. You worked all day, came home exhausted, all your thoughts were only about the shower and bed. But that’s not the case, you are forced to unload the coal cars. How do you like this arrangement? Your body feels the same when, instead of eating a light meal, you gorge yourself on fatty and heavy foods.

Remember, the best thing to do is to stay hungry and eat whatever you can get your hands on for weeks. You should not eat carbohydrates in the evening; in addition to your figure, this will negatively affect the state of the gastrointestinal tract. Dinner may include a small amount of fiber and protein.

This could be fish with vegetables, boiled chicken breast, unsweetened fruits or vegetables, a protein omelet (the same omelet, only you need to remove the yolks before frying), etc.

Snacks on a healthy diet

Snacks are needed so that in the intervals between main meals you do not feel exhausting hunger. Snacks should also be taken at the same time. You will determine it for yourself, based on personal preferences and basic routine.

The purpose of a snack is that it should be low in calories and nutritious just enough so as not to interrupt your appetite for lunch or dinner, for example.

As a rule, fruits, vegetables, nuts, slices of cheese, natural yogurt, kefir, dried fruits, etc. are chosen as “support”. They are very convenient to take with you to work or outside, to places where you need to replenish your energy reserves without wasting time.

And remember, no chocolates, sandwiches or other pests!

Meal menu for the week

As mentioned earlier, the menu should be compiled based on personal preferences, based on the rules for the distribution of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. We will provide an approximate weekly menu. You can stick to it, or create something of your own.

Monday:

• in the morning muesli or oatmeal;
• for lunch, borscht and cottage cheese casserole;
• for dinner poultry with fresh vegetables.

Tuesday:

• millet porridge seasoned with raisins;
• chicken noodle soup and fruit salad for lunch;
• stewed fish with rice and vegetables for dinner.

Wednesday:

• morning oatmeal (with water or milk - optional);
• cabbage soup with bread and cottage cheese casserole for lunch;
• stew with vegetables for dinner.

Thursday:

• for breakfast, millet porridge seasoned with honey;
• for lunch, fish soup and potato casserole with broccoli;
• for dinner, steamed chicken cutlets and vegetable salad.

Friday:

• barley porridge with dried fruits for breakfast;
• borscht and cottage cheese casserole for lunch;
• fish with rice and fresh vegetables for dinner.

Saturday:

• muesli for the morning;
• green soup with whole grain bread and rice baba with fruit for lunch;
• baked meat with vegetables for dinner.

Sunday:

• scrambled eggs with bread and cheese for breakfast;
• buckwheat and meatball soup, cottage cheese cake for lunch;
• meat stew with vegetables for dinner.

Proper nutrition: menu for every day

When creating a healthy nutrition menu for every day and sticking to it, try not to forget about the following:

• Never overeat. Leave the table a little hungry. Remember, the volume of your stomach is your palms folded together into a “bowl”. Anything above is an excess. The feeling of “imaginary” hunger goes away after 10-15 minutes.
• Eat slowly, chew each bite thoroughly - this way the food is better absorbed, and you will quickly fill up with a small amount of food.
• Don't eat when you feel angry or sad. This is emotional hunger - it cannot be encouraged!
• The optimal interval between meals is 3-4 hours. Try not to allow omissions.
• Have breakfast no later than 2 hours after waking up, and it is better to have lunch between 13 and 15 hours.
• Sometimes, thirst can be perceived as hunger. Therefore, when the opportunity arises, drink a glass of clean water and check whether you really wanted to eat.

Try to follow these simple rules and you will notice how your body will transform in a short time.

Proper nutrition for weight loss

The main reason why people gain extra pounds is because they neglect their own diet. Randomly eating everything that comes to hand, in huge quantities, cannot pass without leaving a mark on the figure. The body can hold out for a month, six months, a year, but then the metabolism is disrupted and it begins to lose ground. Unsightly fat appears on the sides, stomach, and legs, once appetizing places become overgrown with cellulite, and self-dislike arises.

Wise ancestors always said: “Wedges are knocked out with wedges” and they were 100% right. If the cause of weight gain and increase in size was nutrition, then you need to return everything to normal in the same way. Not diets, but proper nutrition, which will be balanced. You shouldn’t expect super quick results, and you didn’t lose your figure in one day. But you need to know that the forms returned in this way will not disappear, and the work will not go down the drain.

Everything written above can be used both for those who are satisfied with their body and health, but want to start eating right, and for those who want to change their figure for the better.

Attention, proper nutrition will help you lose weight only if the cause of excess weight is disordered eating. If the disorders are caused by third-party diseases, then you first need to cure them, and only then engage in weight loss. Get diagnosed by a specialist, and then make a decision. 

Recipes for proper nutrition

Now that you’ve decided how to eat properly, it won’t hurt to know a couple of recipes for dishes that are suitable for a balanced diet. To this end, we suggest you watch the video, which shows three recipes: for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They are very simple and that makes it even tastier.

Believe in yourself, set a goal and boldly go towards it no matter what. Remember, at the finish line an attractive lady, radiant with health and bursting with energy, is waiting for you - that’s you, leading a healthy lifestyle!