Everyone has their own opinion on the matter: for him, eating healthy means eating organic . For her, eating healthy means eating without fat. For him, for sure, it’s eating without sugar, for the other obviously, it’s gluten-free and for this one it’s exclusively vegan. For the neighbor it consists of banning industrial products and doing everything homemade, for the neighbor it will be eating everything and variety. I’m sure you have loads of examples and advice on how to eat healthy.
And it’s normal to all have a different opinion because the science of nutrition is very young . We realize today that the food recommendations that we have been given, and that we are still made most often, are perhaps not so well founded. I read just about everything that comes out on the subject, and it doesn’t matter if it goes my way or not. I test and I make my opinion. I can tell you that we find absolutely everything and its opposite. So how do you eat healthy with so much conflicting information?
It’s difficult to navigate between the recommendations that we hear everywhere “Avoid eating too fatty, too sweet, too salty!” or “5 fruits and vegetables a day” or “eat 3 dairy products a day”. We have to sort through agri-food lobbies and scientific studies in all directions that say everything and its opposite.
How to eat healthy? The 4 points to know
You will see there are very few points on which everyone agrees. Finally, when I say “everyone” I am talking about the scientists and nutritionists who are working on the subject. We are going to take a tour of what is found almost everywhere. I say almost because there are always exceptions to the rule, like in our grammar! Eating healthy, quite a story!
To eat healthy, eat vegetables and fruits
Vegetables are the basis on which everyone agrees. And if a classification must be made, we will mainly favor green leafy vegetables , then vegetables from the cruciferous family (cabbage, broccoli, etc.). But overall, everyone agrees on vegetables. Potatoes are an exception because they are rich in carbohydrates with a high glycemic index*. Depending on how it is cooked, it can really vary blood sugar levels.
Fruits are also rather popular , except for strict sugar-free fans. As a priority, we find berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, etc.), then low-sugar fruits (green apple, lemon), after all moderately sweet fruits (pears, peaches, etc.), then come fruits very high in sugar (banana , mango…) and last in the ranking are dried fruits (dates, figs…). I am talking here about whole fruits with their fibers because fruit juices are sugar bombs.
Fruits are certainly rich in sugar but eaten whole and raw they provide micro nutrients (vitamins, antioxidants) essential to our intake. On the other hand, the “when to eat” the fruit is debated. We often hear say not at the end of the meal because it is digested faster than the rest of the meal. So it would ferment and prevent proper digestion. But there doesn’t seem to be any real scientific basis on which this theory is based. If you know what this theory is based on, do not hesitate to put it in the comments.
Plants are at the top of the healthy foods on which we can base most of our diet. If there is only one thing to change to have a healthy diet it would be: add vegetables and fruits (especially vegetables you will understand). Try to add it to all your meals, it will leave less room for other foods considered less healthy.
To be healthy eat less
There also everyone agrees, we eat too much. So we have the choice, eat smaller proportions, finish the meal still a little hungry. Or practice intermittent fasting or water fasting over several days from time to time
Not so long ago fasting was mocked in the media. Limit shown as a practice of sectarian fanatics. Today everyone has heard of it and it has even become a health practice and even an additional practice to sport. Especially intermittent fasting which advocates eating over a defined time slot.
You probably already know the benefits of fasting . Fasting lowers insulin levels in the blood. Insulin is the hormone responsible for weight gain. Also by fasting, we increase the hormones responsible for fat metabolism (glucagon or growth hormone). This allows you to gain muscle mass and it is in this specific case that in addition to sport it is very effective.
Who can’t fast? Young children and pregnant women, people with gallstones. Overall if you have any health issues, ask your doctor if this is right for you. And if you want to be accompanied in this process, there are more and more centers for fasting .
To eat healthy, ban industrial products
This is also a point that we find very often. Eat as few industrial products as possible and cook from fresh, whole foods. I have received testimonials on the subject, many of you have felt better going behind the stove.
How to eat healthy?
I would add that it is above all necessary to learn to read the labels. If you already banish all the ingredients from the list that you wouldn’t use yourself in your cooking, you’ll avoid a lot of junk food. Naturally we do not put sugar in savory dishes, nor additives or preservatives (apart from lemon juice). In short, the more the list of ingredients looks like a list of ingredients from a “normal” recipe, the better.