We all want to lead a healthy and happy life, mostly by doing what we love and being with who we want to be. It’s hard to balance work, personal and social life, exercising, eating and, of course, time to yourself. You can always be doing better in some way or another but, honestly, don’t let food be one of those things. The earlier you draw your healthy habits in life, the better you’ll be at mastering them and the trick is to make them a routine and something you don’t have to think about. How? By following the next few tips and advice.
We should all know by now that cooking with hydrogenated fats is no good for you, it raises your cholesterol levels and clogs your arteries. Instead, choose oils like olive, coconut, almond butter or even avocado, safer choices that won’t increase your cholesterol levels and as savory.
If you do eat protein, go for the lean, organic animal protein. Try eating turkey, chicken, lentils and beans, salmon – which also has high levels of omega-3 and, again, does not increase your cholesterol levels. Steer clear of beef and pork but, if you can’t, try to restrict its consumption.
Anything that comes in package, ready made or frozen is probably no good. Most of those processed foods have to have something to keep them consumable, like sugars and artificial ingredients.
Always! I’ve been following this rule ever since living in my parent’s house. My mother always had the freshest vegetables and fruits, bought from local farms and organic. When I moved to Lisbon I stood by the same habit and always picked up fresh veggies and fruit from the local supermarket or weekend farmer’s market. They’re rich in vitamins and minerals that help keep your digestive system on track.
There are many types of sugars hidden in products like “gluten, dairy and sugar free”. You have to read the labels to actually know what gives those types of food their taste and you can always find alternative sweeteners like raw honey, maple syrup and even coconut sugar.
I remember going to a nutritionist years ago and she explained to me that a healthy regime has a 75/25 rule, meaning that 75% of the time you should have a healthy routine and 25% of the time you should indulge. From time to time eat an entire pizza, have a cookie after lunch, drink a hot chocolate, but make sure to go back once the cravings are fulfilled.