As Albert Einstein once said, “If you can’t explain something to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.” That inspired me to write this post on simple eating principles for health.
If I only had 5 minutes to explain in a few words to a beginner the basic principles of healthy eating, I would share the following ideas:
I
Eliminate refined foods from your diet. White sugar, white flour, refined vegetable oils, etc. are completely useless for the body. Each of them has a great number of substitutions available from whole foods. Without refined products, your diet will quickly become much healthier!
II
Make greens and vegetables the base of each meal. Yes, plant-centric is the way to go! Add to the vegetables some whole grains, high-quality protein (animal or plant-based), and healthy fats for a beautifully balanced meal.
III
Allow your body to fast naturally. Give your body a good break between dinner and breakfast. 12+ hours is considered to be the optimal interval for the body to detox, so dinner at 7 pm and breakfast after 7 am is a great aim. (1,2)
IV
Choose a diet that allows you to think about food less. In my opinion, you can be healthy by following different diets and lifestyles (vegan, keto, paleo, etc.) Listen to your body, don’t neglect common sense, and, of course, be sure to talk to a professional when you need some additional guidance.
V
Don’t overeat. Knowing the measure of food is important. We are all humans, and sometimes, even following a healthy diet we may overeat. One thing when it happens with rarely, as an exception — may be during joyful holiday dinner, and another — when it becomes an everyday reality. The bottom line is that overeating doesn’t fit into the laws of health and longevity.
VI
Stress about food LESS. Food is just food, learn how to meal prep so you will always have healthy options available. Also, create your arsenal of simple and nutritious recipes in case you spontaneously need to put together a quick lunch or dinner (check the recipes on lemonsqueezy.life).
VII
Minimize distractions when you eat. Try not to eat in front of a computer, TV or with your phone. It is proven that the concentration on food intake allows you to get more pleasure from eating, and feel satisfied faster, thus avoiding overeating.
VIII
Introduce all changes in your diet gradually, softly, and never push too hard. Evolution is always, always better than a revolution.
IX
Do not go to extremes by striving to perfect your diet. The state of balance is more important than following a rigid nutritional dogma. Having a glass of wine once a month, an occasional slice of pizza or a dessert should not be a cause for remorse. Enjoying such moments FULLY is more important and productive than letting internal criticism to take over your thoughts. Do not put restrictions or labels on food and yourself, so nothing will look like a forbidden fruit for you.
Following the above points will allow you to start or maintain a long-term happy relationship with food and yourself.
Zhenya xx
What do you think about this post? Do any of these principles relate to you? Please, share your thoughts in the comments below or on social media! Sending you lots of hugs!
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