Healthy Eating Habits

Healthy eating habits play a very important role in our life to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The pressure of taking part in the rat race of life has made us preferring ready-made canned food which is far away from the concept of healthy living. A healthy lifestyle always demands to adopt healthy eating habits in the first place.

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Content of this article

What is adopting healthy eating habits?
Functions of Food
20 Healthy Eating Habits to Adopt for Adults
What is the difference between dieting and eating healthy?

What is adopting healthy eating habits?

Healthy eating habits primarily means including nutritious foods in daily food habits. But there is more to think about when adopting healthy eating habits. It's not only about nutritious food but also about the required quantity of food, avoiding unhealthy eating habits, proper timing of having food, and changing our lifestyle a little bit according to these. Having healthy eating habits is a major part of having a healthy lifestyle.

Functions of Food :

If we try to explain food - it is what gives us nutrition, satisfies our hunger, gives us energy and mental satisfaction, and helps in the growth of the human body. Ideal food is consists of seven ingredients - Protein, Carbohydrate, Lipid or fat, Vitamins, minerals, and roughage. The physiological functions of food can be divided broadly into four parts which are-

i) Bodybuilding

Bodybuilding mainly includes growth, the formation of cells and tissue, and rebuilding of the body. Protein-based foods like milk, fish, meat, egg, pulses, soybean, etc. do these works. Minerals like Iron, Calcium, Phosphorus, etc. helps to generate blood and take care of our body structure. Vitamin D keeps teeth and bones healthy also helps in the absorption of Calcium and Phosphorus.

ii) Energy yielding

The most important thing we need for functioning our body whether external or internal is energy. Carbohydrates and lipids are the two main ingredients to take care of this. Some common sources of carbohydrates are cereals(wheat, maize, and rice), millets(barley, bajra, jowar), and tubers(potato, tapioca, and sweet potato). Besides, there are sugarcane, beetroots, fruits, milk, honey, etc. An adult needs about 400 to 500 grams of carbohydrates daily. 1 gram of carbohydrate provides 4 kcal energy. Besides producing energy lipid also helps in the absorption of vitamin A, D, E, and K.

iii) Protecting our body

The required quantity of vitamins and minerals protects our body from diseases like Beriberi, Scarvy, Night blindness, Keratomalacia, Goiter, Anemia, Osteomalacia, Ricket, etc. which happens due to the deficiency of vitamins and minerals in our body.

iv) Regulation of bodywork

This part is done by water and roughage. 75% of an infant body and 70% of an adult body is made up of water. Our body needs about 2-3 liters of water daily.

Roughage consists mainly of cellulose. It doesn't provide nutrients to our body, but it is essential as it helps in the regular movement of the bowel. It helps in retaining water in the body, maintains optimum levels of blood sugar and cholesterol, cleans our digestive tracts, and protects us from digestive ailments.

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Must Read: National Nutrition Week 2020 - Eat Right Today

20 healthy eating habits for adults

1. The Mentality to Embrace Healthy Eating Habits

To adopt healthy eating habits we need to have a strong mentality to do it in the first place. Life cannot be controlled but when it comes to food we definitely can control what we are eating.
Eating healthily has nothing to do with body shaming or that kind of thing. I am saying this because there is a misconception about healthy eating. Some people think it is only for people suffering from obesity.
Some think we should eat whatever we want and asking someone to have less butter is only concern about the shape of our body. Healthy eating is about having sound health and a healthy lifestyle and regardless of anything, everyone should do it.

2. Have Enough Water

Consuming enough water daily is one of the basic healthy eating habits to adopt as a part of a healthy lifestyle.
Our human body is made up of 70% water. It is the main constituent of our cell, tissue, blood, and plays a very important role in the metabolic activities of the body.
It helps in digestion and dissolves waste products of the body so that these could be removed through the urine.
Water helps to maintain body temperature through sweating and evaporation from the skin.
Water makes our body hydrated, a person becomes dehydrated if our body lost too much water by various means like loose motion, vomiting, too much sweating, etc. The blood gets thicker during the dehydrated condition and moves slowly around the body causing severe pain and cramps in muscles.

3. Never Skip Breakfast

Having food at the right time is one of the major concerns of healthy eating habits. Breakfast is the first meal to start our day. So, no excuses are acceptable to skip breakfast.
Being the very first meal of a day breakfast plays an important role in our health. It breaks the fasting of night. When due to late rising in the morning we skip breakfast regularly it extends the fasting time which affects our health badly.
The risk of developing obesity gets higher because of regular breakfast skipping.
The risk of stroke and heart diseases, high blood pressure, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes get increased to a certain extent.
People who skip breakfast mostly tend to be fatigued and have poor memory power.
Skipping breakfast leads to dehydration and migraine.
It also affects one's mood.
So, always have breakfast within 2 hours of rising as the first meal of the day.

Healthy breakfast - Image by Pixabay

4. Proper Chewing of Food

Simply speaking, chewing breaks the food particles into parts and this is the very first step of digestion. Proper chewing boosts the speed of digestion and helps in the retention of nutrients in our body.
Chewing helps to acquire the taste of food which has a good effect on our mood.
Our saliva contains mucin which helps to soften the food particles during chewing.
In our daily food, carbohydrate contains a big portion, and digestion of carbohydrate starts from our mouth through two enzymes present in saliva named Tyalin or salivary Amylase and Moltase in small quantity.
There is also Lysozyme in saliva which is an antimicrobial agent and helps to destroy microbes. The enzyme Lipase helps in the digestion of fat.

5. Add Lots of Fruits and Vegetables to Eating Routine

Fresh fruits and vegetables are an important part of healthy eating habits. They are full of dietary fibers that help our bowel function.
Citrus fruits, tomatoes, and leafy vegetables are a rich source of vitamin C which helps in healing wounds, repairing tissues, and prevents Scurvy(bleeding of gums, teeth falling)by protecting gums and teeth.
Leafy green vegetables are full of iron and vitamins like B2, B9 to B6, E, and K. Vitamin K helps in normal blood clotting, and E keeps skin healthy and maintains RBCs. Iron is a component of hemoglobin and its deficiency leads to anemia.
Vegetables are a good source of Sodium(Na) and Potassium(K). Sodium helps in the absorption of glucose and electrochemical impulse conduction in nerves and muscles. Potassium takes part in muscle and nerve activity and glycogen and protein synthesis.

6. Skip Oily Food

The food we are generally fond of like pizza, burger, extra cheese in every possible thing, potato chips, pastry, etc. have very low vitamin, minerals, and other nutrients in them. They are generally full of high calorie and refined curb.
Oily food contains too much fat and that's why it takes a longer time to get digested which can cause stomach pain, bloating, diarrhea, etc.
Oily food hampers skin health badly. It makes skin acne-prone.
Consuming greasy foods increases the risk of heart diseases, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Oily foods are the main reason for obesity because of their high-calorie count.

Potato Soup - by Pixabay

7. Be Smart to have Meat

Nowadays many online applications are delivering raw meat to our doorsteps. We prefer this system a lot because it saves our time and moreover, during this pandemic we can avoid going out by this process.
But there is more. Firstly, the meat we are ordering online has a chance not to be fresh and secondly, there can be harmful chemical substances in the meat to preserve it for longer days.
So, avoid buying meat online as long as possible. It's a way better option to buy it from a local butcher's shop.

8. Occasional Fasting can Help

Fasting is always there from years ago in Indian culture. Where extreme fasting causes health hazards, science is talking about intermittent fasting for health benefits.
Several studies have shown the helpfulness of fasting to control blood sugar levels and to improve heart health.
Also, fasting can be a way to reduce weight. But go for it after consulting your doctor.
Some researches are showing that growth hormone secretion can be increased by fasting which plays a very significant role in growth, weight loss, metabolism, and muscle strength.

9. Have Warm Water

Having warm water daily is one of the best healthy eating habits. Drinking warm water in the morning may help to reduce weight. But mainly, it is amazing for boosting the digestion process.
Having it before going to bed may help to avoid midnight cravings.
It helps to get rid of nasal congestion.
Takes good care of our dental health.
It is a savior of menstrual cramps as it relaxes muscles by increasing blood flow.

10. Listen to Your Body

Sometimes we eat just out of habits or just to get rid of boredom which is a big 'no' for healthy eating habits. We should be conscious of this kind of eating without hunger. Eat only when you're hungry.
Eating randomly to satisfy your unnecessary cravings regularly is a major reason for weight gaining, bad stomach health, indigestion problem, unhealthy skin, and so on.
Besides, it reduces your capability to have the main meals of a day like lunch and dinner.

11. Control Emotional Eating

Emotional eating is really a thing these days. Shortly, this is having food as a comfort zone to handle loneliness, depression, anxiety, sadness, or any kind of negative feeling. Here the eating totally depends on the mental state of the person.
This kind of eating when happens twice, thrice, or more in a week it becomes a major reason for weight gaining.
So, if you have this problem, try to find a substitute for food to handle emotional ups and downs otherwise it's going to cost you a lot.

Grilled Salmon fish - Image by Pixabay

12. Have Patience and Give Yourself Time

Now if you have decided to eat healthily from now on, the first thing you should keep in mind is it's not a short term goal which you have to achieve as soon as possible and get back to your old routine again. This is a lifetime process of taking care of your food habits and it's not going to happen miraculously in one day.
Until a doctor is prescribing to avoid something for some serious health condition we keep eating whatever we can. It takes a lot of time to realize that we can change our food habits to stay healthy.
So, give yourself time and change your old habits of unhealthy eating gradually.
You know, the fun fact is we all know which things are generally harmful to our body still we never take it seriously. Cigarette addicts read the line "Smoking is injurious to health" more than anyone but they won't stop until Cancer makes its irreplaceable entrance in their life.

13. Healthy Eating Habits don't Mean to Quit Comfort Food

When it comes to eating healthily there is always a thought that we cannot have our favorite food at all. Well, that's not true. People who are on a strict diet also have a cheat day. All you need to do is complementing it with extra care such as a lesser amount of food, having a little bit more exercise, etc.
Also, you can try to make your favorite food at home. It's not only a healthy option but also engages you in creativity which is a good food to keep our mood on point.

14. Have Homemade Food as Much as You Can

Homemade foods are the key to sound health. Eating out regularly should not be an option for healthy eating habits.
Homemade food makes you have more salubrious ingredients and preservative-free foods. You can control the amount of food you are having.
Also, it's a good choice to avoid allergenic food ingredients.

Healthy Salad - Image by Pixabay

15. Stop Satisfying False Cravings

Apart from emotional eating, we keep eating carelessly while watching a movie, listening to something, reading a book, etc.
It maybe gives us temporary pleasure but for people who do it frequently, it should be a concern for them. Whenever there is a mind-craving occupy yourself with anything but not food.

16. Keep Changing Food Habit According to Seasons

Our food habits should be changed according to season. Such as during winter there are lots of fresh vegetables available in the local market which they bring straight from the farm and these are full of nutrients.
Every season has something special to offer us and we should include that in our routine.
Besides, seasonal things are cheaper in costs so it's a good option for healthy eating.

17. Avoid Junk Food

Consumption of junk food needs to be completely stopped.
It increases the risk of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and other risky health problems.
It also has been shown that the consumption of junk food can be addictive also it decreases the essential portion of vegetables, fruits, and etc.
It also increases the risk of heart attack and artery blockage.

18. Stop Overeating

While eating be mindful of the amount of food you are having. Sometimes, we keep eating just to entertain our taste buds and to relish the feeling of having delicious food which causes overeating.
Overeating not only causes obesity but also affects the digestion process which affects our overall health.

19. Feel the Food while Eating

Because of our super busy lifestyle, most of the time we just swallow the food anyway to fill our tummy without noticing what are we having actually. This thing logically fulfills our hunger but there are lots of cons about it.
Firstly, less chewing and swallowing decreases the digestion process to some extent.
Secondly, if we are just eating inattentively without noticing what we are having we won't be getting the satisfaction and pleasure of eating.
As a consequence, there can be an unnecessary craving after some time which is not acceptable in healthy eating habits.

Grilled Chicken - Image by Pixabay

20. Read the Label of Measurements of Nutrients

Nowadays almost every food comes with a list of measurements of its nutrients on the packet. Everything like calories, fat, sugar, carbohydrate, fatty acids, all use to be mentioned there. Give it a thought while buying foods can help you to select better food for yourself.

What is the difference between dieting and eating healthy?

Dieting is having food of strict choice to maintain, decrease, or increase weight. Also, it is used for the treatment of any disease. Now there is confusion about eating healthy and being on diet.
Though the concept of healthy eating habits has been mentioned before let's recall it once again. Healthy eating habits ask you to cut out the unhealthy eating habits and that is all. But dieting is having limitations within the options of healthy food.
Dieting is a stern process of having particular food in literally measured amount right on time whether you like it or not. Healthy eating habits make you replacing unhealthy foods with healthy ones, junk foods with homemade ones so that you can have the same pleasure of having food but in a healthy, hygienic way.

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Choosing healthy options doesn't mean strict dieting. We can select healthy food options on our own but when it comes to dieting you need to have a dietician to make your diet chart.
In the case of dieting, you need to have special forms of food which are really expensive but healthy eating habits can be maintained with normally available homely food ingredients, costs way cheaper than diet foods.
Don't be confused between dieting and healthy eating habits. Healthy eating habits always allow one to pick up the preferred one among umpteen options of delicious food.
So, without wasting more time say YES to pick up healthy eating habits today and choose the healthier way of living your life.

CONCLUSION :

So, these were the best ways to start with to embrace healthy eating as well as a healthy lifestyle. Food habit is our personal choice so until you are not aware of it nothing can be done forcefully. Our daily foods decide the status of health so no matter what, be careful about what you are eating.

So, with which one out of these 20 ways you would like to start your health journey?

Let me know in the comment section below.

Thank you for visiting, see you in the next blog.

20 Healthy Eating Habits for Adults in 2020