10 tips for healthy eating

According to the WHO (World Health Organization), a healthy diet meets certain very specific criteria. Above all, it must be varied and must be made up of fruits, vegetables, legumes, dried fruits and whole grains every day. The daily intake of simple sugar should not exceed 50 grams and it is also important to monitor your salt intake which should not exceed 5 g / day. The WHO also insists on the need to favor unsaturated fats rich in omega 3, 6 and 9 over trans fatty acids and unsaturated fats.

Eat fruits and vegetables

Eating 5 fruits and vegetables per day (400 g) is the first recommendation to observe for healthy eating. Numerous scientific studies have shown that this makes it possible to reach the recommended daily intake of fiber and helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, but also the occurrence of certain cancers. Low in calories, satiating, packed with vitamins and minerals, fruits and vegetables are all good. To achieve this, the ideal is to eat it with each meal, but also to eat a fresh fruit for the snack. Soups, fresh fruit juices, compotes, raw vegetables as an aperitif, fruit to sweeten natural yoghurt, gratins and vegetables, smoothies must become your best friends!

Eat fresh, seasonal foods

Nature is well made and each season, it offers us food whose nutritional benefits are adapted to our needs. Just look at the fruits and vegetables! In summer, when we need water and our energy expenditure is less important, the fruits and vegetables found in the early bird are precisely those that are the richest in water: watermelons, zucchini, melons, but also tomatoes, radishes and cucumbers. In winter, on the other hand, our body needs vitamins C, but also nutrients (vitamins, minerals and trace elements) to strengthen the immune system and provide energy. And that’s good because it is then the peak season for fruits rich in vitamin C such as citrus fruits and vegetables loaded with minerals such as spinach or leeks. Eating seasonal foods is not enough, the ideal is also to favor the consumption of fresh products. If they are certainly more fragile and less easily stored, they are also free from preservatives, flavor enhancers and all chemicals harmful to our body.

Favor organic and local food

Some see organic only as a marketing argument. However, eating organic is good for the environment and for our health by reducing exposure to pesticides and heavy metals. Consuming organic, whether it is fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy products or even fish and generally the assurance of eating foods with more taste and flavor. Organic meats are also less fat, just like organic cereals are richer in minerals. But for organic to rhyme with healthy eating, it is important to favor vegetables grown in the ground and not in greenhouses. And as we have seen, to provide our body with all the nutrients it needs, let’s try as much as possible to consume organic, local AND seasonal.

Read also: These 10 foods that are really better to consume organic

Listen to your body

A good diet contributes to the psychic balance. Eating healthy foods, developing balanced meals, having fun while cooking, all of this also works to make us happy! As long as we don’t ask too much and don’t do violence to our body. It is important to listen to the signs they are sending us and to eat your fill, while also allowing yourself pleasurable meals.

Drink a lot of water

Drink well (water!) And as important as eat well. Water is an essential element for a healthy and balanced diet. It is even quite simply the one and only drink essential to our body. This does not mean that we should be satisfied with it (pleasure counts too!), But to stay healthy we should consume 1.5 L of water per day, or the equivalent of about 8 glasses. Water has many benefits. It allows in particular the elimination of toxins, the thermoregulation of the body, prevents urinary infections, helps to regulate the transit, improves the quality of the skin. We cannot do without it! Sugary drinks must therefore remain exceptional and the consumption of sodas and energy drinks should as much as possible be avoided.

Cut down on sugars

In all things, measure is good, the saying goes. An adage that can easily be applied to the consumption of sugar. While this is not about demonizing sugar, it should be remembered that not all sugars are useful to our body. Yes, carbohydrates are the body’s fuel … but we are not talking about “free sugars” added in cakes or sodas! The WHO recalls that “in adults as in children, the consumption of free sugars should not exceed 10% of the total energy intake”. To reduce its daily consumption as part of a healthy diet, it is therefore necessary to reduce the intake of sugary drinks, candies, fruit juices, store-bought cakes. You should also focus on good quality sugars as much as possible and replace white sugar with maple or agave syrup, coconut sugar and whole cane sugar.

Avoid ultra-processed foods

To eat healthy, it is important to reduce your consumption of ultra-processed products as much as possible. And this is not always obvious as they are present in all departments: soft drinks, chocolate, candies, industrial cakes, sweet cereals, ready meals, sauces, sandwich bread, dairy desserts, crisps, chicken nuggets, fish breaded, etc. These foods are often too fatty, too sweet, too salty and full of additives and therefore unhealthy. They are also little satiating and encourage snacking. As part of a healthy diet, it is therefore better to avoid them as much as possible. Nothing like a good homemade nugget dish with real chicken fillets and bread crumbs, or a good snack for the kids with a family cake. Doing yourself also allows you to control the amounts of sugar and fat.

Read also: 5 super good recipes for cooking with very simple ingredients

Vary oils and fats

Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to ban fat from your diet. The important thing is to vary the sources of fat and eliminate the harmful ones. Remember that there are several kinds of fatty acids: monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated and trans. Most trans fatty acids, or “partially hydrogenated fats”, are found in industrial products where they are found as preservatives, flavor enhancers or texturizers. They are really to be avoided. The ideal is therefore to avoid them. Fat is however essential for our body and it is important to consume it by favoring butter consumed raw, good quality oils and preferably organic (sunflower, flax, hemp, camelina, walnuts), for cooking we choose by example olive oil or coconut oil. As for the saturated fats present for example in red meat, crème fraîche, cheeses, they should be consumed sparingly and without excess. And do not forget also that in terms of energy, the calorie intake must obviously be adapted to the expenditure. In order not to gain weight, fats should not exceed 30% of the total daily energy intake.

Vary the sources of protein

It’s not just meat and fish in life! There are many sources of protein and nothing is more interesting than to vary them. Red and white meats, fish, eggs and dairy products are proteins of animal origin. Lentils, chickpeas, split peas, but also white, black and red beans and tofu are proteins of plant origin. Some other foods are also very high in protein like oil fruits and grains like quinoa, spelled or buckwheat. We know that red meat contains a lot of saturated fatty acids, so it should be consumed in moderation as part of a healthy diet and favor white meats which are also more digestible. We obviously do not forget oily fish such as mackerel, sardines, herring and salmon, rich in omega 3. To vary your diet even more and eat healthily, legumes are valuable allies. Rich in protein, they can be cooked in a thousand and one ways.

Read also
A little guide to a balanced meal (and healthy menus)
5 tips for eating healthier
Which foods to favor to make proteins, nutritional allies?

Forget about diets and eat balanced

We can never say it enough, eating a healthy and balanced diet is the best way to stay healthy and maintain a healthy weight. A diet allows you to lose weight, sometimes even a lot in a very short time, but often the pounds are regained just as quickly. Above all, when a diet is started without the supervision of a qualified professional, it can lead to real deficiencies. We therefore forget the very restrictive diets and miracle products that promise to lose weight in record time. So-called healthy powders, milkshakes and other snacks are actually the reverse of healthy eating. Better to eat reasonably everything, choose good seasonal products and especially take the time to cook them yourself.