Ten rules for a healthy diet
When browsing the Internet or professional magazines, you can find so many things that make up a healthy diet and what you need to take into account. Some things are useful, some are less helpful. And often you come to the conclusion that it is too much effort for you to cook healthy, to shop healthy.
But is it really? Following the German Nutrition Society, we have drawn up 10 rules that explain “healthy eating” in a nutshell and in simple terms.
Ten tips for a healthy diet
Rule 1: Eat a varied diet
The “protein diet” is based on eating only or mainly protein, the “cabbage soup diet” prescribes only said soup. However, the body needs more than these one-sided diets. To lose weight quickly, supposed miracle diets seem to be helpful for some people, but many nutrients are missing in the process. So enjoy a varied selection of nutrient-rich foods every day.
Rule 2: Plenty of fruit and vegetables
Fresh ingredients are crucial. Eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day – small tip: one portion fits in your hand, for example an apple or a handful of strawberries. It is best to have one portion with each meal.
Rule 3: Cereals and potatoes
Cereal products contain many vitamins and fibers and should therefore not be missing from a healthy, balanced diet. It is best to use the whole grain varieties. Cereal products are also on the third level of the food pyramid (s. Food pyramid).
Rule 4: Milk and dairy products
Dairy products have been criticized lately, but they are still part of a varied and healthy diet. For one thing, milk provides valuable calcium, which strengthens teeth and bones, but is also necessary for muscles and nerves.
Rule 5: Fish, meat and eggs
Fish is an important source of iodine and selenium and should be eaten up to twice a week. Meat and eggs provide good minerals, but should not be included too frequently in the diet.
Rule 6: Little fat
The negative meaning of fat is known to most people today. It promotes the development of obesity and can promote lipid metabolism disorders. However, fats are also important energy suppliers and the organism needs healthy fat in order to be able to absorb fat-soluble vitamins. Therefore you should have small amounts of fat in your diet.
Rule 7: Luxury food only in moderation
The known stimulants are alcohol and sweets. You should not actually eat these foods often during the week. Likewise sugary drinks. But also salt is meant here. Too much salt is not healthy for the body and should therefore only be used in moderation.
Rule 8: Don’t rush
On the one hand you should pay attention to cook the food gently, at low temperatures. Secondly, you should take time to eat. “Something on the side on the hand and further”, that may be sometimes practical, but is so not at all conducive to your feeling of satiety. And enjoying is certainly possible in other ways.
Rule 9: Liquid
By “liquid”, nutrition experts primarily mean water. The body consists to a large extent of it and needs it to live. Therefore, it is recommended to drink about 1.5 liters of water per day to meet your fluid needs. For a change, it can also be an unsweetened tea or a juice spritzer, but in a ratio of 3 : 1 (water to juice). Other drinks count extra.
Rule 10: Exercise is essential
Here we are talking about healthy nutrition, but this is always combined with sufficient exercise to achieve a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, take the stairs more often or the bicycle instead of the car.
If you want to get started right now but don’t know what to start with, check out our new interactive vegetable chart. Here you can see at a glance which vegetables have which nutritional values and what else you need to know about them.
