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Do you have the right attitude to food? ‘You are what you eat’ but our eating habits are just as important as the food choices we make in achieving and maintaining health. An old saying ‘Worry and hurry are enemies of digestive health’ are truer today than ever before. In order to truly benefit from the dietary changes we make, it is important to adopt healthy eating habits.

Top tips for healthy eating habits:

Get Cooking…
Prepare as many meals yourself as possible. Chopping, preparing and simmering food creates incredible aromas. It doesn’t only make your kitchen smell lovely; it also kicks off the secretion of digestive enzymes which are essential for complete digestion of macronutrients. Touching, tasting and smelling food before you eat it will prepare the body for digestion, prevent overeating and improve your psychological relationship with food.

Be clever about preparation
Fruit Heart Shop for fresh food regularly and keep your pantry stocked with good staples to make it easier to eat a healthy diet. Whenever you cook or prepare food, make double and freeze in individual containers for future meals. When preparing dinner make lunch at the same time to save time. The best preparation is knowledge about healthy food options – a well informed choice will be the healthiest choice.

Eat regularly
Eat at least every 4-5 hours. Our bodies need regular fuel to maintain blood sugar levels & metabolism but enough time to complete digestion before more food is eaten. Avoid skipping meals by having balanced snacks on hand for busy times. Hunger is a sign of low blood sugar and will lead to poor food choices & overeating if ignored.

Avoid overeating
Overeating occurs when we skip meals, eat too quickly or don’t satisfy our taste buds. Overeating stresses the liver and the digestive tract. Our digestive fire is at its peak around noon, a time that is most efficient at converting food into energy rather than storing it as fat.

Be ready to eat
Ask yourself how hungry you are before and after each meal. Take 5 minutes to relax before a meal if you feel stressed. Do not eat your meal in front of the computer or while working. Stop eating when you are almost full, to gauge whether you need any more. It takes approximately 20 minutes for our brains to receive the signal of satisfaction, produced by gut hormones, during a meal.

Drink plenty of water
Drink at least 2 litres (8 glasses) of water between meals each day. This can include herbal teas as well as diluted fruit juices. Try and avoid drinking excessively during a meal as this can reduce enzyme activity. A good alternative to water can be Green Tea or Cherry Active which is high in its ORAC values.

Chew
Digestion begins in the mouth with chewing and the secretion of enzymes. Eating quickly increases the amount of air and the size of food swallowed. This will lead to inadequate digestion and an increase in gas production

Go 50% raw
Have half of your vegetables and fruit intake raw (e.g. salads) unless otherwise stated by your healthcare practitioner. Fruit and vegetables contain enzymes which aid digestion, so aim to eat some with every meal.

Exercise
Aim for at least three or four times a week. Exercise works the diaphragm, which massages the intestines and thereby improves digestion. It also regulates appetite, blood sugar control and metabolism.

Treat yourself occasionally
Be healthy 90% of the time and treat yourself 10% of the time and eat whatever you desire.

Eat positively
Good habits can easily be established with a little effort and a positive frame of mind. A balanced healthy diet doesn’t have to be boring, bland, time consuming or expensive. Take back the control of your diet and health by making your own choices and stop allowing industry to dictate what you eat. And remember, food should be prepared, and eaten, with joy!

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About this Author

Chris Martin Sewell, Health Expert at Totally Nourish. Established since 2008, Totally Nourish is a leading UK online health store specialising in health supplements and vitamins, health foods, dietary supplements for the Low GL diet, skin care, beauty care and make up, patrick holford supplements and more. Fast dispatch and delivery available. Also available onsite is FREE confidential expert nutrition advice, health news and articles and also a low GL diet recipes section.

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Once kids develop comfortable routines, it is very difficult to change their minds. The same goes with their eating habits. For this reason, you need to keep unhealthy foods out of the house, and instead teach them about healthy eating habits. Below are 5 healthy eating habits you can teach your kids.

1. Encourage your kids to make smart eating choices in school

Half the time, your kids will be in class, and chances are, you do not know what they are eating while in school. The best way to make sure your kids develop healthy eating habits, is to pack their school bags with healthy homemade meals and snacks. Alternatively, you can go over the school lunch menu with your kids. Schools generally print out their monthly lunch menu. Sit with your kids, and challenge them to identify the healthiest options on the school’s lunch menu. When you do this regularly, your kids will naturally develop healthy eating habits.

2. Do not outcast junk food outright

Once kids get their first taste of junk food, they will always want more. If you want your kids to develop healthy eating habits, you will have to teach them to gradually let go of junk food. However, do not ban your kids from eating junk food. If you ban children from doing something, they will do exactly what they were banned from doing. Instead, limit their access to these junk foods. For example, feed them sweet treats only once a week, rather than everyday; that way, your kids’ desire for junk food will decrease over time.

3. Teach your kids about calories in drinks

Although kids may be aware of the amount of calories contained in unhealthy foods, they may not know that certain drinks are packed with empty calories that promote weight gain. For example, certain ice cream shakes sold by fast food restaurants, contain up to 900 calories (nearly half of the daily calorie intake suggested for most 9 to 13 year-old children).

To help your kids naturally avoid unhealthy beverages, have them drink enough water and plain milk. The more water and plain milk they drink, the less they will be attracted to sugary beverages. If you have to give your kids some juice, make sure that the juice is organic, and is 100% fruit-based. In addition, mix the juice with water.

4. Set a good example to your children

Your healthy eating habits will directly determine your kids’ eating habits. Eat healthy snacks with your kids as much as possible. Tell them about the benefits of eating vegetables. Encourage them to choose water instead of soda.

5. Keep a strict eating schedule

When you and your kids keep a regular eating schedule that seldom changes, it will prevent your kids from snacking on unhealthy foods throughout the day. Moreover, when kids have a strict eating schedule, they are rarely hungry between meals. When your kids skip a meal, do not allow them to eat candy or chocolate at the place of that meal. Instead, give them a healthy snack, such as an apple or a banana.

Conclusion

The sooner you teach your kids about healthy eating habits, the easier it will be for them to adapt to a healthy lifestyle. Rather than hiding unhealthy foods from your kids, teach them why these foods are not appropriate.

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About this Author

Kodjo Hounnake is a home fitness enthusiast who believes the average person can get and remain in great shape right at home. You do not need expensive gym equipment to achieve the body of your dreams. Your body weight is sufficient enough. See the hundreds of home workout videos on my fitness blog at http://Kodjoworkout.com

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