10 food habits you must cultivate for a healthy lifestyle

The food we eat has relevance to one’s mind and health. Furthermore, your food habits impact the way you grow old. Thus, cultivating healthy eating habits is the right way to go. 

However, one must know, staying fit does not happen by chance. Rather, it is the result of consistently practicing sustainable and healthy food habits for years.

To ensure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life

– William Londen

Here are 10 good food habits you must adopt to eat healthily and stay healthy. None of these healthy eating tips is extreme. These are simple lifestyle changes that you must inoculate in your lifestyle to lead a healthy life.

Paying attention to the food you eat is the key to a healthy life. It is not about counting the calories, but knowing the food you eat and understanding how your body reacts to it. Know when you are hungry to avoid binge eating. Eat slowly without any distractions. Avoid eating, recognize the indication your body sends you when it is full. 

Mindful eating makes us aware of the food we are putting in our body and the satisfaction it gives. Thus, it is one of the most essential healthy food habits everyone needs to practice.

Also read- The Art of Mindful eating: What is it and Why we need it?

We all know that we must consume a minimum of eight glasses of water in a day. Water not only hydrates our body but also nourishes us with minerals. However, do you know the optimal time to drink water? Well, read on to find out-

• Drink a glass of water just after you wake up in the morning. 
• Never drink water during meals, it slows down the process of digestion. Keep a gap of 30-40 mins between drinking water and meals. 
• One must drink water before and after a workout, to recharge fluid loss. Make sure you sip a glass of water slowly, instead of gulping at once. 

Nuts are full of proteins, fiber, vitamins, and healthy fat. Consuming nuts daily can improve your brain and heart health as well as boost your immunity. Thus, nuts are packed with energy and are highly satisfying. Having nuts during snack time can effectively suppress your cravings for unhealthy food. 

Here are some useful tips for adding nuts to your diet-

• Avoid salted or roasted nuts, as they contain a high amount of salt and sometimes sugar too. 
• Nuts high in saturated fats such as cashew, brazil nut, and macadamia nut can increase your cholesterol levels. Therefore, must be consumed occasionally.  
• Nuts are high in healthy fat, still, it is high in calories. Thus, consume them in moderation. 

Our gut naturally contains good bacteria that help in digestion and boost the immune system. Probiotic food contains good bacteria that are necessary for our body to maintain the population of our gut bacteria. Furthermore, probiotics also aid in the absorption of nutrients, synthesis of essential fatty acids, and vitamins. Here are some probiotic foods you must include in your diet-

• Curd is a great source of lactobacillus. It is indeed one of the most healthy food that you must add to your diet. Additionally, buttermilk is also rich in healthy bacteria. 
• Pickle is found in almost every Indian household. Pickles are prepared by mixing vegetables or fruits with salt, sugar, herbs, oil, and species, followed by fermentation under the sun. 
• Fermented food such as idli, dosa, dhokla, etc is another great way to add good bacteria in your food. 

Sugar is nothing but calories with zero nutritional value. High sugar intake on a daily basis can cause serious health problems directly or indirectly. Thus, avoiding sugary food and drinks is the best thing you can do for yourself. However, the following are some healthier sugar alternatives to satisfy your sweet tooth. 

• Honey is rich in antioxidants and its antibacterial properties boost the immune system. 
• Coconut sugar contains minerals in addition to calories equivalent to table sugar. 
• Jaggery is a traditional Indian sugar alternative. It aids digestion, relieves head-ache, and is good for cold and cough. It is loaded with vital nutrients such as iron, sodium, magnesium, and various vitamins. 

Also read: 6 Natural and healthy sugar substitutes you must try

All these are healthier than sugar, yet they contain high calories, and if you are aiming for weight loss consume them in moderation. 

Having dinner before 7 P.M. supports weight loss in addition to surprising health benefits. It is one of the easiest and effective ways to keep several health problems at bay. In reality, early dinner might not be possible for most of us. However, if you are determined enough to start a healthy lifestyle, nothing is impossible. You may need to make a few uncomfortable adjustments in your daily routine, but believe me, it’s worth it. 

A healthy and balanced diet is incomplete without fat in it. Fat is the prime source of essential fatty acids as well as for the absorption of vitamins in the body. However, one must avoid trans fat, as it raises the bad cholesterol in the blood. Nuts are a good source of healthy fat, apart from that following are the best source of healthy fat-

• Foods such as cheese, dark chocolate are highly nutritious, they are rich in healthy fats as well as proteins and minerals.
• Ghee (clarified butter) is a staple food in the Indian subcontinent. Its rich omega-3 fatty acid content makes it beneficial for brain and heart health. 
• Coconut oil is high in saturated fats, helps increase the good cholesterol in the blood. 

Also Read- Healthy lifestyle: A choice or necessity?

Adding fruits to your diet is one of the healthiest habits you need to practice. Fruits are rich in essential nutrients such as vitamin C, dietary fiber, folic acid. They contain no calories, thus are good for heart health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Processed fruit juices are loaded with sugar and other preservatives, thus opt for whole fruits instead.  Furthermore, fruits are delicious and there is no reason to avoid them.

Aerated drinks are among the most popular beverages. However, they are loaded with calories and their regular consumption can cause serious health problems. There are ample other options to hydrate yourself that are healthier and taste great as well. Here are a few beverages you must consume-

• Coconut water is without any doubt one of the healthiest drinks on earth. It is rich in bio-active enzymes, minerals, and electrolytes. 
• Summer can be a lot cooler with refreshing drinks such as lemonade, fresh fruit juice. Other than that buttermilk (chach) and lassi are great ways to add some good bacteria in your diet. 
• Green tea or green coffee has numerous health benefits, you must include them in your daily routine. 

Refined grains are devoid of nutrients such as dietary fiber, iron, vitamins, etc, that are naturally present in whole grain. Consuming whole food over refined ones is also known to reduce risks of diabetes (type 2) and heart diseases. Thus, oats, corn, brown rice, and whole wheat are some of the healthiest whole grains, you must include in your diet. Along with this, unprocessed or homemade popcorn is a whole grain snack that you can have without any guilt. 

Furthermore, while shopping, be conscious of what you are purchasing, for instance, the brown bread you have been eating may be made of refined flour. Thus, make it a habit to read the label on the food products.

All you need is sincere efforts and mindfulness to cultivate healthy food habits.

It is health that is the real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.

– Mahatma Gandhi