9 Easy Ways To Maintain A Healthy Diet

Here are some easy ways to maintain a healthy diet:

1. Start Easy And Eat Slowly

   For starters, it becomes really difficult to suddenly shift through daily meals. To achieve a happy and healthy diet one should start slowly. Taking too much pressure would be difficult to deal with.
   
   Eating and chewing slowly is extremely beneficial. Chewing our food thoroughly helps us in many ways. It not only makes us enjoy our food habits but also improves our digestion.

   This study^[1] has shown that eating slowly reduces the calorie intake that is being consumed while eating. It helps to keep a fit body, keeping us away from obesity.
   
   Thus, we can look after our health simply by eating slowly and chewing the food for a longer time.

2. Keep Yourself Hydrated With Water

   Always choose water over anything. Remember that water and beverages are different things. Beverages consist of sugar, and are linked with weight gain, which is unhealthy.
   
   Many fruit juices commercials promise 100% benefits of the fruits. Try to avoid those because more than the vitamins and minerals, they are filled with sugar.
   
   One should not consume fruit juice as an alternative to fruit. This study^[2] says that water helps in weight loss and burning calories. They also say that drinking water before meals reduces the appetite.
   
   It helps to improve the overall diet quality. Researchers say that water plays  a role in digestion of important nutrients that are necessary for our body.
   
   So always try sticking to water, rather than casually having any kind of beverages or any particular fruit juices.

3. Consume More Fruits And Vegetables

   We know that not everyone is a fan of consuming fruits and vegetables. We have always known people who dislike eating green vegetables and fruits, and love eating junk food.
   
   Eating fruits and vegetables is highly necessary. Consumption of fresh fruits and green vegetables always does wonders.

   According to this article^[3], they are much needed for healthy diets and are considered to be the healthiest food group among all. Every fruit and vegetable we consume has its own benefits.

   They help  us in gaining a lot of necessary fibers and other valuable nutrients like vitamins, phytochemicals, minerals, and others.

   Fruits and vegetables help us fight diseases and take care of our bodies from top to bottom. Thus, the consumption of fruits as well as vegetables is of utter importance.

4. Choose Your Greens First

   Why should one try to eat their greens before other parts of the meal? It’s because eating them first means eating more of them.
   
   When you are  hungry, you eat more at the beginning of the meal. If you first eat your vegetables, there will be less chance of you eating less healthy food items later.
   
   So, filling up half of your plate with vegetables would be a great option.
   
   One should always try to consume their greens as their starters, to keep their sugar level controlled as it slows down the speed at which carbs are absorbed into the blood.
   
   Thus, eating greens at the beggining of the meal holds many benefits.

   A review^[4] of ten cohort studies stated that eating green vegetables could also support maintaining a healthyweight andbe very beneficial for your body.

5. Try Cutting Down On Sugar

   Since we were young, our parents always restricted us from having chocolate. Anything that was sweet was not considered so healthy.
   
   Regular consumption of sugary foods provides a certain amount of energy but it slowly leads to tooth decay as well as obesity. A high amount of sugar is found in juices, foods, and other kinds of beverages.

   They^[5] should be avoided at any cost. Cutting down on sugar has always been useful. 

   Food products such as honey, chocolates, syrups, cakes, pastries, biscuits, sweets, fruit juices, as well as alcoholic drinks, consist of a high amount of sugar.

   Checking out the food label on these products helps, as we get an idea about nutritional value and also become more cautious.
   
   We all take these factors very lightly and that goes on harming our bodies in many ways. So checking out the labels can help us in opting for the food products that have a low number of added sugars.

   And the fun part is you can use fresh fruits like cherries, bananas, dry fruits like apricots, raisins, and spices like cinnamon, in place of sugar.

   You can always experiment and try different dishes. This would make it easier^[6] for you to cut down on sugar in your everyday meals.

6. Avoid Junk Food

   It is a fact that junk food is usually more tasty than healthy food. But it doesn’t mean that we should stick to it. If you want to achieve something, you need to sacrifice something.

   So, to maintain a proper healthy diet, you should avoid eating junk food^[7]. Sometimes controlling your cravings can be difficult.

   You may feel low and forget about your diet and then go back to your old eating habits, which would make you feel worse as you would regret your decision later.

   So, to avoid being trapped in such circumstances, look forward to what is good for you, and try focusing on healthy and tasty food items. And sooner you will understand their benefits and will love consuming them as well.

7. Choose Baking Over Frying

   When we speak about diet, we only talk about “what should we eat.” We forget about the cooking method, which includes “how should we eat.”
   
   Method of cooking also plays a significant role. It influencesthe fat content and nutritional value of a particular dish that is being cooked.
   
   The best and the easiest way to maintain a proper and healthy diet involves a healthier cooking technique. Frying involves deep submerging the food into oil, at a raised temperature.
   
   Oil is high in calories, and thus the overall food product becomes way too heavy to digest. Consumption of oil decreases the effectiveness of our immune system.
   
   It gives an opportunity for different  diseases to develop, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, and obesity. It damages various cells, and can also harm our lungs, kidneys, and heart.
   
   Whereas, baking does not harm us, as it does not involve any additional calories. Unlike frying, baking does not add any calories or fats to the food being cooked.

   Baking is considered to be the healthiest cooking method^[8]. It helps us in gaining the required amount of nutrients. Baking involves no adverse reactions, and it aids in reducing health problems.

8. Increase Your Protein Intake

   Increasing the protein intake does wonders in maintaining a healthy diet. To maintain a fit and healthy body, one should always add a source of protein to their regular daily meals.
   
   Some food items that are a good source of proteins are eggs, beans, peanut butter, nuts, grains, seafood, lower-fat yogurts, lower-fat cheese, and dairy products.

   So, one should always make sure that they add^[9] some of these food items in their regular meals to maintain a proper and healthy diet.

9. Choose Wholegrain

   Diets can be made easy if one chooses whole-grain food over refined grains. The refined grain has its share of nutrients but they also come along with various health issues.
   
   They have removed bran and are only left with inner seed. This process removes the nutrients, and some important fibers needed for our body.
   
   Unlike refined grain and enriched grain, wholegrain provides us with  all the essential nutrients.
   
   Whole grain is rich in fibers and is a good source of carbohydrates, minerals, as well as vitamins. Whole grains contain all the important parts of the grain.

   And thus, they are considered to be the healthiest^[10] of the three. Some common varieties of whole grains include brown rice, wild rice, popcorn, oatmeal, millet, wheat berry, and barley.