Skip to main content

FIVE TIPS TO ACHIEVING A SUSTAINABLE DIET PLAN

It was a fun Saturday today for Lagosians who participated in the 2016 Lagos City Marathon. As expected, the winners (Male & Female) were both East Africans, the Masters at Long distance races. I am not going to be talking about running a marathon today, I am sharing a few tips on how to achieve a sustainable diet plan. Some of us are usually confused when embarking on a new diet plan, we are often confused on what to eat, what not to eat, some of us have been led to believe that a healthy diet consists of only lettuce and tomatoes, some others believe you need to kick out Carbohydrates completely. With so much information out there and seductive advertisements from healthy food companies, I do not blame anyone for being confused. 

If you are starting out a new diet plan or trying to create one, here are a few tips to bear in mind in order to create a sustainable one:
  1. Eat Right for your body type: Knowing your body and the areas where you store fat easily should guide you in making the right food choices. For example, if you are overall slender, your body may do well on a diet that incorporates healthy fats, which may decrease the risk of cardiovascular problems, whereas if you tend to have a pear shape (bigger hips and thighs), you may want to watch your fat intake altogether.
  2. Set Achievable Goals: A lot of us are moved by sight, so if for example a persons main reason for creating a healthy diet plan is to lose weight, he/she would most likely give up on the plan if no result is seen after a month or two. Set achievable goals, our bodies respond differently, so get to know yours.
  3. Slowly introduce your body to the new plan: Whether your diet plan includes incorporating large volumes of vegetables, or decreasing your intake of red meat, you need to wean yourself off and slowly introduce your body to the new diet. If you have been eating red meat all your life, cutting off suddenly may leave your body feeling deprived. Start by reducing the quantity and number of days you have such foods in the week and then slowly progress to doing without them.
  4. Bear in mind the availability of foods in your area: I see many people do this, especially here in Nigeria. if your new diet plan consists of quinoa, kale and blueberries, I am sorry but you may find a hard time keeping to such a plan as there are certain food items that are not readily available in Nigeria. It would be more realistic and attainable if you work with food that is readily available in your area, even if this means taking a trip down to your nearest market or supermarket to find out what healthy food options you can readily get and then planning your diet accordingly. 
  5. Learn Quick Cooking Tips: Many people tend to have "no time to cook" as their number one excuse for not maintaining a healthy diet. The good news is that there are quick meals one can learn, so do yourself a favor and learn some.
Lastly, try to keep a balanced diet. How have you maintained your diet plan? Kindly share with us.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NUTRITIONAL/HEALTH BENEFITS OF PLANTAINS

P lantains are widely eaten in West Africa. Plantains are similar to bananas but larger in size. While bananas are termed fruits, plantains are vegetables. Bananas are mostly eating raw, while plantains are usually cooked before consumption. Plantains can be eaten unripe, ripen or over-ripe. When unripe, plantains are usually green in colour, when ripen, they turn yellow. In Nigeria, for example, unripe plantains are usually used to cook plantain porridge, ripe plantains are mostly fried and used as a supplement to main dishes like rice and beans. Over-ripe plantains are used to make snacks like plantain fritters. 
Post a Comment
Read more

NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF ZOBO/SORREL DRINK

z obo/sorrel was a must have during family gatherings. As children, we loved drinking it, not only because of how nice it tasted, but also because it coloured our lips and tongues red. Zobo (Nigerian) or Sorrel (Jamaican) is a red coloured drink made from a flower called Hibiscus sabdariffa.  The sorrel plant contains a wide range of vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, calcium, niacin, riboflavin and a group of compounds called flavonoids. Flavanoids not only gives the sorrel plant its deep red colour, but, are also rich in antioxidants which rids the body of toxins. The sorrel plant also contains nutraceleuticals, which are said to be helpful to the health. Nutraceleuticals can help prevent and treat several diseases including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and cancer.
2 comments
Read more

HEALTH BENEFITS OF LIME AND HONEY

L ime and Honey are two must haves in my house. I use honey as a substitute for white sugar. I remember a friend of mine visited me once and she wanted to drink garri (drinking garri is local to Nigerians, i.e.  eating dried cassava with cold water as opposed to hot water), she was astonished when I told her to use honey to sweeten her garri. I'm not a tea person, but my parents are, and a cup of tea for them is not complete without limes.
Post a Comment
Read more