What are good healthy eating habits?

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There are a million ways to eat well. I'm advocating something I believe to be a novel diet, at least in its compilation. Thousands of detailed nutrition studies in the last century have been published in an attempt to work out the nutritional requirements and optimal dietary habits of man. While thousands more will be required to further define the little intricacies of an ideal diet, we have the rough framework.  

You have available to you, through the wonders of super markets and natural foods stores, a vast array of nearly every foodstuff available. For the first time in our history, we have both the resources and the knowledge to eat in the right way? Why not eat the best way you possibly can? What if you filled everyone of your needed calories in the most nutritionally optimal way possible? Cut out empty sugars and replaced them with fruits and vegetables? Switched high saturated fat sources for those high in monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids? Consumed entirely whole grains? You could, and combined with a healthy lifestyle, do everything possible to reduce your risk of developing any disease or condition while maximizing your chances of living a long, healthy and productive life.

I'm advocating the Pragmatic Diet. This is a perfectly balanced diet in which everything is eaten for the reason that it is nutritious. It's a radical contrast to the typically touted diet which advocates dangerous habits as a quick way to lose weight, rarely to improve health. This isn't some flash-in-the-bucket fad diet, some zany thing that will have you losing fifty pounds in a week. Results will be gradual, and you'll have to follow it for the rest of your life to continue to see such results.  My recommendations are in concordance with the American Heart Association's, the FDA's, the WHO's and likely any other body of nutritional experts. While some may claim my recommendations are too bold, I counter that any recommendation made, if excessive, is not harmful.

What follows is mostly an outline of the diet, more of the general philosophy. I believe that this philosophy; however, is the most powerful portion of the Pragmatic Diet. You eat to live, you do not live to eat. You aren't any happier today because of that burger you ate last Tuesday, and your heart isn't happier either! Any temporary pleasure obtained from junkfood is going to be outweighed by the long-term consequences: the empty, unused calories that are added as fat to your waistline which you must carry with you wherever you go; the damage the trans-fats cause to your arteries, your heart, your cholesterol; the shockwaves that the sudden rise in blood sugar from the quickly absorbed carbohydrates sends through your body. Reevaluating why you eat, realizing that eating soley because "it tastes good" is not valid reason in itself, is perhaps what I hope to be the most powerful part of the Pragmatic Diet.

How you should eat:

1. Chose minimally processed food-I'm not talking about "raw" diets or anything of that nature. I'm talking about trying to eat the most nutritionally-dense foods possible. Processed, packaged foods typically add fats, sugar and salt to otherwise healthy choices. Your fish may be canned in oil, your dried fruit may be sugared, your fruit comes in a heavy syrup, your wheat flour may be enriched. As a result, each bite holds fewer nutrients and more calories. I'm not saying all packaged food is bad- putting fruit in a can, freezing it, or whatever isn't going to significantly affect the nutritional content- it's what goes in the can with it that matters. Sometimes packaged health foods offer a unique and easy way to get nutritients. Read the labels to figure out what you're buying!

Avoid preparing food or purchasing prepared food that's been done in an unhealthy way. Deep frying adds a tremendous number of calories while adding no nutrition whatsoever, and you can bet that that's not olive oil back in those cookers! Fried foods should generally be avoided. If you're getting your fat for the day by pan frying your salmon in olive oil, great. But chances are, nearly all restaurants and establishments will not be using a healthy oil to fry your foods in. Choose grilled, steamed or baked products when going out.

2.Realize what is nutritionally essential and beneficial- Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, sources of good fats and lean protein. Hundreds of studies have noted the benefits that these have in reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, obesity and other ailments. The antioxidants found in such foods may play a role in slowing the effects of aging as well. I think you all know what is a fruit or a vegetable. I'll discuss the others.

Whole grains are minimally processed such that the bran, germ and endosperm of the grain remain. Not very informative in itself, but know that most of these fibrous and nutritious components are processed away in typical white flour- such flour is so low in nutritional content that it typically must have some of these vitamins artificially added back in- henced the term "enriched". When buying any grain product, look at the label! If it says "whole wheat" or whole "anygrain", it contains whole grains. But keep looking-companies love adding a dash of whole wheat to slap a big "whole grain" label on the front, when it's still loaded with enriched flours. If the label says "enriched wheat flour", "wheat flour", "white flour", "white wheat flour" or anything to that effect, it's not whole. Whole grains are a big selling point for a product, so if you can't tell if something contains whole grains, it probably doesn't.

Good fats, such as monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids, offer a number of heart healthy benefits, including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. It's important to realize that all fats, even good ones, are very dense calorically (about 100 calories a teaspoon), so a little bit goes a long way. All fats are a mixture of saturated, polyunsaturated (which includes omega-3s) and monounsaturated fats. Sources of good fats include: olive oil, canola oil, nuts (especially pecans, almonds and walnuts), flaxseed, and fish.

Lean protein is also important. While protein certainly is essential, the average American probably consumes more than he needs, which in itself isn't too harmful except that he's probably consuming it from high saturated fat, high animal sources, meaning excess calories and harmful products at the expense of fruits and vegetables that could have been consumed. The FDA recommends 65 grams a day for those consuming 2000 calories and 80 grams a day for those consuming 2500. Body builders and athletes need more, but not much more- at most ~.73 grams of protein per pound lean body mass. That may seem like a lot- but under FDA recommendations only ~15% of one's calories need to be derived from protein ! A can of salmon and a 16 oz glass of milk will contain almost all the protein an individual consuming 2000 calories a day needs in a day. When you consider that, think about how many restaurant meals  are protein-centered- the majority of the dish is protein based- such as hamburgers, steaks, hot dogs, pork chops, etc. Really, not more than a quarter of your plate would need to be meat. The rest can be fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Choose lean protein sources such as skim milk, turkey, chicken, fish, or soy while avoiding beef, lamb or pork.

3. Realize what is nutritionally inessential- Some ingredients have no nutritional value and should be avoided as much as possible. Hydrogenated oils, for instance, play no beneficial role in a healthy diet. Since all significant amounts of trans fat are derived from hydrogenated oils, eliminating them just makes sense. Remember that companies are allowed to hide trans-fats from the label if they contain under .5 grams per serving- so only by reading the ingredients label can you know if the product contains hydrogenated oils and therefore trans fats. Considering that just consuming just 4 grams of trans fat a day was found to double the risk of a heart attack by a Harvard study, what you don't know about trans-fats certainly could kill you!

Milk fat is another thing which can be completely avoided. It's fat and can make things very calorically dense very quickly. A whole bowl of salad with a few pieces of cheese will typically have more calories from the cheese than the entire salad. Additionally, it's roughly 50% saturated fat and high in cholesterol, so it's not doing your heart any favors. Some study found that those who consumed more milk fat were more likely to conceive, but whether or not consuming more milk fat actually improves people's chances of conception is still unknown.  

I can't believe the number of times someone has told me ice cream is good for them because it contains calcium! Why not ditch the fat and instead take a glass of skim or soy milk,which will have fewer calories and more calcium than your whole bowl of ice cream?   Unless you do happen to be trying to conceive, there's no reason not to eliminate milk fat. Eliminate whole and 2% and 1% milk entirely. Ice cream,cream, half and half,whipped cream, cheese , butter, cream cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese and yogurt should be eliminated unless they happen to be a fat-free variety.

Corn starch, corn syrup, sugar, cane juice, enriched wheat flour and white rice are all empty calories. They lack any significant nutritional value or have superior alternatives. If a product contains them, consider how much of the ingredient is present and its affect on the nutritional content of the product- or whether there is any real nutritional content. Ramen noodles, a bowl of white rice, canned fruit in syrup and pastries are all examples of things which would be avoided. Some very healthy products, such as whole grain cereals contain a smattering of sugars, most of the time this is just fine. You can quickly estimate a cereal's wholesomeness by dividing the total carbohydrates by the fiber content. Carbs/fiber= carbs to fiber ratio. The lower the better. Less than 10 is pretty acceptable, under 6 is very good, some cereals are below 4. It's not perfect, but given the varying serving sizes of different cereals, it makes it easy to compare in just a few seconds.

4.Make simple substitutions-You eat food for its nutritional content. Whenever you go to consume something ask yourself why you are eating it. If its a plain fruit, vegetable or whole grain, eat up!  A good source of beneficial fats? Enjoy, but remember a little goes a long way. A lean source of protein? Eat until you've had enough protein. By choosing leaner meats, you'll consume both more protein and less fat per serving. Lean chicken and turkey can derive as much as 97% of their calories from protein!

If it's anything else, chances are it should be avoided.

Some easy substitutions that everyone should make:

Replace _______ with ____________:

enriched wheat flour->whole grains

beef, lamb,pork ->chicken,turkey,salmon,soy

whole, 1%,2% milk -> skim milk or soy

eggs-> egg whites

butter, margarine, hydrogenated oil -> olive oil, canola oil

sugared fruit-> unsugared fruit

fish in oil -> fish in water

white rice -> brown rice

fried chicken-> grilled chicken

iceberg lettuce-> spinach

It goes without saying to stop smoking, avoid excessive alcohol, get enough sleep and get at least 30 minutes of moderate cardiovascular exercise a day. 

By adopting a healthy diet as outlined above, you'll be sure you're getting the essential nutrients you need- all while giving you the perfect opportunity to lose weight. Most of the nutritious options I've recommended are much less calorically dense, so you'll need to consume a much greater volume of food in order to maintain the same caloric intake. So just by switching to these healthier foods, you'll be able to consume the same, if not more, food and still lose weight.

Additionally, you'll be much better able to regulate what you do eat. Since your emphasis is no longer primarily on taste, the foods which you are eating are extremely healthy. If you're hungry, you'll be hungry for good food. The reinforcement that comes from eating something sugary or junky won't be there. You will have no compulsion to overeat nutritious foods. It's for this reason that I recommend against artificially limiting your portions of most postive foods. If you really are hungry, you're hungry for a reason: your body needs calories. There's no need to assign any guilt to this need. Fruits and vegetables are especially difficult to over-indulge in simply because they have such a low caloric density. You'd need to consume over 4.5 pounds of broccoli to consume the same number of calories found in a big Mac!

So there you have it, the Pragmatic Diet. It's the opportunity of a lifetime to change the way you eat, feel and live forever.

First answer by Tymothy. Last edit by Tymothy. Contributor trust: 665 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 17 [recommend question]