TOP 5 NUTRITIONAL RESOLUTIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR
Every time a new year approaches, we all come up with our own fitness resolutions. A majority of us tend to not stick to it by the time February arrives as they hardly blend into our everyday activities like food consumption. As such, here are 5 practical diet resolutions that you can add into your 2020 fitness goals
Bin the Packaged Foods
The first thing that should make its way out of your kitchen is packaged products. Especially the ones that come with hidden preservatives, sweeteners, flavouring and colouring as they lack nutritional value. Examples of such foods are cookies, canned soups, crackers, instant grain mixes and microwave meals.
You should instead replace them with homemade products like fruit jams or nut butters that use hand-picked ingredients or fresh produce. This gives you a chance to adopt healthy eating habits which have zero preservatives. Rather them using the store-bought salad dressing, make your own vinaigrette. Beets, carrots or radishes picked from your local store can also be transformed into a quick-pickled as an appetiser, and it saves you lots of preparation time during the week.
Try Colour- Based Eating
In order to ensure a healthy and balanced consumption of nutrition, it is crucial to combine different foods in your meal. One way to do so is to add 4-5 foods with different colours in your plate. Each of these foods offer flavours and textures of its own.
For instance, purple cabbage, pumpkin (orange), fresh coriander (green), black sesame seeds and citrus fruits like lemon (yellow) can be combined together to create a scrumptious salad that is not only colourful, but rich in nutrients. Besides this, you can also drink a colourful fresh smoothie anytime of the day for a boost of nutritional goodness.
Never Neglect Fatty Foods
If you are thinking of creating your own meal plan, never neglect foods that are high in Omega-3 fatty acids. In case you are not aware of this, fat is as essential to our body as carbohydrates and protein, as it gives your body energy. Fat is also needed to perform certain bodily functions. For instance, some vitamins need fat to help it dissolve into our bloodstream and provide nutrients.
Additionally, Omega-3 fatty acids also offer other health benefits like reducing blood pressure, cholesterol and risk of heart disease. You can get fatty acids by consuming foods like salmon, avocados, flaxseeds and nut butters.
Pick Healthier Snack Options
Healthy snacking should always be part of your new year diet resolutions. Rather than unhealthy junks like crackers, potato chips and doughnuts, healthy snacks will keep your blood sugar at an optimum level and energy up, particularly during the mid-day. If that’s not all, healthy snacks also aid in weight loss.
When it comes to the kind of snacks that you should be consuming, ensure that they mainly consist of protein and fiber to help keep you full longer. Some examples of such foods are pumpkin seeds, nut butters, roasted chickpeas and fresh fruits.
Protein To Be Eaten In The Morning
If you start your day by eating protein, it will ensure you stay full and energised throughout the hour. Studies reveal that protein intake which is steady throughout the day will help you keep a healthy weight.
The best amount of protein to be eaten for breakfast is about 25% of your daily protein requirement. Foods like eggs, Greek yoghurt and cheese are loaded in protein, which makes them suitable to be eaten for breakfast. You can also add chopped chicken to eggs, or almonds into cereal to ensure sufficient protein intake in the morning.
Living a healthy life is not only about achieving your weight goal. It also involves other important points like better energy levels and improved mental focus. By adding the diet resolutions above, you will be able to adopt a healthier life in 2020, and ensure that you stay at it throughout the year.
