Many of us are preoccupied with eating healthy food and reaching or maintaining an ideal weight, so talking about diets and about nutrition is popular, but how do we tackle the huge amount of information on this topic that we run across in the media? Which are the nutrition principles we should apply, especially since many pieces of advice contradict the other ones on the same subject?
Some experts at Berkeley California actually wrote some Tips on how to build a healthy diet, so whether you’re trying to lose weight by eating healthy or just build healthy diet to maintain your weight and boost your energy level, you may be interested in these tips.
Don't forget about variety
Experts point out that there are still quite a few nutrients in the food we eat on a daily basis that are not yet identified, so eating a variety of foods would be a way to increase the chance of getting some of the beneficial substances that may become the next big hit in nutrition. Also, eating the same types of food increases the risk of exposure to the toxic substances used by some food companies, such as pesticides.
Our portions
Another simple principle outlined by nutrition experts would be that of the quantities of food that we are eating. Moderation may be the key, and despite the fact that paying attention to the portions of green salad you’re eating may actually make the difference, when it comes to foods that are high in calories the difference is significant.
What’s interesting is that according to the experts at Berkeley, the sizes of the portions served in restaurants have dramatically increased over the past years, so while we’re getting used to super-sized meals, we are also less likely to think about the large servings we may choose when eating at restaurants.
Fruits and vegetables
Experts recommend eating fruits as well as vegetables every day, so according to the tips of Berkeley nutrition experts, the ideal quantity of fruits and vegetables is estimated at two cups of fruits and a bit more vegetables, that is two and a half vegetables per day. This quantity would be ideal for the average 2,000-calorie diet, so feel free to adjust the quantity depending on your total amount of daily calories.
These three nutrition guidelines are very simple that they are often neglected in our efforts of focusing on more complex nutrition advice, so it may be beneficial to remind ourselves not to choose the large meal at a fast food or to change the brand of cereals that we eat every morning for a one lower in calories.