Simple Steps to a More Balanced Diet

You feel as though you are someone that used to take a lot of pride in their body and now you are sitting at home sporting a muffin top that can be used as a shelf for your snacks while you are watching the TV. We have all been there!

Perhaps you have a busy lifestyle and you have come to depend too much on convenience and fast food. Alternatively, maybe you are going through some things in your personal life and now you have found yourself comfort eating and shovelling chocolate in your mouth more often than you should. Whatever the reason, you have found yourself in a position where your diet leans more towards treats and unhealthy items than it does to fruits and veggies, however there are a few simple steps that you can take towards enjoying a more balanced diet.

Remember That Healthy Food Does Not Have to Be Boring

This is a hurdle for many people. When they think about healthy foods their mind draws up connotations of eating raw carrot sticks like a rabbit or bland salads and fruit medleys. When it comes to eating healthily, food does not have to be flavourless and boring. Experiment with fruits and vegetables that you typically do not use in your cooking and spice things up a little, or try out new herbs, spices and flavour combos to give your healthy cooking an extra pizzazz. For example, a little curry powder or Cajun spice can go an awful long way in transforming your food from bland to grand.

Don’t Neglect Any of the Food Groups

A balanced diet is called a balanced diet for a reason – it is a healthy and even balance of all the food groups that we need to consume and enjoy if we want to sustain our good health, maintain our weight and feel good within ourselves. Many people often try and neglect or cut out entire food groups such as carbohydrates and fats because they want to achieve a certain body type and appear healthier. In the long term, this is damaging. Omitting certain food groups can mean that our bodies are not receiving all of the nutrients and vitamins that they need, and fad diets can do more damage than people realise.

In summary, the foods that our bodies need on a regular basis are fresh fruits and vegetables, proteins, legumes, grains and nuts.

Don’t Feel Guilty About Treating Yourself

If you are trying to move towards a healthier diet you may feel a pang of guilt every time you grab your fork to share a piece of cake with your friend or you unwrap a bar of chocolate. It is perfectly okay to treat yourself here and there. The problems only begin when your treat intake exceeds your intake of healthy foods. As a matter of fact, it is likely that you relapse and become more unhealthy if you try and force yourself to steer clear of treats and snacks completely.

Try to Eat Quality Produce

When attempting to eat healthily as part of a balanced diet, it is important that we really take care and consideration of what we put into our bodies. Items with artificial ingredients and preservatives may not be easy to distinguish at first so check the ingredients and information of the items that you purchase for consumption, particularly if the price seems lower than it should be. As an example, food manufacturers in Melbourne vary significantly in terms of their quality offering so be informed.