Looking for some new year’s resolutions to follow? There are a huge array of options out there and the best for you will depend entirely on you as an individual. But if you’re looking for a good, all round option that will help you to lead a healthier life, you may want to take a look at your diet. All too many people consume diets that simply aren’t good for them. Instead, you should review your own and determine what you can do to follow a healthier and more balanced diet on a day to day basis! Hopefully, some of the information below will help with this.
Calories
Let’s start out by considering your calorie intake. All too many people get the wrong idea when it comes to calories and when they think of healthy eating, they will simply think that less calories is best. This isn’t the case. While you may need to go into a calorie deficit to lose weight if your doctor has recommended this, the best way to create a healthy and balanced diet is to simply eat your recommended daily calories. This provides your body with the fuel it needs and allows you to manage a healthy weight at the same time as energising your body as best possible. Of course, it’s important to remember that the recommended amount of calories for you to eat will differ depending on aspects of you as a person and how much activity you engage with on a day to day basis. The guide below should act as a rough guideline.
- Children aged 2 to 8 – 1000 to 1400 calories
- Girls aged 9 to 13 – 1400 to 1600 calories
- Boys aged 9 to 13 – 1600 to 2000 calories
- Active women aged 14 to 30 – 2400 calories
- Sedentary women aged 14 to 30 – 1800 to 2000 calories
- Active men aged 14 to 30 – 2800 to 3200 calories
- Sedentary men aged 14 to 30 – 2000 to 2600 calories
- Active adults over 30 – 2000 to 3000 calories
- Sedentary adults over 30 – 1600 to 2400 calories
Fruit
It’s important that you get plenty of fruit in your diet. It’s recommended that you eat five portion of fruit and vegetables each and every day. The good news is that the majority of people do like at least a few different types of fruit. Whether that’s apples and pears or mango and melon. Visit a local Fruit Market to browse fresh stock and choose out some good options that will keep you going. Make sure to be careful if you decide to consume your fruit in the form of a juice or smoothie. Store bought options can often be from concentrate or contain unnecessary sugars, additives and more. Instead, make sure that they only use quality fruits and vegetables, paired with water or healthy alternatives like oat milk, coconut water or other additions to raise the water content. You could even try creating some smoothies and juices yourself with your own blender or juicer. These drinks will be absolutely packed with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that your body needs to thrive. If possible, though, do try to just eat whole fruits. You get the benefit of all of the content of the fruit, including its skin which can often contain fibre. It’s also better for your teeth, as the sugar is released later in the digestion process, rather than coming into direct contact with your teeth.
Cutting Out Junk Foods
Junk foods play a major role in many of our diets. It’s not hard to see why. Junk foods are convenient. They’re everywhere. They taste good. They’re promoted to us. But you should do your utmost to keep them as something you only eat occasionally. Often, junk foods are high in saturated fat, sugars and salts. They also tend to be nutritionally devoid around this. Instead, do what you can to implement a healthier and more organised meal plan to ensure that you don’t rely on junk food when you’re out and about. Not only will this significantly help your health, but it will ensure that you save money in the process too!
These are just a few areas of focus related to your diet, but hopefully, they will come in useful for you. If you ever feel in doubt or unsure what to do in regards to your diet, you can always consult a doctor or nutritionist who will be able to help you further with tailored advice and recommendations.