HEALTHY eating is not about strict dietary limitations, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love; rather it’s about feeling great, having more energy, improving your health, and stabilising your mood.
We all know that eating right can help you maintain a healthy weight and avoid certain health problems.
Changing everything at once usually leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan.
So, to set yourself up for success, try and plan a healthy diet as a number of small, manageable steps like adding a salad to your diet once a day-rather than one big drastic change.
According to a research done by Harvard Health eating an unhealthy diet may even play a role in the development of mental health disorders such as ADHD, Alzheimer’s disease, and schizophrenia, or in the increased risk of suicide in young people.
A report by Help Guide states that eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, cooking meals at home, and reducing your intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates help improves mood and lower risks of mental health problems.
“If you have already been diagnosed with a mental health problem, eating well can even help to manage your symptoms and regain control of your life,” the report states.
“Make the right changes.
When cutting back on unhealthy foods in your diet, it’s important to replace them with healthy alternatives.
“Replacing dangerous trans fats with healthy fats (such as switching fried chicken for grilled fish) will make a positive difference to your health.”
The report added that people should focus on how they felt after eating as it will help foster healthy new habits and tastes.
“The more healthy food you eat, the better you’ll feel after a meal. The more junk food you eat, the more likely you are to feel uncomfortable, nauseous, or drained of energy.
Fact File containing tips for planning, enjoying, and sticking to a healthy diet
What you can do:
* Learn how your diet affects your mental as well as your physical health;
* Set yourself up for success by making changes gradually;
* Don’t think of any food as “off limits;”
* Reduce your portion sizes-and fill up with more fruit and vegetables;
* Learn to spot hidden sugar in your food-and avoid it; and
* Differentiate between healthy and unhealthy fats.
