How to maintain a healthy diet and nutrition

DLHA Staff Writer

Highlights

• Good nutrition is key to a healthy life. The best way to get good nutrition is by adopting a balanced diet.

• You should eat enough food that provides your body all the important vitamins and minerals essential to stay healthy and required for proper growth.

• A balanced diet includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fat and good sources of plant based and lean meat protein. 

Identifying need for dietary change

Here are some questions to identify your health condition. If the answer to any of the questions below is yes,  you should seek the help of a primary care doctor or a certified nutritionist. You will also need to reconsider your eating habits and make changes in your diet for better nutrition. 

1. Do you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol?

2. Does diabetes, osteoporosis,  cancer, heart disease run in your family?

3. Are you overweight or obese?

4. Do you feel the need  to take vitamin and mineral supplements?

Changing diet and nutrition habits for improved health

Making changes to eating habits can be very difficult.

To make a healthy dietary change in order for your body to get enough nutrition, don’t go for a big change all of a sudden.

Instead, start by making a very small change in your diet and stick to it for a month or more until it becomes part of your habit. Then you can bring in another change in your diet and follow the process until you become accustomed to it. This way over a period of time you will be able to make significant changes in your diet that can help you improve your health in a big way. 

Any changes you make to your diet, however small, is helpful to your health. 

Diet suggestions

Here are some suggestions to help you improve your diet. Before  you make any changes to your diet, consult your doctor or certified nutritionist about the changes. 

• Prepare a list of all the benefits and downside of your current diet.

• Is your diet providing you with enough nutrients and minerals?

• Do you include 4 to 5 types of fruits and vegetables in your diet everyday?

• Are you getting whole grain high fibre foods?

If you are getting all of the above,  you are already having a nutritious diet. If not, you should consider changing your diet to include food that provides more nutrition. 

Avoid unhealthy fat

Everyone can benefit from cutting out unhealthy fat from their diet.

If your current diet consists of plenty of fat, you should consider  revising the amount of fat you include in your diet.

Here are some ways to reduce unhealthy fat from your diet: 

• Non-vegetarian food consists of more unhealthy fat than vegetarian food. Instead of frying meat, you can bake, grill, or broil it. 

• Include fish at least once a week in your diet.

• Include plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet

• Avoid high fat dairy foods such as whole milk, butter, and cheese. Instead, use low fat versions of these foods.

• Carefully read nutrition label on the food before you buy them. It will let you know the amount of sugar and fat content in the food. If you need help to understand the label, you can get help from your doctor or dietitian. 

• If you are eating out at a restaurant, be mindful about hidden fats. Also be careful about the portion size you consume. 

• You should keep yourself hydrated all the time. It is important for maintaining good health. Water is the best drink to keep yourself hydrated. Fizzy drinks contain unhealthy amounts of sugar that can quickly add excess calories to your diet. 

Understanding the balanced diet

A balanced diet includes five food groups that collectively fulfil all the nutritional needs of a person. 

Eating a balanced diet helps you to maintain good health and cuts down the risk of developing many types of diseases.

Balanced diet is referred to as  balanced because it provides the body the right amount of calories and nutrients required to stay healthy.

The best way to get a balanced diet is to fill your plate half with grains and protein and the other half with fruits and vegetables. It should also include low fat dairy product to provide nutrients found in dairy. 

Five food groups in a balanced diet

To have a balanced diet you can include foods from the five groups below: 

• Vegetable

•  Fruit

•  Grains

•  Protein

•  Dairy products  

I. Vegetables 

 This  group includes five subgroups

• Green leafy vegetable 

• Red and orange vegetable 

• Starchy vegetables

• Beans and peas

• Other vegetables such as eggplant( (brinjal), bottle gourd, okra etc.

To stay healthy and ensure that your body gets every kind of nutrients, you should include a variety of vegetables in your diet according to seasonal availability.

Vegetables are versatile in the sense that they can be eaten raw or cooked. However you have to understand that some vegetables lose their nutritional value when cooked.

Likewise there are also vegetables that should be cooked in order to make their nutrients bioavailable. Avoid deep frying vegetables or adding unhealthy amounts of fats. 

II. Fruits

You should eat plenty of seasonal fruits. They are nutritional powerhouses. Instead of drinking fruit juice, you should eat whole fruits. Juice contains less nutrients than fruits. Fruits also supply body dietary fibre which is good for stomach health. 

III. Grains 

There are two subgroups in grains i.e.  whole grains and refined grains.

Whole grain include all the three parts of the grain such as bran, germ, and endosperm. As a result your body takes longer time to breakdown whole grains. Thereby it has less direct effect on your blood sugar. Moreover whole grain contain more fibre and protein than refined grain, and it is good for digestive health. 

IV. Proteins

Protein is an essential part of a balanced diet. You should include protein in your regular diet. Protein is essential for muscle development, hormones formation and to support other body functions. Good sources of protein includes lean beef, pork, chicken, fish, beans, peas, and legumes.

V. Dairy products

Dairy is an important source of calcium. If you are struggling with overweight, you should prefer low-fat versions of dairy products. Some healthy dairy products include cottage cheese, low-fat milk and yogurt.

Conclusion

Keeping to a healthy and balanced diet is not rocket science. It basically requires that you make a conscious effort to eat reasonable portions of food that contain your proportionate choices from the five food groups daily (i.e., vegetables, fruits, grains, proteins and dairy products). If you ned help with making the choices, talk with your doctor or certified dietician.

Related:

Top 10 Heart Healthy African Foods

African Foods That Are Rich In Vitamins

African Foods That Promote Brain Health

Best African Foods To Lower Your Blood Pressure

Published: October 29,.2019

Last update: July 8, 2024.

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