Healthy eating in five easy steps

Will a vegan nourish you better than a Paleo, meat-heavy diet? Should you eat a low-carb diet or are whole grains necessary for optimal fat loss? Does breakfast boost weight loss or is intermittent fasting, wherein you eat your first meal in the afternoon, better? In this day and age when trying out a new diet is the latest fad, selecting a diet plan that is sustainable is a tricky task. Regardless of our health goals and body requirements, here are five easy steps to healthy eating and staying fit.

#1. Up your intake of fruits and vegetables: The easiest way to nourish your body is by making fresh produce the foundation of your diet. Due to their large content of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, fruits and vegetables help in reducing the risk of cancer and other chronic illnesses including heart disease and diabetes. For those trying to lose weight, veggies are quite effective as they add volume to a meal without ramping up its overall calorie content. 

#2. Cut out processed foods: Although promoted as "low-calorie" or "high-protein", processed foods tend to contain absurd amounts of sodium, sweeteners and chemicals which can hinder the way your body burns fat. Such foods function merely as an energy source (high calorie content), and provide minimal nutrition. Try to fill your diet with real food that will not only satiate and taste good but will also provide you with health benefits.

#3. Practice mindful eating: In an urban lifestyle that has umpteen distractions, the mere act of sitting down to enjoy a meal has turned into a rare occurrence. Apart from making the act of eating more pleasurable, taking out time to savour your food can also help control your appetite and prevent you from both emotional eating (boredom-related) and overeating. Try putting your fork down between bites, chew slower and pay attention to the food's aroma, taste and texture as you chew and swallow it.

#4. Reduce your sugar intake: Besides adding fat to your waistline, high-sugar diets are also linked to diabetes, elevated triglycerides, depression, migraines, poor eyesight and even autoimmune diseases. To limit your intake of added sugar, examine the ingredient list on the package for words such as "syrup", "cane", "sweetener" and "sugar" and also anything ending in "-ose".

#5. Eat local food: The term "local" refers to farm produce that was picked when it was ripe, and was trucked at most a few hundred miles to reach your table. When a fruit or vegetable is ripe, it reaches its nutritional peak; minimal transportation ensures little nutrient loss. Local foods also taste invariably better, making fruit and vegetables more desirable to eat. For those living in India, spinach, mangoes and cucumbers are seasonal during the summer months, whereas eggplants, pomegranates, strawberries and tomatoes are locally grown during the winter season.

(As told to Prerna Singh.)