How to eat healthy

Kylebray90

How do you stay healthy please share

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kirayng2

I like the 90/10 philosophy in that 90% of the time I eat "healthy" (veggies, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins, good fats like avocado and nuts) then 10% I allow myself to eat anything else. Lately that's been ice cream. I define healthy as food that makes you feel good instead of sluggish, foggy headed and dehydrated. Once you incorporate more fruits, veggies and whole grains into your diet you realize that that kind of energy feels a lot better than a 15-minute sugar rush then crash.

snowflake954

I live in Italy. There is a strong food culture here. You can educate yourself on food, where the best comes from, how it's grown, the vitamins it contains. Then educate yourself on cooking it to get the most flavor out of your choices. That's what eating healthy means to me.

Scamd83

Eat whatever you want in moderation, including plenty of food that provides the nutrients that aid good health, and food that provides more feelings of joy than nutrients if you so desire. Don't restrict anything you really want, eating healthy means healthy for the mind as well as the body.

sunnybeaches105

In order of priority:

(1) Calories in, calories out. If you want to lose weight, cut calories. If you want to gain weight, increase calories. Figure this out. You can google this so I'm not going into detail here, but look at TDEE and NEAT (MFP uses NEAT).
(2) Lock in your macros. Protein, fats and carbs are necessary and there are optimal amounts for these. There is a range of protein intakes that you can use, but generally speaking, about 0.8 grams per pound of body weight or about 1 gram per pound of lean body mass will work for most people who are strength training. You also need about 0.35 grams of fat per pound of body weight. The rest you fill with carbs. Play with the percentages here on MFP when you set your goals so you get the right amounts based on your body weight and caloric intake.
(3) Fiber and micronutrients. Get enough and get them from whole foods. You don't need vitamin pills and there is plenty of recent evidence that you are literally pissing away money when you buy multivitamins and other general purpose supplements.
(4) There are very few truly bad foods, but there are some. Cut out artificial trans fats completely and make sure that your processed meat intake is minimal. Yes, that means you probably shouldn't eat bacon every day but bacon a couple of times a week is fine. Google the WHO report on processed meats. Ignore the crap on meat in general because there isn't much evidence to support meat and cancer. The evidence is becoming clearer on processed meat and cancer (most likely due to nitrates).
(5) If all of the above are satisfied and you still have calories left for the day, then eat some damned ice cream (or whatever other treat or food you really enjoy). You've earned it.
(6) Ignore The Food Babe, Mercola, Dr. Oz and the rest of the snake oil salesmen. Follow people like Alan Aragon, Brad Schoenfeld, Eric Helms, and Lyle McDonald. These are people who focus on others who actually train as opposed to people watching daytime TV. GMOs are fine. Eat organic if you want but there isn't much evidence to support it being healthier. If you like it though enjoy it, but if you have 1-5 locked in you're 99% there and the rest of the stuff people stress about may or may not be helpful.


Some more obvious points not having to do with food: Exercise regularly. Make sure your vaccinations are up to date. Wear your seatbelt. Make sure you drink only moderately. Avoid meth, cocaine and heroin. Go to the doctor and dentist and get regular checkups. Don't ride a bicycle on the road in Florida . . .

cwolfman13

Eating healthy is common sense IMO. See all of those whole foods in your grocery store...all those veggies and fruit and whole grains and legumes and lean proteins and good fats from things like avocados, nuts, and good oils? Eat those things by and large and keep "junk" to a minimum.

diannethegeek

Eat foods that you like in portion sizes that fit your goals.

Get plenty of fats & protein for health and satiety.

Get plenty of fruits & veggies for the micronutrients.

Fill in the rest of your calories with carbs, sweets, and treats as you see fit.

There are no foods that you must avoid, just like there are no foods that you must include in your diet. You may find as you progress that there are some foods you don't consider worth the calories, but that's going to be highly individual. Start logging for a few days and make changes as you go along until you find what works best for you.

lavrn03

kirayng2 wrote: »

I like the 90/10 philosophy in that 90% of the time I eat "healthy" (veggies, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins, good fats like avocado and nuts) then 10% I allow myself to eat anything else. Lately that's been ice cream. I define healthy as food that makes you feel good instead of sluggish, foggy headed and dehydrated. Once you incorporate more fruits, veggies and whole grains into your diet you realize that that kind of energy feels a lot better than a 15-minute sugar rush then crash.

I agree!!