Healthy and Unhealthy Foods - Healthy Eating Tips for an Active Lifestyle

How can you determine whether the food you eat is healthy or unhealthy? How do you know the difference between good and bad fats? The same question applies to carbohydrates and proteins. Macronutrients are the primary food resources and the main nutrients that make up the foods we eat. There is not only a diet consisting of healthy and unhealthy food, but there are many diet models around the world. The examples of healthy incorporation of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins include the Mediterranean diet and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). 

---

What foods should you eat every day to be healthy? Healthy eating tips for an active lifestyle

Healthy and Unhealthy Foods - Healthy Eating Tips for an Active Lifestyle

What Foods Should You Eat Everyday to Stay Healthy?

Modern science tells us that instead of focusing on individual foods, it is best to think about your overall nutritional pattern. Try a mixture of whole foods that are natural - not processed foods - with a variety of sources of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.

Healthy Foods

Healthy food is defined as a group of foods that meet the body's important nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates, fats, water, vitamins, and minerals to maintain health, feel comfortable, get energy. Physical activity while maintaining an ideal weight is an excellent way to help the body stay strong and healthy.

Healthy foods provide energy to the body and enable the body to perform many natural vital functions. Healthy food consists of a mixture of foods from each of the major food resources, yet they are not in equal quantities.

DASH diet and other types of it are also rich in healthy fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods, and vegetable oils.

Also, a diet that lacks nutrients can lead to many different health problems, such as: fatigue, lack of energy in the body, growth, and development, as well as serious problems in the vital functions of the body's organs.

Balanced Diet and Healthy Food Choices

A balanced diet means choosing from all major food resources in the right amounts, and it includes the following:

Fruits and vegetables: Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and choosing a variety of colors may help increase the number of nutrients consumed.

The American Heart Association recommends eating eight or more servings of the total fruits and vegetables daily, which is equivalent to about four and a half cups per day for an average person who consumes about 2000 calories. Research also indicates that eating good amounts of fruits and vegetables can help protect against heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.

Whole grains: Examples include: barley, brown rice, oatmeal, bulgur (cracked wheat), millet, buckwheat, whole-wheat bread, pasta or crackers.and cereals, such as bran and seeds.

Protein: Protein is important for the restoration of body tissues, and many foods rich in protein contain high levels of minerals, such as iron, magnesium, zinc. The sources rich in protein include; meat, fish, and eggs and the sources suitable for vegetarians include beans, nuts, and soybeans.

Milk: Milk is a good source of calcium, which promotes healthy bones and teeth. Low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese are recommended.

Fats: Fats provide the body with energy, and are important for the health of the brain, skin, and hair, and for the absorption of some vitamins. On the other hand, an increase in the consumption of saturated fats can increase the risk of heart disease. 

If you are craving for some chicharrones, you can try a healthy version of it which is a keto friendly snack.

These fats are found in fried foods, fatty meats, and creams, as for eating unsaturated fats, such as found in fatty fish and avocados, they help reduce harmful cholesterol - low-density lipoprotein (LDL).

It should be noted that the World Health Organization recommends that healthy fats make up less than 30% of the total calories consumed daily.

Sugars: Sugar is found naturally in some foods, such as fruits, or it can be added as a sweetener, and the American Heart Association recommends reducing the added sugar for women to six teaspoons per day or less, and nine teaspoons per day for men. 
The consumption of a large amount of sugar can lead to weight gain, and disturbances in the heart, in addition to the imbalance of the level of sugar in the blood, and other health problems.

The Most Shockingly Unhealthy Foods

Unsaturated Fats

Frozen and decorated cookies that are used in cakes, fast food, pancakes, and popcorn prepared using the microwave, and frozen meals. Our body needs these fats daily not more than two grams only, while the meal of the above-mentioned items contains more than five grams.

Foods with High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

Fructose is an inexpensive and easy-to-store material that gives a delicious taste and a pleasant flavor to food. It can be manufactured by treating cornstarch to convert sugar into fructose. Examples include candy, soft drinks, especially sugar-free, which we think are very good for the diet, ketchup, and corn flakes.

Foods Rich in Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

Skillets, canned potato chips, artificial sweeteners, and some soft drinks are all foods rich in monosodium glutamate (MSG). Monosodium glutamate is harmful to health because MSG is used as a flavor enhancer, which is a factor in infantile obesity and is associated with various health problems, such as allergies and headaches.

Foods Highest in Sodium and Potassium

Examples of foods rich in sodium and salt are cheese, salty snacks, canned meat, and pizza.  Eating too many sodium-rich foods can increase your risk of high blood pressure, osteoporosis, kidney disease, heart disease, and headaches. Too many potassium-rich foods may cause problems in some people, especially those with kidney disease.

High-Cholesterol Foods

The body needs cholesterol daily only 300 g, so care must be taken when eating ice cream, donuts, cream, fatty meats, fatty beef, poultry with skin, full-fat yogurt, pasture-raised steak, and dairy products made from whole or reduced-fat milk.

Foods Rich in Carbohydrates

Most people think that carbohydrate-rich foods such as sugary foods, starchy vegetables, and fat-free salad dressings behave unhealthily. But complex carbohydrates, like whole grains, are not 'fattening'. Eating carbohydrates increases your blood sugar and prompts your body to release insulin. Too many carbohydrates cause blood sugar to rise. The daily allowable carbohydrate level is only 130 grams, including bread, cappuccino, and popcorn.

Unhealthy High-Calorie Foods

Your body needs calories for energy, so, usually, calories are not bad for your health, but if you eat too many calories and don't burn enough of them through activity, this can lead to weight gain and obesity. Examples of foods rich in calories: pasta dishes, spices, chocolates, fast foods, processed meats, desserts, candies, bread products, sugary drinks.

Healthy eating for an active lifestyle balance

The Importance of Healthy Eating Habits

Healthy eating means eating foods rich in nutrients that are important to the human body and contribute to its construction and the sustainability of its safety. 
These elements include proteins, vitamins of all kinds, and various minerals, in addition to omega-3 acids, water, and carbohydrates, in exchange for avoiding fatty foods that cause high levels of harmful cholesterol in the body, and fatty sweets, because they lead to obesity, narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries, and the occurrence of many diseases such as heart diseases, diabetes, blood clots and sudden shortness of breath.

Healthy Eating Tips for an Active Lifestyle

The following points show some tips and guidelines for eating a healthy diet:

Eat whole wheat bread instead of white bread. Eating whole grain is a beneficial option for the body, such as eating wheat bread; it is rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and plant chemicals. These grains help extend a person’s life and help maintain the weight to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

Eat whole fruits instead of drinking their juice. Fruits contain water, fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants, while fruit juices may lack fiber, which increases blood sugar levels sharply, and many processed fruit juices add large amounts of sugar. Several studies have linked fruit consumption to a lower risk of several diseases, such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

Maintain calorie balance over time. Try to strike a balance between the numbers of calories consumed during the day versus the number of calories burned through various physical activities. It is worth noting that a man needs 2,500 calories a day, while a woman needs 2,000 calories.

Eat more fruits and vegetables five times a day. Make sure to eat a fish meal at least twice a week, as the fish is rich in minerals and important elements of the body and is considered a balanced healthy dish. The fish dishes must be prepared through grilling, not frying, and you can choose between fresh or canned fish such as tuna and sardines.

Eat foods rich in calcium and iron. Calcium is important for health, especially for the bones of babies, women, and girls. Iron is also an important component of carrying oxygen and transporting it to the rest of the body, especially for women, girls, people on a vegetarian diet, and athletes, to reduce the risk of anemia.

Drink enough water. Several studies have shown that drinking water may benefit the body in losing weight and regulating weight. Drinking water increases the calories burned daily that are burned slightly. 
Other studies show that drinking water before meals can reduce appetite and the number of calories consumed during the meal in adults and the elderly, so drinking water instead of other drinks may significantly reduce sugar and calories consumed.

Drink water at the right time and right amount. Take care to drink water to keep the body hydrated, and protect it from dehydration. 
Women should drink about 1.6 liters of fluid and men should drink about 2.0 liters of fluid per day to protect the body from dehydration. 
The body needs greater amounts of water to carry out metabolism and catabolism, especially if the weather is hot.

Eat healthy foods on an empty stomach in the morning. Breakfast reduces appetite. Eating breakfast in the morning reduces hunger and thirst throughout the day. Breakfast improves your memory and serves a healthy brain. When following any diet, it is never permissible to neglect the breakfast meal, as it contributes to weight loss. On the contrary, neglecting it reduces the burning rate.

Do regular exercises. Exercises are not just an activity to lose weight, but they stimulate blood circulation in the body, and send positive energy, and absorb negative energy. If you want to feel psychological relief from stress and tension, go out in the fresh air, and do some exercises including yoga and meditation practice.

Choose healthy oils. Highly processed vegetable oils are considered unhealthy, such as soybean oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, and canola oil. All these types of oils are treated at high temperatures, and these oils are rich in omega-6 fatty acids, and poor in omega-3 fatty acids. 
The proportion of these two acids is linked to the incidence of many chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and autoimmune diseases, so it is advisable to choose healthily types of oils such as olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil.

Reduce salt intake. Reducing salt intake can help reduce the risk of high blood pressure, and also helps reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke in adults. 
There are some methods that help reduce salt intake when preparing food, such as limiting the addition of a large amount of salt, or high spices with sodium, such as soy sauce, and fish sauce.

Reduce sugar consumption. The consumption of sugars must be less than 10% of the total calories consumed, and reducing to 5% of the total calories consumed has additional health benefits. 
Reduce the consumption of soft drinks and sweets, such as: chocolate, cake, and others. This can help reduce the amount of sugar consumed.

Stay away from processed foods. It is preferable to prepare meals and snacks using a few ingredients with sodium, sugar, and saturated fats, and you should choose a menu of healthy foods when eating outside the home.