4 Ways to Have a Nutrition-Rich Diet
#StandUpChallenge
The food choices we make should add up to a balanced, nutritious diet. Each one of us has diverse calorie requirements based on our age, gender, and activity levels. Like my calorie intake as a mother should be much lesser than my young daughter who is always on the move. My son is larger and his intake is again higher according to his age and weight. I was just browsing the internet for how to make food that helps muscle strength and I came across Ensure and took the #StandUpChallenge and failed miserably. It was a wakeup call and I realised at my age, I need to focus on a nutritional diet and build my muscle strength and here are 4 Ways to Have a Nutrition-Rich Diet
Having a healthy diet has a lot of advantages. Like I am trying to just maintain a healthy diet to keep my body fit at 55. I am a vegetarian and my protein choices are limited so I am thinking to start with Ensure to boost my protein intake.
1. Dietary choices –
Don’t mean tasteless bland food as we should enjoy the food we eat. While selecting nutrient-rich foods, I noticed that they are the four basic food groups. Brightly coloured fruits and vibrantly coloured vegetables including potatoes, Whole-grain, fortified and fibre-rich grain foods, Low-fat and fat-free milk, cheese and yoghurt, Lean meats, chicken, fish, eggs, soy foods, beans, lentils and nuts.
2. Find alternatives –
If you want to cook healthier versions of your favourite recipes without compromising on taste, just reduce fat, salt, sugar, calories and increase fibre. Try to find equally good substitutes:
- Make creamier oatmeal by adding skimmed milk or soy milk instead of water. Add some walnuts and raisins.
- I love crunchy food so I top mine with chopped nuts for flavour and nutrients.
- Instead of Cakes, rolls, biscuits, and white bread try Whole grain bread, including wheat and rye.
- Instead of fried parathas have soft phulkas.
- Instead of Potato or corn chips have baked wedges unbuttered popcorn.
- Instead of White rice go for Brown
3. Fruits and Vegetables –
These are naturally low in fat. They provide flavour and variety to your diet. They contain the necessary fibre, vitamins, and minerals. Avoid adding unnecessary fats to vegetables and fruits. Instead of fried vegetables served with cream, cheese, or butter, try raw, steamed, boiled, or baked vegetables tossed with a wee bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Instead of Fruits served with cream or sugar bite into fresh fruit as they are.
4. Proteins –
Instead of red meat choose lean meat and bake, broil, grill or roast meat with herbs and spices rather than fry it. Proteins for vegetarians like me are beans, peas and lentils. They contain good protein and fibre sans the fat contained in meats.
In Dairy products instead of full-fat milk go for skim or non-dairy milk, like soy, rice, or almond milk. I use Greek yoghurt to replace sour cream in many recipes and have those with fruit for dessert. Instead of fizzy sodas guzzle water and other zero-calorie drinks.
If every individual had the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not little and not copious, we would have the secure way to health.
