TIPS FOR A HEALTHY NUTRITION
The term ‘healthy nutrition’ is based on a balanced diet model, characterized by the wise intake of all types of healthy foods, without making any excesses in terms of quantities consumed.
Why is it so important to adopt a balanced diet plan?
In recent years, rates of obesity followed a continuously increasing rate worldwide. As these rates increase, so does the risk of chronic and serious diseases as type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and certain cancers. To prevent or to a large extent treat these health problems, it is necessary to know some tips that will help us to quickly and easily integrate healthy eating into our lives.
Some of them are:
→ Increase the consumption of plant products and especially fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains and nuts.
→ Reduce the consumption of fat, especially saturated fats which are found in all animal products (meat, dairy and eggs). Choose unsaturated fatty acids which we are mostly found in plant foods and oils such as olive oil.
→ Prepare your meals using less salt (1 teaspoon of salt a day is enough for a healthy heart).
→ Reduce the intake of refined sugar from sweets, cakes, biscuits, etc. Eating a moderate amount once a week can significantly help in maintaining your weight.
→ If you drink alcoholic beverages, then up 1 drink per day for women and 2 drinks for men should be enough.
→ Breakfast meal should play a central role in your diet. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for adults and children. More and more studies show its value for weight control and health benefits.
→ Put colour in your life! Remember that the more colourful a food is, the more healthy it is. For example, carrots, tomatoes, spinach, lemon, strawberries and kiwis are quite rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
→ Drink plenty of water! Water is so beneficial to our health that it is difficult to enumerate all its beneficial properties. Some of these are the hydration of the skin, regulation of body temperature, support of digestion and many more.
→ In addition to healthy eating, another factor that enhances our efforts to maintain a "healthy" weight is physical activity, which should be as high as possible. This can be achieved in various ways such as daily walking, cycling, taking care of the garden, swimming, running, dancing, etc. The most important thing is to start an activity that you have like and can carry on practising in the long-run!
10 tips to cook healthy
1. Avoid frying. Mainly use the grill or bake in the oven.
2. Replace butter or margarine that you use in your food with olive oil (especially extra virgin!).
3. Choose lean parts of meat before cooking and remove all visible fat.
4. If your recipe includes fresh cream, try if possible to prepare it using milk and low fat yogurt.
5. Make your own homemade vegetable cubes to improve the taste of
vegetables in your meals. Please try our suggested
recipe!
6. Use plenty of herbs and spices in your food. This way you can minimize the use of salt.
7. When you want to use eggs in your cooking, replace 1 egg with 2 egg whites. Cholesterol and most fats are found in an egg’s yolk.
8. Cut vegetables into large pieces. This way they can retain most of their vitamins and minerals. Otherwise, vegetables oxidize rapidly and lose large parts of their valuable ingredients.
9. Prefer to cook at temperatures below 180°C. Higher temperatures can be responsible for the creation of carcinogens.
10. Try to avoid reheating food. Reheating food destroys valuable food ingredients such as vitamins and minerals.
