Your daily routine food choices surely affect your health — how you feel today, tomorrow, and in the future. Your healthy diet Combined with physical activity can help you to reach and maintain a healthy weight and promote your overall health. A healthy diet also reduces your risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer.

10 Pro Tips: Healthy Eating for an Active Lifestyle

Tips for eating healthily and physical activity

For every person whether engaging in physical activity or not. Whether you are a sportsperson or a corporate executive, healthy eating is essential for optimizing performance. Good nutrition combined with some physical activity can lead to a healthier lifestyle.

1. Nutrient-packed foods

You should maximize the intake of Nutrient-packed food. You should give your body the nutrients it needs by eating a variety of nutrient-packed food, including whole grains, lean protein, fruits and vegetables, and low-fat or fat-free dairy. Along with that, one should limit the intake of foods that are high in solid fats, added sugars, and sodium (salt).

2. Grains

Energize your body with the Grains. Your body’s fastest energy source comes from foods such as bread, pasta, oatmeal, cereals, etc. You should ensure to make at least half of your grain food choices from whole-grain foods like whole-wheat bread or pasta and brown rice.

3. Protein

Power up your body with proteins. Protein is primarily for building and repairing your muscles. There are several plant-based foods too which have high proteins.

Soy products such as tofu are one of the richest sources of protein.

Peanuts, Peanut butter is also rich in protein and full of healthful fats and may improve your heart health. Making sandwiches with peanut butter a healthful complete protein snack.

Another example is Almonds which also offer a good amount of protein, along with vitamin E, which is great for the skin and eyes.

4. Fruits and Vegetables

You should experiment often with your fruits and vegetables. Get the nutrients your body needs by eating a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. You should try as many colors available in the local market like blue, red, or black-berries; red and yellow peppers; and dark greens like spinach and kale. You can also opt for fresh, frozen, low-sodium canned, dried, or 100 percent juice.

5. Dairy Products

You should not forget the importance of dairy products. Foods like fat-free and low-fat milk, cheese, yogurt, and soy beverages (soymilk) are sources of instant energy and help to build and maintain stronger bones needed for everyday activities.

6. Forget Calorie Counting

Again, forget about calorie counting rather you should ask yourself where the food came from and is it nutritious. Healthy foods with rich nutrients will keep your hunger away and minimize cravings, help maintain stable blood sugar levels, and help your brain signal your belly when you’re full.

7. Water

To keep your body hydrated one should drink plenty of water every day at least 3 liters – 5 liters. Being hydrated by drinking water all day will keep you away from sugary drinks. You should always carry a bottle of water with yourself.

8. Prep and Store

It is even more important to eat healthy foods not just to shop them. When you get a large number of fruits and veggies at home from the store or local market, wash and chop them right away and store them in a pretty glass container in your fridge. Studies show that spending more time on food preparation is linked to better eating habits.

9. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper

You must have heard this old saying that means you should have a larger meal in the morning because this meal feeds your body and make ready for the whole day, then a smaller lunch and even smaller dinner.

10. Balance your meals

You can get personalized nutrition information based on your age, gender, height, weight, current physical activity level, and other factors.

You should not ditch any food you like and eat all the food you enjoy but in smaller quantities.

The Bottom Line is that if you start implementing these basic yet most important healthy diet tips along with some physical activity in your routine life, I am pretty much sure that you will get a healthy body you ever wanted.

Hurdles and Solutions

In every journey, there may be some hurdles that you need to overcome to become successful.

Some of the common hurdles related to changing your diet, eating habits and your lifestyle are…

No Time

I have heard this line “I don’t have time” very often. You should make your new healthy habit a priority. Go to the local market for shopping once a week, and shop for Nutrient-packed food, and eat later when you don’t have time to cook.

Don’t like healthy foods                 

You can try making your old favorite recipes in healthier own ways. For example, you do don’t like plain milk, you can mix with some healthy supplements. Start using low-fat cheeses or milk rather than whole-milk foods. Add a cup or two of broccoli, carrots, or spinach to pasta.

Healthy habits cost too much

No, it’s not true. Even healthy habits cost nothing. You can walk around the mall, a school track, or a local park for completely free. You can purchase seasonal fruits and vegetables from the local market on a low budget very easily.

Can’t make this change alone

You can start implementing these habits with your buddy, family or co-workers. Definitely, they will help you stay motivated. You can plan healthy meals together with your family.

I don’t like physical activity                                                               

Being physically active doesn’t mean you should go to the gym to lift weights. Indeed, you can start by indulging yourself in any physical activity wherever possible. You can be active in many ways. Start taking the stairs instead of escalators or lift where it is possible. Start playing a sport you like the most. You can include dancing or gardening. You can make your list of options that appeal to you. Travel and explore you never thought about, and stick with what you enjoy.