Simple Tips And Tricks To Make Your Diet Healthier: You Must Try These!

A healthy and well balanced diet can help you maintain a healthy weight

A healthy diet and lifestyle go hand in hand and provide multiple health benefits to your body. If followed on a regular basis these can assist in reducing the risk of several chronic diseases. However, making major changes to your diet can sometimes seem quite overwhelming and challenging. Instead of making the big drastic changes in the beginning, it may be better to always make a few small changes in order to achieve your fitness goals in the longer run. It is advisable to always keep an achievable goal and have realistic expectations.

In this article, here are a few tips and tricks that you can easily follow to achieve your health goals.

10 simple tips and tricks to make diet healthier

1) It is important to practice mindfulness for your diet too as it helps you observe your body. It doesn't matter if you are on a weight loss journey the rule applies to all. For e.g.-acknowledge when the body is asking you to stop while you are having your meals, this helps in controlling the habits of over eating and emotional binging.

Know your portion size to prevent over eating and weight gain
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2) Avoid any distractions while having your meal, do not watch tv, access phone or laptops, remember your mind can only focus on one thing at a time. Eating is itself an exercise where all your senses from smelling and taste buds are activated.

3) Know your portion size. Do not fill your plate with an extra quantity of food. It makes you consume more calories than required. If you do not finish your food, it can contribute to food wastage. Fill your platter according to the number of calories you consume.

Also read: Portion Size: Here's How Much You Should Be Eating In Your Main Meals

4) Hydration is the golden rule to stay fit. Always carry a bottle and develop a habit of sipping water after an hour. This prevents the body from getting dehydrated. Proper hydration throughout the also helps in curing the cravings which at times becomes hard to resist.

5) Beat the stress. Stress can disrupt the mind and body both. No matter how hectic the day is, always give 30-45 minutes to yourself. Indulge in any physical activity that reduces your high cortisol levels. You can go for a jog or swimming, long walks, Zumba, etc. To avoid stress you restrict consumption of caffeine.

Control stress with a healthy diet and lifestyle to prevent diseases
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6) Balance is the ultimate key to fitness. Balance it out. Give yourself the regular treats without taking a guilt trip and relish whatever you are eating.

7) Always choose whole grains instead of refined ones. High fiber foods provide better satiety than refined ones. Multigrain grain options should be part of the meal. Also, choose food with a low glycemic load

8) Choose homemade foods. Even if you want to give yourself a little break and want to indulge in cheats make sure it is homemade that way you still end up eating healthy. It will also help you avoid added preservatives, dyes and other harmful chemicals.

Also read: Protein Bars And Shakes You Can Make At Home

9) Protein is an important macronutrient that should not be compromised at all. Make sure you consume at least one protein source in one of your major meals (breakfast, lunch dinner) of the day. Some of the options are lentils (daal), eggs, curd broccoli, peas, chicken, mushrooms, soy or paneer.

10) Lastly, macrobiotics- probiotics and prebiotics play a vital role in the diet to sustain the population of good gut flora that ultimately keeps your gut healthy which indirectly promotes overall health. Foods like fermented pickles, dhokla, buttermilk, kombucha, oats, salads without dressing and curd should be part of your diet.

Also read: This Winter, Here's Why You Must Load Up On Probiotics

Summing up finally, completely overhauling your diet all at once can be a recipe for disaster. Instead, as mentioned above, try to incorporate some of the small changes at a time to make your diet healthier. Some of these tips will help you keep your portion sizes reasonable, while others will help you add nutrients or adapt to something new. Together, they'll have a big impact on making your overall diet healthier and more sustainable, without a huge change in your habits.

(Arooshi Aggarwal, is a Delhi-based Nutritionist & Lifestyle coach. She is also a founder of Arooshi's Nutrylife)

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