Eating Well: The Complete Guide
Eating well can have as many meanings as there are individuals. For some, it’s about eating dietary. For others, eating well must above all be synonymous with pleasure. There are those who swear by healthy eating and epicureans, for whom honoring the table is the essence of eating well. But nutritionally speaking, what does it mean to “eat well”. Here is a complete guide, based above all on common sense.
What does it mean to eat well?
There is no diet or recipe, strictly speaking, to eat well. However, eating well undoubtedly means adopting a balanced and varied diet. Also, it is a question of defining what is meant by “varied and balanced diet”.
A diet in line with nutritional needs
Nutritional requirements correspond to the amount of nutrients,micronutrientsand energy to cover the incompressible needs of the body. These needs depend on the age, sex, body size and physical activity of the individual. Nutritional needs met contribute to the maintenance of key functions of the body: respiration, cell renewal, digestion, intellectual and physical “basic” activity. Health authorities, like ANSES in France, draw up an indicative table of CRAs – recommended dietary intakes, which corresponds to a kind of “reference standard”, to which each individual can refer. Thus, to eat well, it is necessary to draw inspiration from this reference of the ANC.
A diet that does not exclude any food group
To eat well, you have to make sure you eat everything – the opposite of amonodietor an exclusive diet. Indeed, excluding a group of foodsimbalances the dietand can thus cause deficiencies. Thus, a balanced diet will includevegetables and fruits, grain products, proteins and dairy products. In terms of proportions, the recommendations recommend:
- Half a plate dedicated to plants
- The quarter devoted to carbohydrates
- The last quarter with animal or vegetable proteins
- An additional contribution of calcium, by a dairy
This type of diet, based on the consumption of products from each food group, makes it possible to obtain varied intakes of nutrients and thus to eat well.
A natural diet
Eating well is all about choosing food in its rawest form possible. It is now totally accepted that arefined and/or processed foodcan be harmful to the body. Food processing involves:
- Remove some of its nutrients – for example, cereals from which the bran (the husk of the grain), which is rich infiber, is removed.
- Add other ingredients, not necessarily very beneficial: saturated fats, salt, sugar, additives to modify the appearance (colorings), taste (aromas), structure (texture agents) or preservation (preservatives).
Eat with respect for your bodily sensations
Eating well is not just about quality. The quantities absorbed also play their role. The best barometer to respect is still the attention paid to one’s bodily sensations. But do you still have to know how to listen to them? In any case, eating well involves:
- Eating when you are hungry : the feeling of hungeris manifested by clear and identifiable physiological signs, such as gurgling in the stomach, a drop in energy, a reduced ability to concentrate, sometimes dizziness, a more developed olfactory acuity ( especially if the smells perceived are those of food)…
- Stop eating when you are no longer hungry: the body clearly knows when it is full. Thus thefeeling of satietyis reached when you have less desire for the dishes on the table, when you feel a kind of taste fatigue and when you feel the need to leave the table. In addition, satiety does not necessarily imply being “full”, nor having the feeling of a very full stomach!
- Eating with pleasure : eating well also implies that the food is tasty, and that we take pleasure in eating it. Also, the time devoted to the meal, and the awareness that we put into it (presentation of the dish, flavors and smells, sufficient chewing, calm and friendly atmosphere) play a dominating role in the way we approach food.
Eating well: what are the benefits?
Eating well has many health benefits. A varied food bowl, coupled with a diet that respects your body and your feelings, allows you to:
- Avoid any: nutritional : nutritional deficiencies carry many risks, starting with intellectual and growth deficiencies in children and then, in adulthood, symptoms ranging from fatigue to more severe illnesses (degradation of immune and endocrine).
- Maintaining a healthy weight: eating well involves eating everything, in reasonable quantities. Also the natural consequence of this way of feeding is a stable weight. Moreover, if the balanced diet is accompanied bydailyphysical activity , the Metabolism works optimally.
- Prevent the onset of illnesses: a varied and balanced diet, respectful of one’s nutritional needs, helps to keep in shape and reduce the risk of illness. The saying goes that food is the first medicine, and experts think of it that way. Eating well reduces the risk of chronic diseases such asobesity , metabolic dysfunction ( cholesterol , Diabetes ), cardiovascular damage, oral pathologies and osteoporosis (1)
Eating well: what are the essential foods?
As previously said, eating well involves eating everything, respecting its nature. Modern man is omnivorous: his digestive system is adapted to the consumption of products of animal and vegetable origin – although the basis of his diet, for centuries, was mainly made up of plants (cereals, fruits, seeds, vegetables, roots, nuts). Eating well therefore involves varying your diet, while being curious:
- Fruits and vegetables: at all meals, for their contribution ofvitaminsand minerals. Favor local and organic productions, seasonality, vary cooked andraw preparations.
- Quality proteins: seafood, meat, eggs, vegetable proteins (legumes, algae, soy). It is interesting to vary yourprotein sources, as each food contains its own nutritional combination.
- Carbohydrates: it is preferable to favor raw and whole grains (high in fiber, lower glycemic index) and vary them (wheat, rye, oats, corn, rice …). In addition, root vegetables are also good sources of carbohydrates: potato, parsnips, sweet : it is preferable to favor raw and complete cereals (high in fiber, lower glycemic index) and to vary them (wheat, rye, oats, corn, rice, etc.). , carrot, celeriac…
- Dairy products: except in cases of lactose intolerance, dairy products are not only a source of protein, but also of calcium (prevention of joint and bone disorders). Eating well means consuming it every day: semi-skimmed milk, yogurt (probiotics), fresh cheese, aged cheese (no more than 30 g/day, because they are rich in sodium and saturated fats).
- Lipids : virgin vegetable oils, using them according to their properties (certain oils oxidize at high temperature, such as rapeseed or flax) and alternating them, oilseeds, avocadotag. Reasoned consumption of fats of animal origin.
Eating well also means not being frustrated. Also, sweet products are not excluded, provided that their consumption remains occasional. Preferred sources of sugar should, of course, be natural. We will therefore favor homemade jam, darkChocolate , honey, a cake that we will have prepared ourselves with fruit and spicestag. This occasional consumption makes it possible to introduce pleasure into food and to avoid excess – which is the enemy of eating well.
Finally, eating well also means drinking well. Hydration must be fromwatertag. The human body is made up of 65% of it. In other words, water is the most natural drink, and it is water that must be the answer to the feeling of thirst – neither alcohol nor aSugary Drink, which do not correspond to any intrinsic need of the body. organization. Its drinks are of exceptional consumption.
Eating well: when to consult a specialist?
It is recommended to consult a specialist, whether a dietitian or a nutritionist, when you want to start eating well, and you don’t know how to go about it. The desire to eat well can be motivated by a desire tolose weight or to reconnect with a healthy diet, a need to find good blood markers, the desire for a better quality of life, the improvement of one’s healthin general …
The health professional, through precise questioning, will assess the strengths and weaknesses of the patient’s diet. Based on this assessment, he will be able to issue advice, or even recommend food (re)education… because eating well, which is a matter ofcommon sense , is not a natural process for everyone.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.