An average college student is always running short of time. Mostly, they are under a lot of pressure and stress. Now, one primary thing that suffers because of all this is their eating pattern. Students who live away from home like to eat on the go. Given their schedule and the hectic pressure of completing assignments and homework, it gets difficult for the students to keep away from bad habits such as frequently eating packaged food or junk food or skipping meals altogether. But for your body, mind, and soul to function right, you must have a healthy diet. It will not only help you feel better about yourself but will also let you cope better with stress. As a result of this, you will perform better in both your academics and sports. Quite honestly, maintaining a proper diet and leading a healthy lifestyle isn’t all that hard. So, to help you with this, we have come up with a few dietary habits that you must follow on a day-to-day basis to lead a healthy lifestyle. Let’s get started.
Check out these healthy diet tips.
Most people in the United States need to adjust their eating patterns to increase their intake of dietary fiber, calcium, vitamin D, and potassium, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The core elements of a healthy dietary pattern are remarkably consistent across the lifespan and across health outcomes.
1. Eat a healthy, sumptuous breakfast.
Several studies prove that breakfast is the most important meal of the day (1). So, when you skip your breakfast, you naturally feel lazy and lethargic throughout the day. It further detracts you from your academic achievement. Of course, there will be days when you don’t have enough time to sit down and enjoy breakfast. But you can still grab a bagel or drink some milk or juice, or grab some fruit to eat on the run. For days when you are running short of time, you must always stock your fridge with fresh fruits, juice, and milk.
2. You can eat fast food, but choose wisely.
It is quite understandable that you are a young student who does crave fast food. After all, who doesn’t? But when you are consuming fast food, even then, you can make a wise choice so that your healthy lifestyle isn’t wholly degraded with one cheat meal. So, if you are having a pizza, opt for a regular-sized pizza with half the cheese.
Similarly, if you want a sandwich, go for a roast beef sandwich with baked potato and green salad. Always opt for reduced-calorie dressing to lead a healthy lifestyle. You must always try to cut out fatty alternatives like fish sandwiches, fried chicken or French fries from your diet.
3. Keep healthy snacks handy.
Another great idea is to always have some healthy snacks stocked up in your fridge. As a result of this, even if you get those mid-night hunger pangs, you can avoid the high-calorie snacks like ice cream, chips and candy since you have stocked up on healthy options like pretzels, dried fruits, fresh fruits, rice cakes, unbuttered popcorns and whole wheat crackers. If you have a refrigerator at your home, you can always stock up some raw veggies and low-fat yoghurt or cheese dip.
4. Consume food rich in calcium.
If you are in your early twenties, you need to consume a diet that is rich in calcium. It is necessary to prevent your body from acquiring osteoporosis later in life (2). If you don’t like conventional milk, look for a replacement to it. You can also keep low-fat yogurt, cheese, and green leafy vegetables in your fridge.
5. Follow a sensible diet, even if you are trying to lose weight.
Millennials are always after weight loss. To speed up the process of weight loss, a lot of them opt for crash diets or starvation. Though these quick fixes may help you with rapid weight loss, such fad diets often backfire in the long run. There is absolutely no truth in the theories that suggest you eat only a particular combination of foods to lose weight. Even if they help you lose weight, they deprive your body of essential vitamins and minerals. Thus, it is vital that to lead a healthy lifestyle, you consume a balanced and healthy diet (3), followed by good exercise. This is the safest way to lose weight and feel good about yourself. You can also exercise at home or join a gym nearby.
6. Limit your sugar intake.
Sugar is a high-calorie ingredient, but it does have a few nutrients that are essential for you. However, excessive consumption of sugar can lead to weight gain and problems like tooth decay. So, keep away from sugar-rich items and use it sparingly. If you are in the habit of consuming a lot of tea, coffee, or cereals, you can seek alternatives to sugar, like diet sweeteners.
7. Keep a check on your alcohol intake.
If you are into alcohol, do note that alcohol has massive calories and almost zero nutritional value. A glass of wine, a light beer or an ounce of liquor will have no less than 100 calories. Moreover, it is not just about the calories that you consume with alcohol. Alcohol leads to severe health disorders, which sooner or later will have an adverse impact on your body.
8. Drink Plenty of Water for a healthy diet.
One of the best health habits is to drink plenty of water. Start your day by filling up a water bottle, and refill it often. It is undoubtedly, a great habit to possess. So, do ensure that you drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water every day.
So, these are some healthy diet habits for a healthy lifestyle. Hopefully, you’ll add them to your lifestyle. The foods and beverages that people consume have a profound impact on their health. The scientific connection between food and health has been well documented for many decades, with substantial evidence showing that healthy dietary patterns can help people achieve and maintain good health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases throughout all stages of the lifespan.
References:
(2) Osteoporosis: Prevention With Calcium Treatment
(4) How much water should you drink?
(5) Dietary Guidelines for Americans
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