10 Healthy Adult Eating Tips

1. Eat a variety of food – It is important you have a balanced diet when you eat. You need more than 40 different nutrients, and no single food can supply them all. So, try eating varieties of food.

• A high-fat lunch could be followed by a low-fat dinner.
• After a large meat portion at dinner, perhaps fish should be the next day’s choice?

2. Base your diet on plenty of foods rich in carbohydrates – About half the calories in our diet come from foods rich in carbs, such as rice, pasta, bread, etc. it is a good idea to include at least one of these in every meal. Wholegrain foods, like cereals, pasta increase our fiber.

3. Replace saturated with unsaturated fat – While fats are important for good health and proper body function, too much of it can affect our weight and cardiovascular health negatively. To help keep a balance, you should:

• Eat fish 2-3 times a week, with at least one serving of oily fish. This would help contribute to our right intake of unsaturated fats.
• Do more of boiling, steaming, and baking, instead of always frying. You should also remove the fatty part of meat and use vegetable oils.

4. Enjoy plenty of fruits and vegetables – Fruits and veggies are an important source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Try a glass of fresh juice at breakfast, an apple, or watermelon for a snack, and a good portion of different veggies at each meal.

5. Reduce salt intake- Do you know a high intake of salt can result to an increase in cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure? Choose products with lower sodium content when shopping and try substituting salt with spices.

6. Eating a variety of foods regularly and in the right amounts is the best formula for a healthy diet. Make it a habit not to skip breakfast. Snacking between meals can help control hunger, but it shouldn’t replace proper meals. Paying attention to portion size will also help you check your calorie consumption and will allow you to eat all the foods you enjoy, without having to eliminate any. Eat regularly, control the portion size.

7. Drink plenty of fluids - Adults need to drink a lot of fluid each day, some days more than the others especially if it is a very hot day or they are physically active. Water is the best source, of course, and we can use tap or mineral water, sparkling or non-sparkling, plain or flavored. Fruit juices, tea, soft drinks, milk, and other drinks, can all be okay from time to time.

8. Maintain a healthy body weight – It is important to maintain healthy body weight. Being obese and overweight increases the risks of a wide range of diseases, including diabetes, heart diseases, and cancer. Avoid eating much more than you need, be more physically active.

9. Get on the move, make it a habit – Physical activity is important for everyone irrespective of your weight range and health conditions. It helps us burn off the extra calories, it is good for the heart and circulatory system, it maintains or increases our muscle mass, it helps us focus, and improves overall health well-being. We don't have to be top athletes to get on the move! 150 minutes per week of moderate physical activity are advised, and it can easily become part of our daily routine.

10. Start now! Start gradually – It is easier to maintain gradual changes in our lifestyles than major changes introduced all at once. You could write down the foods and drinks you consume throughout the day and make a note of the amount of movement you made. It won’t be difficult to spot where you could make improvements. Start now!