~ By Sukanya Roy ~

Healthy Eating is a quite familiar topic on internet nowadays with huge variety of advice from experts everywhere but here I will try to point out some of the basic simple ideas of starting your tour towards eating healthy. Let’s begin-

• Quality of Food is as Important as Quantity-Food quality is just as important as it’s quantity if not more so. What and where the food is coming from should also be the concern just as how much we are eating. Thus while buying our food, priority should be to check its origin whether it’s organic, non processed, fresh, local or not.
• Eat Mindfully– Being mindful while eating helps to avoid overeating, selecting good quality foods thus improving digestion & absorption. It involves paying close attention to the experience of eating, such as the taste, texture, colour, flavour and smell of the food. Practising mindful eating aids in getting more attuned with our bodies and realizing our hunger and fullness cues better .
• Ask yourself the 5 Ws and 1 H before eating– Asking yourself few questions before eating like 5Ws and 1H (the why, when, who, what, where, & how) is a key to optimal health. It signifies why, at what time of day, with whom, what type of, at which environment are we eating a particular food and finally how are we preparing the meals, how are we eating- standing up, in a rush, watching tv or while doing a office work?? Each of these has significant role to play at how we assimilate whatever we are eating.

• Focus on eating a Balanced Diet– Eating a balanced diet should ensure including nutrient dense foods from all food groups in our daily meals to maintain a nourished body and overall well being.
• Introduce Whole Foods and fresh Fruits & Vegetables to the diet– Regular incorporation of whole unprocessed foods and organic, fresh, local fruits/vegetables and eating them in a state as close to the nature as possible improves gut concerns, assists to get rid of chronic inflammation, thus providing essential nutrients and antioxidants to boost overall health and immunity.
• Plan your Meals– Planning meals beforehand helps to save time, money and energy while preparing them, prevents overeating and food wastage, promotes healthier choices and also improves grocery shopping habits.
• Limit Processed Foods– Restricting consumption of processed foods is beneficial by protecting our body against developing serious health complications in future.
• Read Labels of Ingredients before Buying– Practice of reading food labels before buying them helps us to comprehend the ingredients whether healthy or unhealthy present in there. We should always opt for buying food items whose ingredient labels lack ingredients like food additives, preservatives, artificial colours, flavours and other harmful chemicals.

I believe in the phrase that says “WE ARE WHAT WE ASSIMILATE” and it signifies our body reflects whatever we eat, digest and assimilate. Thus, Eating Healthy with all of its basic fundamentals discussed above is the most optimal option we can choose to protect our health. Several researches show that about 80% of severe health complications like heart diseases, stroke, type 2 diabetes among others could be prevented by adopting basic nutrition & lifestyle habits in our daily lives.

If you would like to have more customized ways to improve your daily food habits and lifestyle please feel free to contact us @SR Nutrition & Wellness – https://sr-nutrition.com/contact/