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Eat Healthy: Improve The Habit Nutrition

Surely everyone has heard about healthy foods, farm products, natural antioxidants, and other goodies. Popular bloggers and fashion magazines constantly talk about this. Being healthy and eating right is today’s trend. But is it really important? And is it possible to adhere to the principles of a healthy diet in the modern rhythm?

This question is especially relevant for students. In 99% of cases, students live in deadline mode. They have a snack not on a portion of broccoli but something sweet or fatty: a chocolate bar, a piece of pizza, instant noodles, etc., washing down their dinner with cheap instant coffee. Is that sound familiar? So let’s cut to the chase. What is the harm of improper feeding and why should we switch to healthy food? I’ll explain.

Outstanding Students Unhealthy Food Problems

In fact, what is an unhealthy diet? It’s a loose concept. It includes excessive consumption of food, frequent eating of harmful foods, strict diets, starvation, and much more. Want to make sure you’re eating wrong? Check the following points. You eat wrong if you:

• Eat when you’re not hungry
• Consume large amounts of sugar and products containing refined sugar
• Eat a lot of salty foods
• Regularly eat foods with nutritional supplements
• Don’t follow a culture of eating
• Don’t eat at the served table but in front of the TV or laptop
• Consume very much or very little food
• Have a snack along the way
• Don’t include fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet
• Often have a snack at night

Why are such habits dangerous? Let’s figure it out.

Not many people think about the ingredients of a donut from fast food. The main thing is that in three minutes the body will receive the energy it needs, plus the pleasure of fatty and sweet food. But still, what will you get?

• Carcinogens are present in all deep-fried dishes. The fact is that manufacturers are in no hurry to change the oil on time. This brings a rapid jump in the risk of developing cancer to a sense of satiety. The link between carcinogens and cancer development was discovered as early as the seventeenth century, and later this was confirmed more often. Also, tobacco smoke is a source of carcinogens, but this is a different story.
• Trans fats are vegetable fats that have undergone artificial hardening, as well as refined fats that harm the immune system, body cells, and reproductive function. Everything that has margarine contains trans fats.
• Empty calories aren’t toxic, they can become the sources of a considerable number of problems: obesity, diabetes, metabolic disorders. They cause a jump in glucose in the blood, but at the same time, they give you no vitamins, minerals, or amino acids.
• Salt and spices make dishes of the bad quality more tasty and aromatic. Their excess leads to edema, the gradual formation of hypertension, kidney disease, worsening of the joints. An excess of hot spices stimulates the appetite, the level of sales and the formation of new love handles.
• Unbalanced meals (I mean the overreach of simple carbohydrates and fats) will lead to a lack of protein, vitamins, and minerals. In this case, you’ll feel hungry much faster and more often.

This isn’t a complete list of harmful components that may be on the plate of fast food lovers. The result is an impressive list of health problems:

• Diabetes is a violation of glucose processing, which takes 4th place among the causes of death.
• Hypertension is the daughter of obesity and love of salt. It’s one of the main causes of mortality.
• Hypovitaminosis is a state of vitamin deficiency, which entails a decrease in immunity, worsening of the mucous membranes and skin.
• Ulcer and gastritis are inflammation of the mucous membranes of the stomach and duodenum.
• Some food additives may be a reason for allergies, lead to the development of diseases of the stomach and intestines. They may even cause cancer.

Your health depends on many factors: heredity, ecology, bad habits, stress, but nutrition also plays a big role. Harmful food is insidious. You may not notice its effects for a long time, especially if you’re young and healthy, but it’ll certainly make itself felt later.

Well, have I scared you enough to make you think about changing eating habits? If so, then let’s learn more about a healthy diet.

Things to eat

With the development of a huge network of fast foods, we begin to forget about normal and wholesome food. Indeed, for many students, it’s easier to have a hot dog than to buy fresh meat and cook it. It’s time to think about your daily diet and try to change it right now! All you need is to look at the right products. They haven’t disappeared from store shelves. We just forget how to find them.

The benefits of a proper diet will be evident over time. Your body will be balanced. You’ll look better if you receive the necessary minerals and vitamins. For instance, beautiful hair and skin are impossible without enough calcium. The correct set of micronutrients and nutrition regimen energizes the body for productive work, effective study as well as eliminates chronic fatigue. Proper nutrition will give you harmony, a positive mood, and good health.

It’s difficult for many people to start healthy eating because they believe such food is just tasteless. Hearing the words “proper nutrition”, you imagine boiled broccoli with chicken breast (actually, it’s very tasty!)? Think healthy diet is complicated and boring? I’ll try to change your mind.

Check out the tips below and you’ll no longer ask the question “what should I eat today”?

Healthy food: Grains

Grains are a major source of carbohydrates. In turn, carbs are the main source of our energy. They can be complex and simple. Simple carbs (bread, pastry, sweets, honey, etc.) are easily absorbed by the body and increase blood sugar, which can lead to excess weight gain and poor metabolism.

Complex carbohydrates are considered beneficial. They give off their energy gradually, providing a stable and long-lasting feeling of satiety. So grains are a great choice for breakfast or lunch.

Healthy food: Protein

Proteins are the main building material. These are the sources of essential amino acids. without which the growth of muscles and tissues as a whole is impossible.

Proteins are divided into 2 categories: animal (comes from meat, poultry, fish, milk, cottage cheese, eggs) and vegetables (comes from rye, oatmeal, walnuts, lentils, beans, soy, and seaweed). If you’re a vegan, be sure to add vegetable proteins to your diet.

Proteins are best suited for the evening meal.

Healthy food: Vegetables

Fresh vegetables are the most important part of a healthy diet. Vegetables are rich in minerals that are necessary for the normal functioning of your body – potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and many others. This is a source of fiber and living vitamins (especially A and C) with a moderate amount of sugars. One of the most common nutritional systems is called five-a-day. That is how many servings of vegetables are recommended by the WHO.

Eat vegetables for lunch and dinner.

Healthy food: Fruits

Fruits are the most valuable and natural, as well as the most energetically rich product of healthy nutrition. Fresh fruits have everything for life support: a lot of water, simple carbs, a minimum of fat and an ideal (small) amount of protein.

For instance, bananas are an excellent source of potassium and vitamin B6, which are necessary for the good functioning of the nervous system, especially in very stressful periods of life (so eat them during the examination!). Apples are rich in fiber and vitamin C. Berries, thanks to the antioxidants contained in them, strengthen the immunity.

Any fruit is perfect for a snack. This is much better than a hot dog.

And of course, you need the “right” fats. They supply us with energy, supporting healthy skin, hair and nails, improving digestion, lowering bad cholesterol and protecting against heart diseases. You can get right fats them from olive and peanut butter, olives, walnuts, peanuts, avocados, hazelnuts, as well as from sea fish.

To make your diet healthier, you often don’t need to change your meal plan dramatically. It’s enough to refuse some harmful products. Perhaps you already guess what products I’m talking about.

• Sweet carbonated drinks. They don’t quench thirst, irritate the gastric mucosa, and contain a huge amount of sugar – about 20g in each glass.
• Deep-fried food. French fries, chips, crackers and everything that is fried in a large amount of oil should be avoided. Carcinogens, lack of nutrients and fat are not what you need.
• Fast food. Burgers, hot dogs, and other dishes like that contain a mixture of white bread, fatty sauces, the incomprehensible origin of meat, and a lot of salt. What do you get as a result? A real high-calorie “bomb” that instantly turns into folds on the body and doesn’t carry any nutritional value, only harm.
• Fatty sauces. Firstly, they completely hide the natural taste of food under spices and additives, forcing you to eat more. And secondly, all such sauces are almost pure fat, generously seasoned with preservatives, flavorings, stabilizers, and other harmful substances.
• Sausages and semi-finished meat products. I think, no clarification is needed at this point – just read the product label. Remember that the items “pork, beef” most often hide the skin, cartilage, and fat. You would hardly have eaten these products if they hadn’t been so skillfully processed and beautifully packaged.
• Energy drinks. They contain a loading dose of caffeine in combination with sugar and high acidity.
• Cheap instant food. Yes, it’s quick and easy. But it won’t do you any good.
• Sugar. Yes, our favorite sweets are one of the most dangerous foods. If you like sweets, eat them in moderation. Remember that uncontrolled consumption of sugar can lead to metabolic disorders.

Now let’s talk about drinks.

On study days, and especially during the session, students, trying to cheer themselves up, drink a large number of various energy drinks and coffee. Such drinks increase efficiency, drives off sleep, but this only works for a short time. And after the overstrain of the nervous system, you can feel slowdown, severe fatigue, lack of mood, and sometimes even depression.

When you’re tired, it’s better to drink fresh orange juice. It eliminates well the feeling of fatigue. If you’re a coffee-lover, drink it in the morning, not more than 2 cups per day. Choose natural drinks rather than instant ones.

There is another very important thing – drinking water. Being constantly busy with lectures, parties, and maybe even part-time jobs, which of the students would come up with the idea that he needs to drink at least 1.5 liters of water daily? But yes, this is a daily minimum.

Even if you’re crazy about Coca-Cola, you should keep in mind that water is the main drink that contributes to the good functioning of your body. If you often feel a breakdown, then it’s probably due to a lack of fluid. So when leaving the house, take a bottle of water.

Of course, it’s very difficult to refuse those products to which you’re used, even if they’re not useful. If you can’t completely give up sugar or fast food, try to at least minimize their quantity.

Eating Healthy = Living Happy

As you can see, proper nutrition can be varied. Eat for health doesn’t mean eating boring – you don’t have to eat steamed vegetables all the time, dreaming of delicious cheese or steak. Healthy food provides us with all the necessary things: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. But their amount should match the needs of your body, without additional “reserves”. We are what we eat. Want to be a fat burger? Probably not.

Try changing your eating habits. You’ll see how comfortable your life will become and how much better you’ll feel. After all, your diet affects all areas of your life, including mood and productivity. Improving your nutrition habits is the first step to a happy life.