A balanced diet is a diet plan that provides your body with all the essential nutrients it needs to function properly.This approach to nutrition is aimed at improving your overall health and protecting you from disease. A healthy lifestyle consisting of a balanced diet combined with regular exercise can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer. Most of your daily calorie intake should come from fresh fruits and vegetables. Whole grains and protein should also be included in your diet, as well as low-fat milk fats, nuts and legumes.
How can a balanced diet affect your health?
Many people think that following a healthy diet is too demanding. However, adhering to a balanced diet has a number of advantages that you should pay attention to: Reduce harmful LDL cholesterol and stabilize blood pressure. Hypertension and high cholesterol are one of the leading causes of heart disease worldwide. After a diet with a high amount of animal fats and salts, it not only promotes weight gain, but also negatively affects overall health, as well as encourages premature aging.
Rejuvenate the skin
Consuming healthy foods can help you treat acne, prevent rashes from appearing on your face, strengthen the skin’s barrier that will retain moisture, improve skin discoloration, and create a natural healthy glow.
Increase your energy levels
Many complain of feelings of chronic fatigue. One of the reasons for low energy levels is poor nutrition. If you often feel extremely sleepy and are ready to fall, no matter how long you slept, try to follow a healthy balanced diet. This will raise your energy level and make you feel better.
Improve heart health
Another reason to start eating well is to improve your heart health. Be sure to include whole grains, vegetables, fruits and reduce your intake of sugar, salt and saturated fats to prevent the development of heart disease.
Help maintain a healthy weight
Normal weight is one of the most common reasons why many people make healthy choices and switch to a healthy diet. Normal weight in turn means fewer health problems and a lower risk of developing diabetes and heart disease. The reasons why Infinity Fit is a safe option: a wide range of calorie-burning workouts, a variety of recipes, challenges that will keep you in top shape. Start using our app and watch the spell happens.
How to eat a balanced diet?
Adhering to a proper diet will help you lose weight and improve your skin and will give you a step closer to achieving a well-adjusted life. Here are some basic principles of healthy eating that everyone should know.
Avoid fast food and sweets
Instead, fill the plate with herbs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and legumes. In other words, stick to foods that have a lot of healthy nutrients in them!
Eat seasonal foods
Eat as much seasonal food as possible – it is full of nutrients. Vegetables and fruits that are grown in greenhouses or brought from afar lose their benefits due to chemical processing and long-term storage. Moreover, they become accumulators of nitrates and other harmful chemical compounds.
Reduce the use of refined foods
Reduce the use of refined foods: sugar, vegetable oil, white wheat flour, refined white rice. They do not have fiber – nutrients that are crucial for the proper functioning of digestion. It is much better to consume whole grains instead of white bread and replace refined sugar with raw or even honey.
Stay hydrated
Raise fluid intake. Remember tea, coffee and juices do not replace water. The body should receive at least 30-35 ml of fluid per 1 kg of body weight per day. So, a 70kg man would need about 2-2.5 liters of fluid per day.
Don’t forget the protein
Don’t forget about protein foods. It gives a feeling of satiety for a long time and is also a source of essential amino acids. Proteins are necessary for the body to build muscle tissue, to replace obsolete cells. Protein-rich foods include a variety of meats, fish, squid, shrimp, nuts, mushrooms, some legumes and eggs.
Eat different foods
Eat a variety of foods so that you get all the nutrients that are important for your overall health.
Don’t starve yourself
Eat three main meals during the day and drink healthy snacks if you are still hungry. The Infinity Fit app will provide you with plenty of fitness routines for burning fat that will help you lose extra pounds and turn your body into a masterpiece! What does a balanced diet look like?
Be sure to include these healthy foods in your diet every day:
Whole grains are rich in slow carbohydrates, which will increase your energy level. Fresh vegetables like cabbage and carrots provide your body with dietary fiber. Legumes are rich in plant proteins. Nuts (walnuts and almonds) have a beneficial effect on the whole body and are a source of omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, trace elements. Dairy products: natural yogurts (without added sugar), kefir, low-fat cottage cheese provide calcium and improve the digestive tract. Marine fish contain protein and essential omega-3 fatty acids. Fruits and berries are a storehouse of vitamins – they can help your skin and protect your body from inflammation and disease. Meats like chicken breast, pork and beef are a great source of protein. Healthy food must not contain preservatives, artificial colors, palm oil. If you want to achieve a specific weight loss goal, it is crucial to eliminate extra sugar from your diet.
What to drink?
- Water
- Green tea
- Smoothie
- Natural freshly squeezed juices, preferably herbal.
Foods to avoid:
- Sweet carbonated drinks
- Fried food
- Burgers, hot dogs
- Mayonnaise and similar sauces
- Meat sausages and semi – finished products
- Flour and sweet
- Packed juices
How to achieve a balanced diet?
It is not easy to get rid of all bad habits or completely get out of your comfort zone in one day. Remember that changing any habit is a job, make big changes in small steps. Here are some helpful tips to help you make healthy changes to your eating habits:
Keep a food diary
By monitoring what you eat and drink, you will be able to assess your diet and break bad eating habits.
Don’t skip breakfast
This is the most important meal of the day – the body exhausted during the night needs calories; breakfast helps the body to wake up. It can increase your energy levels and provide fuel for your brain so you can be focused and productive. Breakfast should consist of complex carbohydrates, fiber, protein and healthy fats. The best breakfast foods are vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and eggs. Add two useful products to your menu and remove two harmful ones. It is the same principle of small steps. Once you get used to these new products, add two more (removing as many harmful ones). Even if you do not get a completely healthy diet, you will become much healthier.
A smart snack
Eat nuts, fruits and vegetables as a snack instead of French fries, chocolates, sweets, etc. Always carry a bottle of water with you. Water helps cleanse the body of toxins and transfers nutrients to the cells. Use the habit of putting a bottle of water in your bag in the morning, no matter where you go.
Make a grocery list
When you go to the supermarket, be sure to make a list of products. People tend to put more food in the basket than they need to. Don’t go to the supermarket on an empty stomach, this habit will prevent you from buying junk food.
What does the sample menu look like?
A balanced diet plan will help you develop the habit of eating properly. Consider your lifestyle when creating a meal plan for the week or month. A balanced diet can promote weight loss, as it excludes overly refined carbohydrates and processed foods, as well as adequate protein intake to prevent overeating. However, people who want to achieve their weight loss goals must transform their eating habits, stick to a healthy and balanced diet and do regular exercise. Although a healthy eating plan can help maintain a healthy weight, studies show that weight loss strategies must be individual.
The fact is that the results of weight loss can vary from person to person, depending on gender, age and genetics. Moreover, research suggests that behavioral, psychological, and social factors are probably more important for weight loss than the proportions of nutrients in the diet. Consider choosing a well-designed exercise plan that will contribute to your weight loss process. Options range from long walks to high-intensity exercise. In the application, you will find an example of a full body workout at home that you can follow every day.
Can vegetarians have a balanced diet?
A vegetarian diet plan can be healthy. Moreover, it can help reduce the risk of health diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer. However, you should be especially careful when following a vegetarian diet plan, this way of eating eliminates certain foods. A balanced vegetarian diet should include a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole grains, legumes and soy in your routine to get enough nutrients. In addition, vegetarians sometimes need to supplement their diet to get enough protein, iron, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12 and omega-3 fatty acids.
Do you think that one diet plan is not enough? We offer a variety of nutrition programs as well as different types of training that you can apply every day and make your life healthier and more balanced.