Chapter 4: Basics of Healthy Lifestyle

Understanding and Choosing Food Groups

• A diet high in fruits, vegetables, fibre, phytonutrients, fermented foods, protein, and good fats.
• Limit your intake of carbohydrates, sugar, salt, and trans fats.
• The half plate rule is a simple guide to help you get there.

Rule of Half-Plate

• Pre-plate your food at all times. So that you can see exactly what you are eating, place everything you wish to eat on your plate at once. According to research, people who plate their entire meal as opposed to just the second and third helpings eat 14% less.
• Aim for the "half-plate" rule from now on. Vegetables should fill half of your plate. Use grains or cereals as a side dish and divide the remaining food among the other dietary categories.
• To treat food allergies, each diet must be customised. Plan your diet based on the food groups you are intolerant to.

How Much to Eat?

At the time of serving, portion control starts. Instead of aiming for second, put less on the plate or put everything you want at once. Additionally, simply looking at a full dish makes one feel fuller. It is thought to be the Japanese centenarians' secret.

What to Eat?

• In order to eat healthier, choose foods that are high in nutrients, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and proteins.
• Instead of genuinely counting calories, one should choose high-value foods that are rich in nutrients.
• White rice and wheat can be replaced with uncooked rice, quinoa, lentil flour, jackfruit flour, and millets.

• flour, and millets.

When Do You Eat?

• Sleep early to give your digestive system enough time to process your food as quickly as possible.
• In accordance with the circadian rhythm of day and night, eat between the hours of 7am and 7pm. Or, "Eat during the hours that your system is active!"

How to Eat?

The advantages of eating slowly are numerous. First off, since digestion truly begins in the mouth, chewing slowly and thoroughly helps in digestion. Second, it allows the gut the time (about 20 minutes) that it needs to detect levels of satiety.

Guidelines for Eating

• Maintain your motivation by cutting out the excuses and taking full responsibility for your weight, making yourself feel important, focusing on yourself without feeling guilty, creating a positive association with the types of clothes you would love to wear, keeping busy or away from home, chatting with friends, going out, etc., to keep your mind off of food.
• Set goals that are both short- and long-term, reasonable, and practical. Aim for a flat stomach and your desired Body Mass Index (BMI).
• Plan Your Diet - Make a list of all of your meals and snacks. Snack wisely. Make sure that dinner is served between 6:30 and 8 o'clock. Keep your dinner light, etc., if it starts to become late.
• Exercise Mindful Eating and keep a food journal. Become more conscious. By dwelling on all the food you did not consume and feeling sorry for yourself, do not deceive yourself.
• Be a food sage and develop your palette. You may hone your palate by eating well and significantly increasing your intake of fresh veggies and vegetable juices. Eat food from various cultures.