The world of diets and healthy eating has been witnessing so many changes and new trends in recent years. It’s all in an effort to cater to the collective desire to lose weight or have healthier eating habits to improve people’s overall health.
With all the conflicting information regarding healthy eating, most people experience difficulty in finding solid ground for their diet. However, there are some unchangeable ground rules that no one will disagree on. If you’re looking to start a diet to lose weight and improve your health, here are some tips to help you out.
1. Don’t Skip Breakfast
There’s a reason why the saying “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” is so popular. Many people tend to skip breakfast in their rush to start their busy days, but it’s the biggest mistake if you’re on a diet. Having a healthy breakfast early in the day stops you from getting hungry afterward and turning to nibble on snacks until lunchtime. Make sure you have a high fiber and protein breakfast, preferably containing eggs, milk, or fruits like grapefruit, bananas, and strawberry to help control your appetite throughout the day.
2. Try Intermittent Fasting
Recently, in all the rage in the world of health and weight loss, intermittent fasting has proved to be a miracle worker when it comes to shedding some pounds. Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern where you have a specific eating window and fast for the rest of the day. It has three methods, the 16/8 method where your eating window lasts for 8 hours, the Eat-Stop-Eat where you fast for 24 hours and eat for the next 24, and the 5:2 diet where you eat normally for 5 days and consume only 500-600 calories for 2 days in the week. Not only is it one of the most effective weight loss tools but it also helps maintain overall health, especially for diabetes patients, as a healthy diet is known to be one of the steps in controlling their blood sugar levels. Remember to consult with your doctor before starting this diet since it affects hormones.
3. Take Supplements
Many people experience difficulty incorporating healthy nutrients into their diet which leads to muscle loss and overall exhaustion. That’s when supplements come in handy, especially for those who find it difficult to eat plant-based foods. For example, if you dislike the taste of green tea but want to gain all its health benefits, you can opt for a green tea extract supplement. Another great natural supplement is the nopal cactus supplement which is made from a type of cactus that contains antioxidants and is high on fiber. It can also slow down the digestion of carbs, regulating blood sugar that produces insulin when spiked and stops your body from burning any fat.
- Increase Fiber And Protein
We all know that carbs taste great, although they also cause you to gain weight rapidly as well as put you at risk of chronic diseases. To curb your carb cravings, fill up with high-fiber and protein foods that can give the same feeling of fullness without all the calories. In fact, high-fiber foods help lower cholesterol levels and improve control of blood sugar. As for protein, it’s the most important nutrient in any diet since it’s proven to boost metabolism and reduce the tendency to snack.
4. Cut Off Sugar
Sugar is one of the worst things humans consume on a daily basis so much that some health research considers its effects to be similar to drugs. Sugar isn’t only in your dessert or a daily cup of coffee or tea, it’s also found in refined carbs like white bread and pasta.
Sugary drinks like fruit juice and soda are also a diet’s worst enemy and increase the risk of obesity by 60%. In fact, it’s been shown that sugar in liquid form is the worst type of consumed sugar. Try to cut down your daily sugar intake until it’s none at all. Alternatively, you can replace it with more natural options like healthy fruits or honey instead.
There you have it, these diet tips will not only help you in your weight loss journey but will also maintain your overall health. Just remember that like any journey, dieting will take time, effort, and lots of patience. Take it one step at a time, even if you start with small dietary changes, and work your way into a full diet. You can set certain small goals or milestones like buying a piece of clothing you want to fit in after a certain period of time. Make use of tools like food diaries to keep track of your progress and seek support from family and friends to encourage you.
Carol
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