Beyond Weight Loss: Simple changes to Improve Your Eating Habits

Research has proven that eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is beneficial to our health. Benefits include decreased risk of several chronic diseases and the maintenance of physical health. Making significant dietary changes, however, can sometimes be quite challenging.

Instead of committing to significant changes, it may be better to begin with a few smaller ones. Furthermore, starting with one thing rather than all of them at once is probably easier to handle.

Below are some simple changes that you can do to make your regular diet a bit healthier. Keep in mind that you don’t have to attempt to complete them all at once. Instead, you should try to gradually incorporate these changes into your life.

Switch to Healthy Chocolates

This one is for you, chocolate lovers! It’s uncommon to hear the words “chocolate and health” used together, but research indicates that you don’t need to eliminate chocolate from your diet to eat well; you just need to use it a little more wisely. Consuming cocoa, according to science, can strengthen your immune system, lower your risk of heart disease, and reduce inflammation (among other benefits).

Because cocoa beans are naturally quite bitter, the majority of chocolate products have added sugar and fat. Although these ingredients have a great flavour, they should only be used occasionally. A healthy chocolate is one that is dark and contains at least 60 to 70 per cent cocoa. Beyond health considerations, they also tend to have more intricate flavour profiles that make you feel fuller longer than a typical, sugar-filled milk chocolate.

To ensure that you really get tasty and healthy chocolates, there are a few things you’ll want to look for.

• The product should contain at least 60% to 70% cocoa. The higher the percentage, the healthier the chocolate will be. The ingredient list should always start with the name of the cocoa bean.
• Avoid chocolate that contains artificial sweeteners, butter oil, vegetable oil, or milk substitutes. All of these point to the poor quality of the chocolate.
• The fewer ingredients, the better.
• To experience the smooth flavour of milk chocolate with the same health benefits as dark chocolate, choose a chocolate with a high percentage of cacao (at least 55%) and a milk substitute (coconut, soy, almond, etc.)

How much and how often you can have your healthy chocolate? Ideally, you can have 2 pieces in a day. But it should never be consumed after a heavy meal as it could still spike your blood sugar levels. The best time to eat chocolate is right after a workout. After exercise, your body is a sugar-burning machine. So, if you’re going to eat it, which we all know you are, eat it then. That sugar will be immediately sent by your body to be stored as glycogen. Yay!

Take Omega 3 Supplements

Omega-3 to omega-6 fats should be consumed in a ratio of about 1:1 to 1.5 for our bodies, but we currently consume about a 1:20 ratio, which puts our bodies in an inflammatory state. To help balance this ratio and reduce inflammation, it’s crucial to supplement with omega-3 fatty acids in addition to reducing our intake of omega-6 fats. Fatty fish like salmon is one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids. It’s likely that you get little to no omega-3 fats from food alone if you don’t regularly eat fish (we advise including it at least twice a week).

Supplementing with omega-3 vitamins ensures that you get the recommended daily intake of these fatty acids for reduced inflammation and enhanced cardiovascular health. People who are concerned about their hearts and those pursuing a fit and healthy lifestyle can benefit from taking fish oil supplements, which are typically sold as potent omega-3 vitamins.

Omega 3 supplements lower blood triglyceride levels, which lowers the risk of a heart attack. It can effectively keep an eye on irregular heart rhythms. By reducing the rate at which atherosclerotic plaque forms, taking omega-3 capsules on a regular basis can also reduce the risk of stroke.

Omega 3 supplements are also known to raise serotonin levels in the body, ensuring that every day is a good one. These fish oil supplements can help you manage and relieve stress on a daily basis because they increase serotonin. It’s critical to eat healthily, including a lot of fruits and vegetables, and to exercise frequently (walking, biking, all counts) in order to maximize the benefits of any supplements. By doing this, you’ll pave your way to a long, healthy life.

Choose Whole Grains Over Refined Grains

You can easily make your diet a little bit healthier by choosing whole-grain bread instead of conventional refined-grain bread. Refined grains have been linked to a number of health issues. On the other hand, whole grains have been associated with a number of health benefits, such as a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Whole grains are also a good source of fibre, B vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc, magnesium and manganese. There are many different types of whole-grain bread, and many of them even have better flavours than refined bread. To ensure that your bread is entirely made of whole grains and not a mixture of whole and refined grains, simply check the label. The bread should preferably include whole grains or seeds.

Eat Your Fruits Instead of Drinking Them

Fruits are a great source of water, fibre, antioxidants, and vitamins. Studies have repeatedly demonstrated a link between eating fruit and a lower risk of a number of diseases, including cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

Fruits’ fibre and different plant compounds contribute to their natural sugars being digested very slowly and do not typically result in significant spikes in blood sugar levels. Fruit juices, however, are an exception to this rule.

Numerous fruit juices are made with sugar and concentrate rather than actual fruit. Some types might even have the same amount of sugar as a sugary soft drink. Even genuine fruit juices don’t have the chewing resistance and fibre that whole fruits do. Fruit juice becomes much more likely as a result to cause a spike in blood sugar levels, causing you to eat too much at once.