We had a long holiday break that involved a lot of eating and merry making. We succumb to this gorging habit yearly and the coming of the new year heralds an interest to make changes that will make us better physically and emotionally. Crash dieting or restricting food intake is something a lot of people resort to. Maybe this year, for a new you, you may want to consider going for a change in eating perspective, which is
mindful eating.
Mindful eating doesn’t restrict your food intake. It actually encourages you to eat throughout the day but keeping in mind to practice three important principles:
Balance, Variety and Moderation.
Balance is having the right proportion of nutrients. You can’t take away carbs nor thrive on a lot of protein in your diet. These have health implications. Have enough carbs (60-75% of your calorie requirement), protein (10-15%) and fats (20-25%) in your daily intake. An average individual has an estimated 2000 calorie requirement so assuming a 3 meal intake per day, 60% of carbs allows one to eat as much as 1 cup of rice, 15% of protein allocates about 1 palm-sized serving of meat and 25% of fat permits about 3 tbsp of fat in each meal (this is in the form of dressings, margarine, etc). Plus, you have a provision for 2-3 light carb snacks. Note that frying or sautéing absorbs already 1 tbsp of fat. Balance is also about being well hydrated and having fruits and veggies for your
daily dose of vitamins and minerals.
Moderation is regulating how much you consume to meet your nutritional needs while maintaining proper body weight. It is never over indulging on any food. It is also setting limits to sugar, fat and sodium intakes.
Variety is eating a wide range of foods daily because there is no single food item that will provide all the essential nutrients that you require. It is best to try new food combinations
so eating will never be dull.
Mindful eating will not make you crave food because you don’t undergo hunger pangs. Complement this eating perspective with 150 minutes of exercise per week plus better lifestyle habits, then you will be on your way to developing a new you.
Why not try this healthy Magnolia chicken breast recipe to jumpstart the new you?
Click Here for the Recipe:
Easy Foil Steamed Italian Chicken
