Today's society encourages the overconsumption of sugar, animal proteins
and processed foods that lack valuable nutrients. But this abuse of
"junk food" has a big impact on our health and the environment. However,
changing your diet is not easy! It takes time to change your eating
habits. And yet, whether it's for a healthier lifestyle or to do
something for the planet, many of us want to change the way we eat and
adopt a healthier diet.
Here are some tips and tricks for changing your
diet:
Why change your diet?
To improve or maintain your health
Many diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease are on the rise, and the link between nutrition and overweight is becoming increasingly clear1,2. 1,2 Excessive fat and sugar intake induce disorders in the body, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease in the long term, even in children. 3.
In addition, a poor diet can also lead to deficiencies, resulting in a lack of energy. Healthy, unprocessed foods are rich in micronutrients such as vitamins, which the body needs to function properly.
Eating a healthier diet not only protects you from certain diseases, but also makes you feel fitter, which in turn improves your daily life and helps you to age more healthily.
To pass on a healthier planet to our children
To meet the growing consumption of meat, production must be increased and accelerated. However, this has a very significant ecological impact which is increasingly being criticised. Indeed, livestock farming is responsible for greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. In addition, livestock farming requires a very large volume of water, since the production of 1kg of meat corresponds to 15,000L of water, used in particular to irrigate the fields intended to feed them. 4 All this encourages a reduction in the consumption of animal proteins, in favour of plant proteins, contained in particular in legumes, which are favourable to sustainable development.
How to change your diet? Some tips for a healthier lifestyle
Take your time
By changing the way you eat, you are changing deeply ingrained habits. So don't make drastic decisions and set achievable goals. Gradually replace what's in your cupboards with healthier alternatives. Learn to cook more and more and discover healthy recipes that will allow you to become familiar with other foods.
Learn to get organised: batch cooking
It's a common misconception that eating healthy requires a lot of free time. But thanks to batch cooking, you can save precious time. Batch cooking means preparing your meals for the whole week by cooking at the weekend. You will spend half a day preparing a large amount of food, which will be divided into several portions. You will cook your meals for the week in one go, so you don't have to cook every night for the next day. In addition, there are time-saving cooking methods such as steaming. So time will no longer be an excuse to eat healthily!
Eating a variety of foods
It is important to eat a varied diet in order to provide your body with all the macro and micronutrients it needs, but also to maintain a healthy diet in the long term. Current recommendations are to eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables a day. Do not hesitate to vary the form in which you eat them! For example, you can eat them raw or cooked, but also in the form of vegetable juices, smoothies, etc. This will prevent you from getting bored and limit the risk of "cravings". In addition, do not forbid yourself any food to avoid frustration, the main thing is to eat everything in moderation.
Eat to your heart's content
Eating a healthy diet does not mean depriving yourself. It's easy to think that eating less will make it easier to lose weight, but it's actually more complicated than that! By depriving yourself, you will not only feel hungry and lack energy, but you may also create hormonal disorders and deficiencies that prevent weight loss. The body adapts to a reduced calorie intake, leading to resistance to weight loss. The body is also no longer able to adapt to a one-off caloric excess (e. g. a meal at a friend's house) and stores the excess. This is a very common problem for people on very low calorie diets. Indeed, the weight loss is spectacular in the first few days, then stagnates and finally all the weight lost is regained because of this drop in metabolism! Eating healthily in appropriate quantities is therefore the best way to lose weight in the long term.
These are small efforts to be made on a daily basis (or at weekends for batch cooks) which will allow you to take care of your health, limit the risks of developing pathologies and educate your children to adopt the right reflexes!
bibliography
- World Health Organization (WHO). Global diabetes report. 2016https://apps. who. int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/254648/9789242565256-fre. pdf?sequence=1. Accessed 19 July 2019.
- World Health Organization (WHO). Global overview of hypertension: a 'silent killer' responsible for a global public health crisis. 2013https://apps. who. int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/85334/WHO_DCO_WHD_2013. 2_fre. pdf?sequence=1. Accessed 19 July 2019.
- Vos MB, Kaar JL, Welsh JA, Van Horn LV, Feig DI, Anderson CAMand al. Added Sugars and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Children. Circulation2017;135:e1017–e1034.
- INRA. Should we reduce our meat consumption? Data to understand. 2019http://institut. inra. fr%2FRecherches-resultats%2FStrategie%2FTous-les-dossiers%2FConsommation-de-viande-avis-scientifique-de-l-Inra%2FDes-donnees-pour-comprendre%2F%28key%29%2F0. Accessed 19 July 2019.
- Fruit and Vegetables | Eat Smart. https://www. mangerbouger. fr/Les-recommandations/Augmenter/Les-fruits-et-legumes. Accessed 19 July 2019.
- Brownell KD, Greenwood MRC, Stellar E, Shrager EE. The effects of repeated cycles of weight loss and regain in rats. Physiology & Behavior1986;38:459–464.