To set yourself up for success, think about planning a healthy diet as a number of small, manageable steps rather than one big drastic change. If you approach the changes gradually and with commitment, you will have a healthy diet sooner than you think.- Simplify. Instead of being overly concerned with counting calories or measuring portion sizes, think of your diet in terms of color, variety, and freshness. This way it should be easier to make healthy choices. Focus on finding foods you love and easy recipes that incorporate a few fresh ingredients. Gradually, your diet will become healthier and more delicious.
- Start slow and make changes to your eating habits over time. Trying to make your diet healthy overnight isn’t realistic or smart. Changing everything at once usually leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan. Make small steps, like adding a salad (full of different color vegetables) to your diet once a day or switching from butter to olive oil when cooking. As your small changes become habit, you can continue to add more healthy choices to your diet.
- Every change you make to improve your diet matters. You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to completely eliminate foods you enjoy to have a healthy diet. The long term goal is to feel good, have more energy, and reduce the risk of cancer and disease. Don’t let your missteps derail you—every healthy food choice you make counts.
People often think of healthy eating as an all or nothing proposition, but a key foundation for any healthy diet is moderation. But what is moderation? How much is a moderate amount? That really depends on you and your overall eating habits. The goal of healthy eating is to develop a diet that you can maintain for life, not just a few weeks or months, or until you've hit your ideal weight. So try to think of moderation in terms of balance. Despite what certain fad diets would have you believe, we all need a balance of carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber, vitamins, and minerals to sustain a healthy body.
For most of us, moderation or balance means eating less than we do now. More specifically, it means eating far less of the unhealthy stuff (refined sugar, saturated fat, for example) and more of the healthy (such as fresh fruit and vegetables). But it doesn't mean eliminating the foods you love. Eating bacon for breakfast once a week, for example, could be considered moderation if you follow it with a healthy lunch and dinner—but not if you follow it with a box of donuts and a sausage pizza. If you eat 100 calories of chocolate one afternoon, balance it out by deducting 100 calories from your evening meal. If you're still hungry, fill up with an extra serving of fresh vegetables.
- Try not to think of certain foods as “off-limits.” When you ban certain foods or food groups, it is natural to want those foods more, and then feel like a failure if you give in to temptation. If you are drawn towards sweet, salty, or unhealthy foods, start by reducing portion sizes and not eating them as often. Later you may find yourself craving them less or thinking of them as only occasional indulgences.
- Think smaller portions. Serving sizes have ballooned recently, particularly in restaurants. When dining out, choose a starter instead of an entree, split a dish with a friend, and don't order supersized anything. At home, use smaller plates, think about serving sizes in realistic terms, and start small. If you don't feel satisfied at the end of a meal, try adding more leafy green vegetables or rounding off the meal with fresh fruit. Visual cues can help with portion sizes–your serving of meat, fish, or chicken should be the size of a deck of cards, a slice of bread should be the size of a CD case, and half a cup of mashed potato, rice, or pasta is about the size of a traditional light bulb.
Healthy eating is about more than the food on your plate—it is also about how you think about food. Healthy eating habits can be learned and it is important to slow down and think about food as nourishment rather than just something to gulp down in between meetings or on the way to pick up the kids.
- Eat with others whenever possible. Eating with other people has numerous social and emotional benefits—particularly for children—and allows you to model healthy eating habits. Eating in front of the TV or computer often leads to mindless overeating.
- Take time to chew your food and enjoy mealtimes. Chew your food slowly, savoring every bite. We tend to rush though our meals, forgetting to actually taste the flavors and feel the textures of our food. Reconnect with the joy of eating.
- Listen to your body. Ask yourself if you are really hungry, or have a glass of water to see if you are thirsty instead of hungry. During a meal, stop eating before you feel full. It actually takes a few minutes for your brain to tell your body that it has had enough food, so eat slowly.
- Eat breakfast, and eat smaller meals throughout the day. A healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, and eating small, healthy meals throughout the day (rather than the standard three large meals) keeps your energy up and your metabolism going.
- Avoid eating at night. Try to eat dinner earlier in the day and then fast for 14-16 hours until breakfast the next morning. Early studies suggest that this simple dietary adjustment—eating only when you’re most active and giving your digestive system a long break each day—may help to regulate weight. After-dinner snacks tend to be high in fat and calories so are best avoided, anyway.
Benefits Of Peanuts For Skin, Hair And Health
1. Rich in energy: Peanuts contain vitamins, minerals, nutrients, anti-oxidants and thus are rich energy sources.
2. Cholesterol: It lowers bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol in the body due to the presence of the mono-unsaturated fatty acids especially Oleic acid that prevents coronary diseases.
3. Growth: Peanuts are rich in proteins. The amino acids present in them are good for proper growth and development of body.
4. Against stomach cancer: Poly-phenolic anti-oxidants are present in the peanuts in high concentrations. P-Coumaric acid has the ability to reduce the risk of stomach cancer by reducing the productions of carcinogenic nitrous-amines.
5. Against heart diseases, nerves diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, and infections: A poly-phenolic anti-oxidant, Resveratrol present in Peanuts prevents heart diseases, cancers, nervous diseases and viral or fungal infections efficiently.
6. Reduces stroke risk: Again the anti-oxidant, Resveratrol in peanuts prevents heart strokes by increasing the production of nitric oxide.
7. Anti-oxidants: Peanuts contain anti-oxidants in high concentrations. These anti-oxidants become more active when peanuts are boiled. There is a 2-fold increase in Biochanin-A and 4-fold increase in Genistein content. And these reduce the damage done by free radicals produced in the body.
8. Protects skin: Vitamin E in peanuts helps in maintaining the integrity of cells of mucous membrane and the skin and thus protects them from free radicals which cause great damage.
9. Peanuts contain B complex, vitamins like niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, vitamin B6, vitamin B9, pantothenic acid etc. 1
0. Minerals: Potassium, manganese, copper, calcium, magnesium, iron, selenium and zinc are some of the minerals present in peanuts. And they all play an important role in many different body functions.
11. Gall stones: Just an ounce of peanuts or two tablespoons of peanut butter each week can save you from gall stones or gallbladder diseases with 25% reduced risk.
12. Low risk of weight gain: Women who eat peanuts or peanut butter at least twice a week are less likely to be susceptible to obesity than those who don’t. So if you are eating peanut butter every morning with bread slices, then you have less chances of gaining weight.
13. Colon cancer: Peanuts can reduce Colon cancer especially in women. Eating at least 2 spoons of peanut butter twice a week can reduce the risk of colon cancer in women by upto 58% and in men by upto 27%.
14. Helps in fertility: If taken before and during early pregnancy, the folic acid lowers the risk of baby being born with serious neural tube defects reduced by up to 70%.
15. Regulates blood sugar: Manganese in peanuts helps in calcium absorption, fats and carbohydrates metabolism and sugar level regulation in blood.
16. Fights depression: Low Serotonin levels leads to depression. Tryptophan in peanuts increases the release of this chemical and thus helps you fight depression. Thus you can see that Peanut benefits to health are many and you should make it a point to take in a minimum of two tablespoons of peanut butter each week in order to keep those dangerous diseases away and stay healthy! Benefits of Peanuts for Skin: Apart from satisfying hunger pangs, consumption of peanuts also makes the skin smooth, supple and younger looking. Some of the benefits of peanuts for skin include:
17. The anti-inflammatory properties of peanuts treat skin disorders like psoriasis and eczema. The fatty acids present in peanuts also reduce swelling and skin redness. Peanuts contain Vitamin E, zinc and magnesium, which keeps the skin glowing from within and fights the bacteria that lead to acne. The protein content in peanuts also helps with cell regeneration.
18. Peanuts contain a relatively good amount of fatty acids which is believed to be critical to the brain’s nerve cells. This brain friendly cell helps with stress management and mood swings to prevent various skin disorders like wrinkles, fine line and dullness.
19. Fiber in nuts is essential for the elimination of toxins and waste. Toxins inside the body reflect on our outside appearance, causing breakout, dullness and excess oil. Eating peanuts regularly helps flush out excess toxins from the body to give you a healthy skin.
20. Peanut is loaded with magnesium which calms our nerve, muscles and blood vessels to provide better blood flow to the skin. This, in turn, gives you a youthful and healthy skin.
21. Skin damage occurs as a result of oxidation, a chemical process in which unstable molecules called free radicals steal electrons from healthy cells. Vitamin E in peanuts defends our skin’s cells against the damage of oxidative stress. It guards our skin from the harsh UV rays of the sun to protect against sun burn and skin damage.
22. Signs of ageing like wrinkles, discoloration and decreased elasticity are one of our biggest beauty concerns. Peanut contains significant amount of Vitamin C which is required for the production of collagen. Collagen is required to sustain tendons, skin and cartilage. It provides firmness and elasticity to the skin to keep it young and supple.
23. Beta carotene, an antioxidant found in peanuts is very critical for skin’s health. It is converted into Vitamin A in the body which helps in the growth and repair of body tissues. Thus peanuts help to heal wounds and bruises at a faster pace.
24. Peanuts are packed with omega 3 fatty acids which help our skin in many ways. Omega 3 fatty acids reduce inflammation in the body to prevent skin eruptions. It lowers the risk of developing squamous cell skin cancer. It also moisturizes and hydrates the skin from within to treat dry and scaly skin.
25. Peanuts are very effective for treating skin problems like pustules, skin rashes and rosacea.
26. Peanut butter facial mask is gaining immense popularity these days. Applying natural peanut butter on the face clears away the dirt and impurities to give you a healthy looking skin. Wash your face with a cleanser and then apply peanut butter on your entire face. Allow the mask to dry and then wash it off by massaging your skin slowly in circular motions. Rinse your face with warm water and pat dry. Do a patch test first and then apply it to the entire face as allergic reactions are very common side effects of peanuts. Girls who are allergic to peanuts should stay away from it. Benefits of Peanuts for Hair:
27. Peanuts contain several hair friendly nutrients that are beneficial for maintaining healthy hair. Peanut contains a high level of omega 3 fatty acids which strengthens scalp health and hair follicles to promote hair growth.
28. Peanut is an excellent source of l-arginine, an amino acid which is very helpful for treating male pattern baldness and to encourage the growth of healthy hair. It also improves the health of artery walls and prevents blood clotting to improve blood flow. A proper blood flow throughout the body and hair is imperative to get healthy and strong hair.
29. Deficiency in vitamin E can lead to brittle and weak hair which can easily break. Including proper level of vitamin E in your diet ensures that the hair roots receive a rich supply of hair healthy vitamins to keep them strong and healthy.
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