Simple Steps To A Healthy Lifestyle

Healthy lifestyle, as a concept, has gained immense momentum in India over the last few years. It’s ironic, then, that lifestyle diseases such heart disease, diabetes, and cancer are at their peak as well . Although genetics do play a small role in this, our lifestyles, particularly our diet, are largely responsible for the onset of these diseases. All of this strongly indicates that it’s time to actively work on – improving our lifestyle habits.

Although adopting a healthy lifestyle may initially appear overwhelming, knowing the specific steps that can assist you makes the process much simpler. Here are a few easy-to-implement ones, to help get you started:
1. Streamline Your Diet How to live a healthy life – Nutrova For most, the term ‘diet’ evokes images of constant hunger assuaged only by tasteless, pea-sized meals that just leave one craving for some actual food. These kinds of diets are not sustainable, and tend to do more harm than good in the long term.
A study of the world’s longest-living populations has shown that there’s a decidedly simpler and more satisfying way to eat right [3]:
Non-starchy vegetables (anything other than potatoes, yams, or sweet potatoes) should take up half of your plate. Put starch or grain (such as potatoes, rice, or rotis) in a quarter of your plate, and Fill the remaining quarter with protein (paneer, yogurt, legumes, beans, meat)
You can check out a more detailed version of this plate setting here>>
This simple breakup instantly balances our meals, giving us the right amount of macronutrients, as well as a good dose of micronutrients.
2. Eat a Healthy Breakfast
Steps to a healthy lifestyle – Nutrova
This isn’t probably news for you, but it bears repetition because it’s truly important and can make a significant difference to our health status: a healthy, balanced breakfast sets up a day of healthy eating [4]. If we skip breakfast or eat refined grains and sugary cereals for breakfast, we continue to crave food throughout the day – that’s a result of the blood sugar rollercoaster (a sudden rise and fall in our blood sugar, caused by simple carbohydrates) [5].
Following the plate-breakup we covered in #1 is a great start to identifying the components of your healthy breakfast. Eating eggs, whole-grain toast and fruit, or even a more traditional idli and sambar, gives us an ideal mix of nutrients and, more importantly, keeps us satisfied without wreaking havoc on our blood sugar.
3. Consume More Protein Eat more protein
Protein isn’t just for fitness enthusiasts. Every function of our body, from our immune system to the muscles that help us move, is driven by protein [6]. And according to a study, 88% of Indians don’t consume enough protein on a daily basis [7].
Getting enough protein does two things: it ensures that our body has all the nutrients it needs to stay healthy, and it keeps us full for longer [8]. Also, since protein is much more filling than refined carbohydrates and has little impact on our blood sugar, a protein-packed lunch helps avoid the post-lunch slump that can otherwise occur (due to, once again, the blood sugar rollercoaster) [9, 10].
4. Replace Sugary Drinks with Healthy Options
Replace sugary drinks with healthier options – Nutrova
Sugary drinks are loaded with HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), which are processed slightly differently than sugar. We tend to consume more than we normally would because their consumption causes us to feel less full after eating [11]. Even diet sodas are full of artificial sweeteners that have been shown to drive cravings [12]. Additionally, there is absolutely no nutritional value to these drinks. Consumption of HFCS is also associated with the risk of developing lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, and liver disorders [13, 14, 15, 16].
We have access to a wide variety of nutritious beverages, including fresh juices, coconut water, buttermilk, and herbal teas, because we live in India. All of these are loaded with nutrients and antioxidants, making them both refreshing and really good for us. Including these in our diet can boost nutrition and increase energy levels, too.
5. Prioritise Sleep
Prioritise Sleep – Nutrova
6. Move More, Sit Less
Move more, sit less – Nutrova
Studies have shown that sitting for long periods of time, and generally following a sedentary lifestyle have harmful effects that range from putting yourself at the risk of developing diabetes to obesity, musculoskeletal problems, and heart diseases
Increasing the amount of motion in our day-to-day lives is as simple as taking a flight of stairs instead of the elevator, or standing up and doing a few basic stretches every hour at work.
This, as with the rest of the tips in this article, only involves a small change/addition to your routine, because that’s what it’s all about: simple, incremental changes that are easy to sustain.