Tips and Tricks

Hello and Hi there...

For the last post, we get to know more about our food and what we consume, right?
But today post is all about the tips and trick on how to maintain eating a healthy meal...

1. Drink plenty of water or other calorie-free beverages.

When order drinks, ask for plain water, order fat-free or low-fat milk, unsweetened tea or other drinks without added sugars and calories. People sometimes confuse thirst with hunger, so you end up eating extra calories when an ice-cold glass of water is really what you need.

"If you don't like plain water, try adding citrus or a splash of juice, or brew infused teas like mango or peach, which have lots of flavor but no calories," says Cynthia Sass, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

2. Switch-Up

When order food, ask for whole-wheat bread for sandwiches or even steamed, grilled, or broiled dishes instead of those that are fried. Other than that other foods that do not have cream or gravies, these are the stuff that packed a lot of bad fats and calories. And moreover, try switch heavy sweet dessert with fruit which packed with minerals and fiber.

3. Resign from the "clean your plate club"

When you've eaten enough and already feeling full, leave the rest, don’t stuff yourself what you cannot consume anymore.

4. Those snacks

On long journeys or shopping trips, pack some fresh fruit, vegetables, low-fat string cheese sticks, or a handful of unsalted nuts to help you avoid stopping for sweet or fatty snacks.

5. Be choosy about nighttime snacks.

Mindless eating occurs most frequently after dinner, when you finally sit down and relax. Sitting down with a bag of chips or cookies in front of the television is an example of eating amnesia, where you mindlessly eat without being hungry, but out of habit.

6. Calcium for strong bones

Calcium is nutrients that body needs to stay strong and healthy.

You and your bones will benefit from eating plenty of calcium-rich foods, limiting foods that deplete your body’s calcium stores, and getting your daily dose of magnesium and vitamins D and K—nutrients that help calcium do its job.

Recommended calcium levels are 1000 mg per day, 1200 mg if you are over 50 years old.

Good sources of calcium include:

• Dairy
• Vegetables and greens
• Beans

7. No to sugar and salt

Sugar

Sugar causes energy ups and downs and can add to health and weight problems. Unfortunately, reducing the amount of candy, cakes, and desserts we eat is only part of the solution. Often you may not even be aware of the amount of sugar you’re consuming each day. Large amounts of added sugar can be hidden in foods such as bread, canned soups and vegetables, pasta sauce, margarine, instant mashed potatoes, frozen dinners, fast food, soy sauce, and ketchup. 

• Here are some tips:
• Avoid sugary drinks
• Sweeten foods yourself
• Eat naturally sweet food
• How sugar is hidden on food labels

Salt

Most of us consume too much salt in our diets. Eating too much salt causes high blood pressure. Try to limit sodium intake to 1,500 to 2,300 mg per day, the equivalent of one teaspoon of salt.

Avoid processed or pre-packaged foods.

8. Always order a “small" or "medium" portion dishes.

Consider whether you're really hungry. Your stomach is only the size of your fist, so it takes just a handful of food to fill it comfortably. Don’t stuff yourself. Keeping your portions reasonable will help you get more in touch with your feelings of hunger and fullness.

Veggies anyone?

Start your meals with a salad packed with veggies, to help control and curb your hunger, plus the fiber in the veggies will make your stomach feeling full sooner.

Knowing Your Food Pyramid

We all know our food pyramid, but do we know why it is in such way? What are its contents? The pyramid is actually called as Healthy Living Pyramid (HLP). HLP was developed to provide a simple guide to planning the types of foods we should eat and what proportions of different foods should be consumed. The pyramid represents food from the core food groups only. That is, it shows meat, fish, chicken, eggs, nuts, bread, cereals, vegetables, legumes, fruit and milk. We all know though that during meals we do not eat core food groups alone, we combine several of them together to create a meal.

The Healthy Living Pyramid encourages eating food in variety and a diet of minimum fat, adequate fibre, limited salt and sufficient water, where it is balanced with physical activity. The ‘Move More' base of the Pyramid shows moving legs to tell us that physical activity is an essential part of the energy balance equation that should be combined with healthy eating.

From the HLP we can see a few layers which has eat most (veggies, fruits and beans), eat moderately (protein sources such meat and fish) and eat least or small (oil and fat).

How about we get to know first this layers of food in depth. Shall we…

Meat and Fish

Eating too much animal fat is a main cause of ill-health. We actually need a little amount of them but most of us consume too much the body could take. You may have heard of saturated fats. These are found mainly in the meat of cows, pigs and sheep and in products. Eating too much Saturated Fat can lead to Coronary Heart Disease and being overweight.

Unsaturated fats, however, are found in oily fish, chicken, eggs, turkey, duck, beans and lentils and foods made from these. Unsaturated fat may be better for you, but again eating anything out of proportion can increase your weight. It is better to buy a small amount of lean meat rather than fatty meat or solid fat.  It is even better to eat more fish of all kinds.

If you use any fat or oil in cooking, please use less. Steaming, boiling and grilling helps to cut down your total intake of fat. Reduce the amount of fat in all your recipes. Eat bread without spreading butter on it. Try to cut down on sugar as it causes dental decay and increases your weight and it doesn't give you any nutrients. Key point, where fat is involved, less is best.

Milk and Dairy Produce

Milk, cheese and yoghurt are good sources of protein, vitamins and minerals, but they are also high in animal fat. It is important to eat some milk and dairy produce. If semi-skimmed or skimmed milk is available this is better for adults as it contains less fat.

And, of course, the best milk for babies and young toddlers is breast milk which contains everything they need for their healthy start in life and can be continued for up to two years.

Potatoes, Bread, Rice and Cereals

These starchy foods are not fattening unless you cook or serve them with fat. In fact these foods give you energy for all the activities of your daily life.

In addition they are a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals as well as starch. They should definitely form the main part of most meals. If possible eat whole grain varieties of cereals because they are high in fibre. Fibre can help to prevent constipation and other bowel disorders.

Remember potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C (especially if you do not peel them) and therefore can help to prevent anaemia if eaten along with iron containing foods. So eat more potatoes, bread, cereal and rice.

Vegetables and Fruit

Vegetables are the main source of minerals and vitamins in our diet. Many of us do not eat enough of them. Some vegetables traditionally grown and can be available all the year round.

Try to eat what is in season and add beans and lentils which are excellent sources of minerals. Eat more iron-containing food such as green vegetables. Locally produced vegetables are usually the cheapest and the most full of flavour and nutrients because they are fresh. Even better is growing your own vegetables and using them directly from the garden.

Fruit is also a good source of minerals and vitamins.. Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day.

Benefits and Risk

There are countless of benefits of eating healthy foods...

• Healthy eating habits can help to reduce the risk of getting chronic diseases such as heart disease and hypertension.

• Healthy diet can also help you to recover quickly from sickness with the adequate nutrients it’s provide.

• It is also one of the main ways to prevent obesity and reduce your body weight towards an ideal weight.

• The antioxidants and other nutrients in fruits and vegetables can protect you against certain types of cancer and other diseases.

• Food and vegetables help decrease bone loss and reduce the risk of developing kidney stones.

• There is not even a fruit or vegetable have cholesterol, and most are naturally low in fat and calories.

• Green vegetables are a great source for potassium, dietary fiber, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin C.

• Diets rich in potassium in fruits may help to maintain healthy blood pressure.

• Fiber-containing foods such as vegetables helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease.

•  Fiber is important for proper bowel function and it help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories.

• Healthy eating habits can help with weight management, reduce constipation and reduce the risk of coronary artery diseases 

• A diet rich in calcium such as milk and cheese can aid in keeping your bones and teeth strong and helps prevent bone loss associated with osteoporosis.

• Vitamin D from fresh fish helps your body absorb calcium.

This is just a few and there a more to it.

But what are the risk of healthy eating. There are none actually well other than having to pay more and healthy foods, they can be pricey... well do you rather handle the cost of medical procedure or medication, or start now and avoid all those??? you make the choice....

Well, actually there is no benefit, only if you counting getting a disease, which is risk, as a benefit, there’s a lot…

• overweight or obese
• tooth decay
• high blood pressure
• high cholesterol
• heart disease and stroke
• type-2 diabetes
• osteoporosis
• some cancers
• depression
• eating disorders.

Those just a few, there are many more of them where they are coming from...

 So go on and become a good healthy food eater, and avoid having those disease and avoding paying any medical bills in the near future... *wink wink*

What’s Healthy Eating

Healthy eating consists of eating the types and quantities of foods that offer an ideal balance between nutrition and energy to support keep your heart beating, your brain active, and your muscles working. Nutrients also help build and strengthen bones, muscles, and tendons and also regulate body processes, such as blood pressure. Basically it helps you to grow accordingly.

A balanced diet - or a good diet - means consuming from all the different good groups in the right proportion. This includes choosing foods with more of the health-promoting vitamins and minerals and less of the detrimental cholesterol, sugar, fat and sodium.

Good nutrition can lower your risk of developing any chronic diseases.  For example, eating more fruit and vegetables can actually help you to lower blood pressure and may lower your risk of certain types of cancer. Eating less saturated fat may also lower your risk of heart disease.

Healthy eating can also help people that already have some types of disease or illness such as diabetes, high cholesterol and blood pressure.  And, of course, improving your eating habits will contribute to you achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.

Nutritionists say there are five main food groups which are whole grains, fruit and vegetables, protein, diary, and fat & sugar. Achieving healthy eating habits is easy, all you must do is fulfill your body's needs

What's Eat For Real

Hello and Hi

Eat For Real is a blog that that aimed to educate the society about healthy eating. Nowadays we see a lot of teenagers in our society are increasingly inclined to eat foods that are not nutritious nor healthy. They prefer and tend to eat foods that are fatty, sweet and high flavoured which is high in chemicals. This diet is dangerous to us because it will weaken our immune system and easier for us to get the diseases such obesity, heart attack and diabetes mellitus...

The society nowadays only see as only from exercise and work out can save us from those disease, but actually without a healthy diet, exercise does not mean anything if you keep eating fatty foods and high calorie foods

Our food choices each day affect your health — how you feel today, tomorrow, and in the future. Good nutrition plays an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Combined with physical activity, your diet can help you to reach and maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk of chronic diseases.

So this our job, to educate people on Healthy Eating Habits.