Today's life does not always rhyme with quality food. We eat more and more processed food, far from being adapted to our real needs.
It is important to return to healthy food.
How to change your eating habits?
5 basic rules for a diet that respects your health are presented here
Rule 1: a diet that nourishes your cells
Healthy eating means providing your body with nutrients.
Our cells need fuel to do their job, and this can only be provided by our food intake which supplies what is needed for our metabolism to function properly in the form of nutrients.
nutrients come in two forms:
- macronutrients: proteins, carbohydrates and fats
- micro-nutrients: vitamins and minerals
They must be present at each of our meals in a balanced way.
It is clear that today's industrial food is devoid of this nutritional role. It fills us up but does not nourish us. The calories provided are empty, it is a denatured foodstuff.
Foods that have undergone numerous transformations have lost the qualities that are essential to our good health.
Rule 2: Naturalness on your plate!
To guarantee a nutritional intake, it is necessary to eat natural and fresh food, in this case fruit and vegetables in large quantities. They are rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre, and help to optimise the functioning of our organism.
It is important to cook your own food from natural ingredients that you prepare according to your taste and to stop eating ready-made meals that are too full of all kinds of additives and that have been emptied of their substances.
There are many tips and recipes on the Internet to help you cook healthy without spending too much time on it.
Don't hesitate to add herbs, plants and spices that will give your dishes more flavour.
What to do when you're at work, you might say!
It's all a question of organisation and willpower; prepare homemade dishes in advance that you will freeze and eat at your place of work, banish the sandwich which brings you nothing but sugar and fat.
Rule 3: Balance and variety
You must eat everything, diversify your intake of vegetables and proteins in particular.
Green vegetables, but also cruciferous and coloured ones, should embellish your plates. They have a different nutritional interest according to their type and complement each other.
Fruits have different amounts of health benefits, depending on whether they are citrus fruits, red berries or nuts.
Eating fruit and vegetables in season is better for your health, organic even better!
Protein sources should be sufficient and varied. Animal proteins (meat, fish, eggs) are important but must co-exist with those of vegetable origin found in pulses for example. This macro-nutrient guarantees the body's bone structure (muscle, skeleton, etc. ) but also contributes to a feeling of satiety and allows us to snack less.
Don't forget that proteins are also present in our plate in cereals; pasta, rice, quinoa which should be varied as much as possible, they are interesting for their fibre content and allow indispensable energy contributions.
Rule 4: Less sugar and less bad fat
If there is one enemy we must fight, it is the glucose found in too many foods. It does not do you any good, it causes serious dysfunctions in the organism in the long term, at the origin of the diseases of civilisation that we all know (cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases. . . )
It is important to limit the intake of foods with high glycemic index (higher than 70), which are useless and harmful (causing insulin peaks), and to prefer substances with a low glycemic index, such as cereals (pasta, rice), which favour a gradual release of energy into the bloodstream, this is particularly true for sportsmen and women who need endurance.
Bad fats (trans fatty acids and saturated fats) should be strongly limited and replaced by good fats such as omega fatty acids 3which are known to have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system, the brain, etc. ) found in oily fish and dried fruit, and which provide a valuable cellular energy reserve for good health. Particular attention should be paid to unrefined, non-hydrogenated and organic vegetable oils.
Rule 5: Proper cooking
Healthy eating also means adapting our cooking methods to our body's needs.
Food such as meat should not be overcooked, as this causes harmful reactions in our bodies. Steaming or cooking at a moderate temperature is a good thing (less than 120 degrees).
Fruit and vegetables should also be protected from high temperatures, which can lead to a loss of vitamins and minerals.
SOME TIPS AND TRICKS
Eating healthy is also about getting enough water, drinking pure water between meals and limiting coffee, tea and soft drinks of course.
It is important to eat in a good environment.
It is important to eat in a good environment, taking the time to savour each food, in full consciousness, chewing each mouthful sufficiently, to digest the food well.
Finally, advice on food combinations is useful for your digestive comfort; know, for example, that animal proteins and starchy foods eaten at the same time are difficult for your intestines to assimilate and that it is preferable to eat sweet foods before salt, for the same reasons.
It is often easier to change your diet little by little, than drastically overnight!
Bibliography
1. Darche, E. (2007). My food, my best doctor! Some simple rules of food
and daily hygiene for true health at any age, Embourg, Marco Pietteur,
415 p.
2. Sionneau, P. (2007). Sionneau, P. (2007). Eating can save
your life! Faites les bons choix nutritionnels, Paris, Guy Trédaniel
Éditeur, 319 p.
3. Waridel, L. (2003). L'envers de l'assiette. Et
quelques idées pour la remettre à l'endroit, Montréal, Les Éditions
Écosociété, 173 p.
4. Clement, B. R. and T. Foy Di Geronimo (2010).
Alimentation vivante pour une santé optimale, Longueuil, Marcel Broquet
Éditeur, 322 p
