A healthy eating plan is one of the most asked questions by people to their dietitians. You might have also asked this question many times – how to create a healthy meal plan? In this post of Stay Fit And Strong, we are going to help you with the same.
Following a healthy diet plan is a matter of conviction first, which is then followed by certain practical everyday things you need to follow to maintain your health. This article will help you eat it right on the go, from morning till bedtime.
What A Healthy Diet Plan For The Day Looks Like?
Simply one information will keep you sorted with the question that how to make a healthy meal plan? If each meal has a mix of protein, fiber, complex carbs, and a bit of fat in it, you are good to go. Here are some basic tips to keep in the back of your mind to begin with.
- If you are someone who skips their breakfast, stop right now. Breakfast feeds you with enough energy to give a kickstart to your day. Also, a high-fat or high-calorie breakfast is a big No-No. Go for a high protein meal or some fruits.
- If your breakfast was on point, you won’t feel like having a mid-morning snack, but if you feel like eating something at that time, anything light and healthy would do without adding to your calorie intake.
- For the majority of the people, lunches happen at the office, school, college, etc. Pack a healthy sandwich or anything similar that you can heat and eat. Avoid dining out.
- A mid-afternoon snack is essential for many people as they can’t do without it. Keep your mid-afternoon meal very-very low in calories and super-light because dinner is right around the corner.
- If you are not satisfied with what you had the entire day, you can clearly overeat during your dinner. Therefore, it’s vital that you watch your portion size. Divide your dinner into four portions. One should be protein, second starch, and the other two for greens and veggies.
We hope you will find it easier that how to make a healthy diet plan now. Moving on
Here are 13 small changes that you can make with your meals to make them healthier. Don’t try to introduce all the changes at once. Let them happen gradually and over time.
1. Eat Slowly
Let’s start with the very basic people tend to ignore or they might not be aware of. Your eating speed actually influences your quantity of food that eventually results in unwanted weight gain even if you are eating right.
Some studies have compared multiple eating speeds and it revealed that fast eaters end up eating more than they are hungry that increases their BMI. Slow eaters, on the other hand, don’t face such issues & they end up consuming less calories too.
Your brain takes around 20 minutes to receive signals when you are full and slow eating gives it enough time to perceive that message.
2. Switch Refined Bread With Whole Grain Bread
It’s one uncomplicated change that makes your meals healthier without trying harder. Let whole grain bread enter your plate. Why?
Eating refined breads for a longer period of time is linked to a number of health issues. Whole grain bread, on the other hand, has many benefits as it’s a great source of fiber, Vitamin B, iron, magnesium, etc.
3. Make Greek Yogurt A Regular Part Of Your Diet
When compared with regular yogurt, Greek yogurt is thicker and creamier because the excess whey (the watery part of the milk) has been removed that makes it high in healthy fat, twice in protein than the regular one, low on carbs & lactose.
When your plate has enough protein in the right amount, it keeps you fuller that limits your food intake. Avoid consuming flavored Greek yogurt as they might contain unwanted sugars.
4. Eat Eggs In Breakfast
There could be nothing better than starting your day with a meal that has eggs in it. An option loaded with protein & other vital nutrients like choline that people don’t pay much heed to, eggs are a fantastic breakfast option if you are trying to eat healthy. The best part is, you can choose to eat eggs daily in the morning that keeps you fuller for a larger part of the day. Therefore, in the coming meals for the day, you automatically end up consuming less calories. For weight loss, it’s a thumbs-up plan.
So if you are planning to switch your breakfast with eggs, do it ASAP.
5. Go Up With Your Protein Intake
It won’t be wrong to say that protein has some superpowers when it comes to our bodies. One of the most fulfilling of all the micronutrients, it affects our hunger & satiety hormones in all the positive ways.
If you are trying to lose weight with a healthy diet chart, one pro tip here would be to add one protein dense item in all your meals that won’t allow overeating, help you fight cravings, and lower calorie intake follows.
Nuts, lean meat, beans, dairy, eggs & peanut butter are some of the options you can consider.
6. Drink More Water
Water works like a panacea for your overall health.
Studies reveal that if you drink enough water, it aids in weight loss, weight maintenance, and even increases your calorie burn per each day. If you develop a habit of drinking water before your meals, it reduces your hunger for the meal that follows.
Now, if you are into beverages, ditch them for water. It will drastically affect your calorie and sugar intake.
7. Grilling or Frying? No! Baking or Roasting? Yes!
Grilling, frying, boiling, etc., are some popular cooking methods you must be aware of. With what you eat, how you choose to prepare your meals affects your health a lot.
Baking, broiling, poaching, pressure cooking, simmering, slow cooking, stewing & sous-vide are some of the healthy cooking methods that could be a game changer for your diet.
- baking
- broiling
- poaching
- pressure cooking
- simmering
- slow cooking
- stewing
- Sous-vide
8. Try One Healthy Recipe Each Week
Deciding every day thrice what to have or what not to can invite frustration that could lead to eating unhealthy and boring meals you don’t enjoy at all. Same recipe and meals all over again is a big No.
To add a dash of fun and diversification in your diet, try a new healthy recipe each week and add the ones in your diet regularly that turned out to be a yummylicious option.
If not something brand new, you can create a healthy version of a recipe that’s your favorite, but your new health conscious self is not allowing you to eat that. Sounds like a win-win, right?
9. Don’t Fall For “Diet” Food
There’s nothing more deceiving than food items labeled diet food in the market. Fat free, low fat, no sugar, less calories, and whatnot. The reality is that to compensate for the flavor that’s lost, sugar and other unhealthy ingredients are added. Refrain from buying them.
10. Get A Larger Portion of Salad Dressing
Dining out is a choice of many now-a-days that’s part of the lifestyle now. But dining out and eating healthy doesn’t go that well together. How to balance the situation? Ordering a salad is a great achievement in that matter.
Whenever you go out, make salad your main portion and you can always choose to have other things but in a very decent amount.
Also, be wiser with your salad choice. Not every salad at every restaurant is healthy. Do your homework!
11. Drink Black Coffee
Black coffee is very healthy as it’s a major source of antioxidants whose health benefits are well-known.
Coffee, a little bit of milk, water & a natural sweetener is all that you need and that’s it. Make a habit of having black coffee everyday.
12. Always Try To Eat Your Fruits & Not Drink Them
Fruits are an excellent source of vitamins, water, fiber, antioxidants, etc. Eating fruits regularly means a lesser risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and so on.
The fact that fruits have fiber & other multiple plant compounds, digesting their natural sugars becomes a slow process that doesn’t spike sugar levels in the blood.
If you think the same goes with fruit juices, it’s not the truth. In fact the reality is that many fruit juices are not even made from real juice and contain unnecessary sugar that can spike sugar levels in the blood.
13. Focus On Your Greens
If you are worried about not eating enough greens, enjoying them as a starter is a great idea. When you begin to eat your meals, it’s the time you are likely to successfully finish your greens because you are hungrier at that moment.
When you are done eating greens, you are left with a little space to stuff your tummy with unhealthy food that’s left. That way, you end up shedding up some extra kilos if that’s the motive.
Consider making these changes for your healthy diet plans coupled up with a personalized workout routine to lose all your flab while being on the go.
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