El Abecedario de la Nutrición, from the microphones of “El Bisturí” and with the collaboration of Laura González, refreshes healthy eating purposes in these first weeks of 2020, and complements them with other tips aimed at combating sedentary lifestyle and getting a good rest
The person in charge of Nutrition and Health of Nestlé, Laura González, offers us in “El Bisturí”, advice on feeding. On this occasion, she focuses on the purpose that many share with the beginning of a new year to eat healthier and lose weight. These are the nutritionist’s advice:
Run away from miracle diets
Miracle diets or compounds that they call “magic” are the resource of many people who want to get rid of extra pounds effortlessly and quickly.
Laura González reminds us that to resume healthy habits it is advisable to avoid falling into these miraculous proposals that can put our health at risk.
Some of its effects? They can increase cardiovascular risk, increase resistance to weight loss due to the yo-yo effect, damage the kidney and liver systems, increase bone and muscle loss, or even initiate or promote eating disorders.
It is also important to mention that miracle diets create frustration and discourage healthy habits, explains the specialist. She reminds us that the key is to be patient, since we are working for our health and it is worth investing our time in it.
Tips for a healthy diet
When it comes to resuming or maintaining healthy dietary habits, the nutritionist points out that a diet rich in plant-based foods should be the star of our diet.
We must distribute the food in four or five servings during the day in a logical way and also adapted, obviously, to our work schedules and to the customs that we have at home.
Control the size of the servings, especially when we eat out; In these situations it is common for us to find amounts much higher than what we really need to satisfy our hunger and our nutritional needs.
It is also advisable to reduce your salt intake. For this we can use aromatic herbs or spices, in addition to limiting the consumption of some salty foods such as appetizers, sausages, fast food, etc.
And what foods do we choose? Laura Gónzalez advises the integral derivatives of cereals; legumes, which must be present at least three times a week; fish better than meats, trying to vary between fatty and lean, whether fresh or frozen; and of course, take at least five servings between fruits and vegetables, preferably fresh.
Cook in a healthy way
In addition to knowing how to choose the right foods, it is very important to choose the best culinary techniques for our health.
Which are? Those in which they do not require a lot of fat and that preserve the nutritional value of the food to the maximum, such as boiled, sautéed, iron, oven or steam.
However, the nutritionist reminds us that we should not do without one type of cooking for the benefit of another, since all of them add gastronomic variety to the diet and can facilitate the consumption of a wide variety of healthy products.
But food is not everything …
Along with healthy dietary habits there are others that we cannot forget, such as physical activity and also rest, very important aspects to keep fit.
We must increase daily physical activity with practices that are integrated into our rhythm of life, such as using the car less, trying to park a little further away and thus walking to work, using the stairs daily or even going down a stop before the bus to try walk a little more.
And as for rest, it is important to sleep between 7 and 8 hours a day, since lack of sleep can interfere with our daily rhythm, our relationships, our productivity and even our mood.
