Top 5 Tips For Dieting and Healthy Eating
Learn the top 5 tips for dieting and healthy eating from this beginner-friendly guide.
Healthy eating is not just about weight loss. Sure, losing weight can make you look and feel better. But dieting does more than give you a flatter stomach. Reaching and maintaining your ideal weight can help you reduce the risk of diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. A healthy diet gives you more energy, helps you live longer, and improves your quality of life.
OK, so what is a healthy diet? We’re not here to discuss the latest diet trends or buzzworthy ingredients. Instead of trying new diets every few months, you must change your eating habits to achieve and sustain long-term results. How can you lose weight and keep it off? Follow these five tips to enjoy a leaner, healthier, and happier you:
Work With a Nutritional Counselor
You know everything there is to know about dieting, don’t you? Go low fat, eat fewer calories, and replace sugar with artificial sweeteners ⏤ right? Well, that’s the problem. Most people are guilty of committing these common weight loss mistakes. Here’s a fun fact for you: Low-fat diets don’t make you lose weight. On the contrary, low-fat foods make you fatter!
This is why you must work with a nutritional counselor. Nutritionists are certified professionals who develop evidence-based meal plans that deliver effective results. With these specialized health and wellness services, you can break the cycle of dieting, losing weight, and gaining it all back again. Schedule regular follow-ups with your nutritionist to maintain a healthy weight.
Eat More Often
Did you do a double-take? Yes, you read that right. Effective dieting involves eating more often. A study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed that people who ate more frequently were leaner than those who consumed fewer meals. Are you wondering why? When you skip meals or wait too long to eat, you’re more likely to make unhealthy food choices.
Eating more often helps you keep hunger pangs at bay. To maintain a healthy weight, aim for three meals a day with snacks in between. This doesn’t mean you can munch on junk food like cookies and chips between meals. You must eat nutrient-rich snacks to boost your metabolism and burn more calories. Here are some healthy snacks you can add to your diet:
- Mixed nuts
- Chia pudding
- Dark chocolate
- Fruit yogurt
- Roasted chickpeas
Slow Down Your Eating
If you’re struggling to lose weight, the speed at which you eat may have something to do with it. The feeling of hunger and satiety are controlled by hormones. It takes about 20 minutes for the
brain to receive satiety signals from hormones in your stomach. Eating slowly helps you take in less food during this time, resulting in fewer calorie consumption and increased weight loss.
With so much going on in our lives, taking the time to enjoy our food can seem like a pipe dream. But teaching yourself to eat slower delivers plenty of benefits for your overall well-being. So how can you slow down your eating? Set aside at least 30 minutes for each meal. While eating, focus on your food, chew more, and swallow only when the morsel is fully liquified.
Pack on the Protein
Most weight loss regimens involve high-protein diets, and for a good reason. Protein is the best macronutrient for reaching a healthy weight. Protein increases satiety signaling, which helps reduce your appetite. A study published by the Journal of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome recommends high protein diets for preventing obesity and obesity-related diseases.
It is generally recommended to consume at least 0.36 grams of protein per pound, or 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. Protein is found in many animal and plant-based foods. To take full advantage of this macronutrient, look for foods that are complete proteins. These proteins provide all the essential amino acids your body needs to function at its best.
Include any of these complete proteins in your meals to feel fuller for longer:
- Red meat (beef, pork, lamb)
- Poultry (chicken, turkey, duck)
- Fish and shellfish
- Dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese)
- Soy products (tofu, edamame, tempeh)
- Quinoa
- Buckwheat
- Hempseed
Learn to Love Water
When it comes to drinks, sugary beverages seem to be Americans’ drink of choice. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 64% of youth and 49% of adults drink sugar-sweetened beverages on a daily basis. Yes, they taste good. But sugary drinks add empty calories to your diet and cause weight gain, type two diabetes, and many other health problems.
Instead of consuming sugary drinks, make water your drink of choice. Water is calorie-free, has zero sugar, and does not contain nasty chemicals. Replacing your bottle of soda with water every day can help you lose more than five pounds in three months. Aim for at least eight glasses of water a day to quench your thirst, flush out toxins, and help your body function optimally.
Eat Your Way to Better Health
Most of us think of healthy eating only when we want to lose weight. Although losing weight is essential for healthy living, a balanced diet provides benefits beyond weight loss. Eating healthy can help you ward off disease, boost your mood, and improve your wellness. Use the tips in this post to eat your way to better health and longer life.
About the Creator
Julia Nikolaus
Julia Nikolaus is a content strategist for an LA-based company. She enjoys working with food + drink brands as well as pet brands, likes to take dance classes, and currently shares a dog and pygmy goats with her parents on their farmette.
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