Don't make these mistakes when eating during the holidays
One-sided eating not only removes the pleasure of eating but also reduces your appetite. An important condition for a balanced and healthy diet is eating in a varied way. Tasting different foods will increase the pleasure you get from life.
Consuming the fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes, grain products, milk and dairy products that nature offers us in their natural form will make us more vigorous and energetic.
You should make eating fruits and vegetables a habit. However, every fruit and vegetable should be eaten in its own season. Artificially ripened fruits and canned goods are not recommended, as they are poor in minerals and vitamins.
THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY/CALORIES YOU CONSUME MATTERS
When you consume more food than necessary, your body will convert it into fat and store it. All the fat deposits in your body are ultimately based on excess food intake. When you consume less energy and food than your body needs, your stored energy reserves will be used first to sustain life. This makes sense if you have fat stores in your body; otherwise, this situation leads to muscle wasting.
THE CORRECT APPROACH IS TO EAT ONE MEAL A DAY
There are also major mistakes in our eating culture regarding quantity. For example, the diet that provides both physical and mental comfort is eating "ONE meal a day" and fasting one day a week. In this single meal, including seasonal fresh vegetables and fruits alongside grain products, avoiding margarine, and using liquid oils — especially olive oil — in cooking are important recommendations for a healthy life.
Make chewing your food thoroughly a habit. This is because the feeling of fullness originates in the brain, not the stomach. The more slowly and thoroughly you chew your food, the better you will digest what you have eaten.
YOU SHOULD GET ENOUGH PROTEIN
You should consume an average of 0.9 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. For a woman weighing 60 kg, this means 54 g of protein; for a man weighing 80 kg, it means about 72 g of protein.
Our body cannot synthesize protein from its own reserves. This is why protein must be obtained externally through food. However, it is equally important that the amount consumed be limited. For healthy nutrition, it is essential that a maximum of 10-15% of our total energy intake come from protein.
For a healthy diet, two meals with meat per week will be sufficient in terms of protein. Excess protein intake is quickly converted into fat, which causes thickening in the blood vessels.
KEEP YOUR FAT INTAKE LIMITED
You should avoid visible fats, such as those found in fried foods, sauces, and processed meat products. However, you should also be careful of hidden fats that are not visible to the eye and are often found in ready-made foods. When shopping, be careful to choose low-fat foods. Stay away from solid fats. Choose low-fat varieties of cheese and sausage.
MAKE IT A HABIT TO EAT FRESH VEGETABLES, FRUIT, AND GRAIN PRODUCTS EVERY DAY
Meet your vitamin needs by eating fresh vegetables and fruit rather than taking vitamin pills. Vegetables, fruit, and grain products also contain sufficient amounts of the minerals and fiber you need for a healthy life.
STAY AWAY FROM SWEETS
Excess sugar consumed with meals is immediately converted into fat in your body. In addition, sweets and refined sugars are low-quality carbohydrates. We do not want these to be unnecessarily stored as fat in the body.
PREPARE YOUR MEALS WITHOUT DAMAGING THE NUTRIENTS
How food is cooked and served matters. Avoid over-boiling and frying food. This process causes vegetables and other foods to lose the important minerals and vitamins they contain. When preparing a vegetable dish, do the chopping while you are preparing the meal. Avoid cutting fruits and vegetables into small pieces or mashing them in advance.
It is important to consume unprocessed rice and wheat. This is because these foods are rich in minerals, vitamins, and fiber.
The freshness of the meals you prepare matters. Prepare only as much food as you can eat. Reheated meals do not lose calories, but they do lose value in terms of minerals and vitamins.
We should mainly prefer steamed foods. Do not discard the water from boiled foods, because many vitamins and minerals are dissolved in the cooking water.
WATER, AS VITAL AS THE AIR WE BREATHE, IS THE SOURCE OF LIFE
Make it a habit to drink at least 2.5-3 liters of water a day. One of the first things you should do when you wake up in the morning is drink two glasses of water.
Drink water half an hour before meals, and avoid drinking water during meals or right after eating. It is important to wait at least half an hour after eating before drinking water, because when the stomach receives water right after a meal, it cannot fully digest the food.
In hot weather, our bodies lose more fluid, and in such conditions we should drink at least as much fluid as we lose. Sweating it out in a sauna or Turkish bath from time to time is healthy. However, do not neglect to drink plenty of water afterward.
What we refer to as water actually encompasses many fluids. We also provide fluid intake to our bodies through ayran, mineral water, herbal teas, and fresh fruit and vegetables.
Artificially sweetened lemonade and ready-made fruit juices are not healthy. Excessive alcohol consumption is also unhealthy, and alcohol intake should not be counted as water.
A person eating a healthy, balanced diet should not consume more than 25 grams of alcohol per day, which is the amount that supports healthy functioning of the circulatory system. However, anyone with a health problem should always consult their doctor first.
Water is the world's most natural food — it contains no fat, calories, or cholesterol, yet provides energy. Despite all these benefits, most people do not drink enough water.
YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF SPORTS AND EXERCISE
Daily exercise is very important and healthy. Walking for at least 20 minutes after a heavy meal is very important for healthy digestion and circulation.
Swimming, walking, cycling, pilates, and yoga are healthy activities for a healthy life. It is recommended that you engage in other types of sports as your circumstances allow. However, if you engage in sports that require intense effort and conditioning, never start active exercise without warming up first. Make warm-up exercises a habit. You can make walking in the forest, in fresh air, and sunbathing a regular part of your routine.
Stay away from cigarettes!
You can find more information on this and similar topics in my book "The Emotional Brain-Gut."