Creating a Healthy Diet Eating Plan
When creating a healthy diet eating plan it is important to follow the basics of good nutrition, and make sure your protein, carbs, and fats are distributed throughout the day. There are a number of different aspects to healthy diet and the way you incorporate each is entirely up to you, all that matters is that they find your way into your diet.
Essential Elements of your Healthy Diet Eating Plan:
Fruits and Vegetables
To have a healthy diet your eating plan needs to incorporate at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. This can include produce of any type—from bananas to okra, and everything in between. Your fruits and veggies can be fresh, canned, frozen or juiced. An adequate serving size is about the size of an apple or two plums.
Grains
Whole grains are a vital part of any healthy diet. Your eating plan should include five portions a day. It is best to include at least one portion with every meal. Grains include the “usual” fiber rich items like breads, pasta, rice, cereals, oats and potatoes. Grains also come in more exotic varieties like quinoa, millet, and barley. Vary your menu to include a number of different types of grains, and you will be more likely to stick to your plan.
Dairy
Aim for 2-3 servings a day of foods in this group. It is important to note that this includes milk, cheese and yogurt, but not butter, eggs or cream. The serving size of the food is dependent on how dairy concentrated the food is. Try adding whole grain granola to plain yogurt for a great high energy, high fiber snack.
Lean Meat and Fish
You should have 2-3 servings in this category a day. This includes beef, pork, poultry and fish. If you are choosing a healthy diet eating plan for weight loss you should choose meat varieties that are lower in fat and calories. If you choose not to eat meat then it is important to find other foods that are rich in protein, like beans or legumes.
Fat & Sugar
It is important to limit the amount of fat and sugar you take in. These should be limited to 0-3 servings a day. While it is important to include some fat in your diet, you should make sure that these are unsaturated fats such as olive, sunflower and corn oil.
If you are creating a healthy diet eating plan to lose weight and improve your overall health, it is important to keep track of the amount of calories that are in the foods you are choosing. There are a number of healthy low fat and low calorie substitutions you can make in this plan in order to help you lose weight. This includes choosing whole grains, eating steak and wild fish, and including fruits high in antioxidants like pomegranates and blueberries.
You should also keep track of portions and serving sizes so that you do not over indulge. Even if you are eating nutritious foods, eating too much of them can still cause you to gain weight. The important thing to remember with a healthy diet eating plan is to maintain control in order to change your habits for the better.
