Proper balanced nutrition

We are what we eat. More precisely, it’s also “how”, “when”, “why” and “how much”. Often a person eats, not because he is hungry, but because he is sad, lonely, bored, or stressed. It is difficult to call such a way of nutrition balanced. Today, many techniques have been developed for proper eating. The rules of most of them are universal.

Principles of a balanced diet

The basic principles according to which the correct healthy diet is compiled include several methods that are the basis of any diet. Such principles are relevant for any balanced menu. So, to optimize your diet, the following conditions must be observed:

• You need to adhere to a balanced diet for as long as possible, ideally - all your life. Otherwise, you just do fasting days / weeks;
• The menu should be varied and include the necessary products for the normal functioning of the body for a day and for a week;
• The calorie content of meals consumed per day should make up for energy costs, but not exceed the recommended daily intake for each age and gender categories;
• In this case, the balance is understood as the ratio "the needs of the body - the useful components contained in the products."

Also, the methods of healthy eating include numerous dietary recommendations, namely:

• Observe the fragmentation of nutrition and include in the daily diet 3 large and 2 small meals. Breakfast is extremely important for energy recharge, but a very small number of people can eat a hearty meal or a few in the morning. Do not overeat at lunch: it’s better to have a snack between yourself, but do not stuff your stomach for the whole day;
• If you feel that you need to lose extra pounds, you should not drastically cut the daily diet, the volume and quantity of food eaten. Reduce portions gradually, focusing on the calorie content of dishes prepared and absorbed per day;
• It is important not to binge and starve - it is better to eat so that you do not have time to get hungry during the day. So metabolism works more efficiently and burns calories more actively. Do not forget that skipping breakfast, you will not lose weight, but only worsen your health;
• An ideal breakfast consists of "slow" carbohydrates - cereals, cereals, high fiber foods. They are absorbed longer and give a full feeling of satiety for several hours. In addition, such foods, eaten during breakfast, help keep insulin in the blood at an optimal level throughout the day;
• The best seasoning for meat is not pepper and ketchup, but a side dish of vegetables (raw, stewed or boiled). Eating meat dishes and products with the addition of foods high in carbohydrates (potatoes, etc.) is not particularly useful. Consuming meat for breakfast is also not recommended; it is better to do it at lunch;
• 3 to 5 fruits should be consumed per day, however, do this in the morning.If there are fruits containing natural acids and sugars, not for breakfast or in the afternoon, but in the evening, this will not play into your hands. You will feel an increase in appetite, and consumed sugar will provoke a jump in insulin in the blood;
• Try to drink enough clean water without gas. It should be at room temperature. It is better to drink it a certain amount before or after a meal. In the morning on an empty stomach, before breakfast, drink a glass of clean, warm water without gas to activate digestion.

To eat properly, it is important to understand that the replenishment of energy is affected not only by the amount of food consumed per day, but also by its composition. There are several ways to calculate calorie intake.

How to calculate energy costs?

There is a way to calculate energy costs, which is definitely useful for those who are going to eat according to the principles of a healthy balanced diet. On its basis, the necessary amount of food for consumption per day is determined, which allows to completely cover the body's needs for the energy spent for processing the incoming proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

Important: 25%: 15%: 60% - the formula for calculating energy costs for an adult, physically active person. This takes into account that men consume more calories than women.

The ratio of the components should be 25, 15 and 60 percent respectively. This formula for calculating nutrition works on the condition that a person who sticks to it maintains physical activity every day and consumes healthy, balanced foods.

How to balance the diet?

Professional nutritionists have several formulas that help to develop a composition for a perfectly balanced diet. The basis of most calculations is the amount of energy substances supplied every day with food, including lipids, fats and proteins (protein). The ratio of the first two components is taken as the basic unit, while the amount of carbohydrates consumed per day should be four times greater.

Nutritionists call this formula "Triple plate principle", where a conventional dish of food eaten per day is divided into 3 sectors. Carbohydrates account for two sectors, while lipids and proteins occupy only 1 sector.

At the same time, another average formulaincluding the following parameters:

• The proportion of carbohydrates in the daily diet is 35%;
• The proportion of proteins and fats is 30% per component, respectively.

It is quite simple to achieve the optimal ratio of calories consumed as “energy fuel” using these principles to create a balanced diet. It is useful for those who want to eat according to dietary canons to keep a diary and add to it every day the consumed amount of proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

To calculate the ratio of proper nutrition in one day, you can use virtual applications (there are a huge number of free programs). If during registration it turns out that you consume more or less calories per day than necessary, review the composition of your menu.

Foods that should be completely excluded from the diet:

• Chips, nuts, salted products (snacks);
• Fast food (in any form);
• Sweet carbonated drinks;
• Alcohol;
• Fatty and fried foods;
• Mayonnaise;
• White sugar;
• Smoked products, marinades, sausages and uncooked smoked products;
• Ice cream (this product is triple harmful, as it is fatty and sweet at the same time, and is also consumed cold).

A balanced healthy menu for the day includes foods such as:

• Red fish meat (a source of unsaturated fatty acids);
• Green vegetables and plants: cabbage (all types), broccoli, spinach, zucchini, zucchini, asparagus, etc .;
• Legumes: beans, lentils, peas, nuts, etc .;
• Dairy products;
• Cereal products;
• Potatoes;
• Lean varieties of meat, fish, poultry.

Rules of eating

The principles of a healthy balanced diet imply a special technique of eating.It contains the most optimal ratio of energy substances and the number of calories so that metabolic processes in the body proceed without failures.

Nutritionists highlightten basic rules of eating:

• Try to always eat in a relaxed atmosphere. In the process, concentrate on food, not on a smartphone or sound streams coming from a TV, laptop, etc. Literally, you should constantly look at the plate and fully concentrate on how and what you are chewing at the moment. Talking with food is also not welcome. Such a rigorous approach looks comical, but just so digestive processes are activated to the maximum and the absorption of nutrients takes place in the optimal mode;
• Plan your day so that breakfast, lunch, and dinner happen at about the same time. Thus, you will accustom the body to the correct diet;
• It should be in a sitting position so that the epigastric region is not squeezed. Food in a standing position, on the go or lying down is a direct path to gastritis;
• When the food is absorbed in a nervous state, the digestive system is spasmodic, which is why the processing of food received in the stomach and intestines slows down and significantly worsens. Do not eat while nervousI, give up the habit of "seizing" stress. This condition does not contribute to the sufficient production of digestive enzymes;
• You can’t overeat. By eye, we are able to eat about 70% of what is on the table, while to saturate 25 to 30% of cooked food is really needed (of course, everything is individual and depends on the portions). However, the essence is unchanged: the absorption of excess food leads to stretching of the walls of the stomach, poor digestion, stagnation of food coma and putrefactive gases during its fermentation in the intestine;
• Cold food - “blow” to the pancreas. In addition, the body spends additional energy on its warming, which adversely affects metabolism. If possible, take food in a warm form. Too hot food also negatively affects the condition of the gastric mucosa;
• Laying out dishes on a plate, try to arrange portions in a moderate amount. The larger the plate, the larger the serving we usually place, and this does not contribute to a balanced diet. Visual deception using smaller dishes is a fun, but fairly effective solution;
• Chew your food thoroughly and do not swallow large chunks. At the same time, breakfast and lunch should be the most high-calorie of all meals, and dinner - the easiest. Dishes prepared for an evening meal are better absorbed if they are cut into small pieces or cooked in a liquid / semi-liquid / puree form;
• When there are signs of hunger (rumbling in the stomach, a feeling of "sucking" under the spoon), try to eat immediately. Do not torment yourself or wait for certain hours, even if your schedule is scheduled this way. That is why it is important not to skip the two snacks allowed during the day;
• After eating, it is not recommended to take a lying position, as if you did not want to. Stay upright for at least a quarter hour.

Estimated weekly ration

Eating right does not mean living on the same oatmeal or broccoli puree. A healthy diet must include a variety of foods and dishes, otherwise the body will not receive a full-fledged complex of vitamins and minerals. In this case, you must observe the regime of proper eating and do not overdo it with its quantity.

Food prepared at home is, of course, healthier than semi-finished products, and few people can afford to eat at least three times every day in cafes or restaurants. Therefore, you should learn how to cook simple healthy dishes and organize your diet in such a way as to comply with a full 3 meals and 2 snacks.

The main goal of a balanced diet is the timely saturation of the body with nutritious healthy foods and avoiding hunger.

To do this, make an approximate menu for seven days (5 meals a day), having painted each meal, and stick to it during the work week and on weekends.

Monday:

1. Breakfast: protein omelet with fresh dill, rosehip tea;
2. First snack: homemade milkshake with strawberries;
3. Lunch: broth with boiled vegetables, steamed meatballs with buckwheat, dried fruit compote;
4. Second snack: a handful of nuts;
5. Dinner: broccoli casserole with cheese, a glass of kefir.

Tuesday:

1. Breakfast: cheesecakes with honey, black weak tea;
2. First snack: natural yogurt;
3. Lunch: vegetable stew, potato zrazy, tea from linden inflorescences;
4. Second snack: toast with butter, jelly;
5. Dinner: stewed cod with boiled potatoes, compote with prunes.

Wednesday:

1. Breakfast: pancakes with cottage cheese, cocoa;
2. First snack: banana and yogurt;
3. Lunch: green cabbage soup, boiled chicken (150 g), cauliflower in breadcrumbs, mineral water without gas;
4. Second snack: toast with jam, milk with cinnamon;
5. Dinner: beef chops with mashed peas, tea with sushi.

Thursday:

1. Breakfast: cottage cheese casserole with sour cream, coffee with milk;
2. First snack: fruit salad;
3. Lunch: millet porridge with turkey meatballs, grated cabbage salad with carrots, cranberry juice;
4. Second snack: nuts with raisins, herbal tea;
5. Dinner: potato pancakes with tomato sauce, a glass of fermented baked milk.

Friday:

1. Breakfast: cottage cheese with prunes, tea;
2. First snack: boiled egg, cocoa;
3. Lunch: stewed chicken with asparagus, tomato soup, peach compote;
4. Second snack: a handful of prunes, kefir;
5. Dinner: beef stewed with rice, milk jelly.

Saturday:

1. Breakfast: lazy dumplings with jam, elderberry tea;
2. First snack: a cheese and tomato sandwich on gray bread;
3. Lunch: stewed zucchini, a piece of boiled beef, fruit jelly;
4. Second snack: a handful of dried apricots, a glass of freshly squeezed carrot juice;
5. Dinner: baked chicken fillet with brown rice, vegetable salad.

Sunday:

1. Breakfast: boiled barley, grated carrots with butter, green tea;
2. First snack: baked apple;
3. Lunch: mashed corn flour, fish fillet stewed and fried in breadcrumbs, vegetable salad, a glass of mineral water;
4. Second snack: a glass of kefir with a biscuit;
5. Dinner: potato casserole, tea with mint.

When composing a menu for a week, remember that you can and should repeat dishes, otherwise you will just get tired of the need to cook a variety of recipes every day. The main thing is that the food remains healthy and is processed with permitted thermal methods (cooking, stewing, baking).