With so many health gimmicks popping up throughout the internet which rarely works, I won’t blame you if you have stopped trying completely. It has become demotivating seeing so many fit people on your Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube. All of them follow strict diets from keto to paleo and for normal people who don’t have the time these are not possible to follow consistently. But, that doesn’t mean you should not tweak your diet and incorporate healthy foods in it.
I know you might have the notion that if it is not excessively strict it won’t work. Well, that is where you are wrong. Eating healthy is not about torturing yourself with meal preps and not eating what you want. You can’t have a salad when you and your friends go out for pizza. It is possible for you to not be a buzzkill and still be healthy.
It is not required to go on a severe diet and follow it to the teeth to see the results. A very common misconception is that flexible diets don’t have benefits. Firstly let’s discuss what a flexible diet is and then we can move on to the benefits it holds.
Flexible Dieting
Flexible dieting or if it fits your macros is a form of dieting where you track your macronutrients such as Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fats to achieve a body composition goal. This gives you a lot more freedom with what you can eat and you won’t be worrying too much about eating a pizza or a burger once in a while.
A flexible diet is a way of choosing healthier alternatives for everyday food items. Meaning instead of eating white bread you will eat whole wheat bread, instead of having a cappuccino you will have an Americano. Similarly with meats, instead of having full-fat beef you will opt for chicken with a less amount of fat. There is everything which you can change in your diet and opt for the healthier option. It is still flexible where you will be able to eat pizza and burgers because it will fit your macros.
How Does it Work?
It works in a pretty simple manner.
Firstly you will calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure.) There are TDEE calculators available online, this TDEE calculator is the best one I have used. This will tell you how much you have to eat to maintain your current body mass. It tells you the number of calories you need to eat every day and also how much each macronutrient you need on a daily basis.
After you have got that you then just recalculate with the weight you want to be at and then it will tell you for that weight. It is pretty straight forward. Then to track your macros and your calorie count you can use an app. myfitnesspal is the best app out there for this purpose. It has a huge database of foods and it has almost everything on there. The app itself has a TDEE build inside of it so you can use that to your advantage.
After you have gotten the app it is just the matter of putting everything on the app and if it fits your macros you can eat it. But, this doesn’t mean that you don’t eat healthy foods. This diet is all about eating healthier foods and not refraining from munching on some of your favorites.
There are a lot of Benefits of eating relatively healthy every day.
Benefits of eating healthy
Source: NerdWallet
The first and foremost thing is that you will feel better about yourself. If you start eating healthy and you know that you are making a positive change in your life, you will start feeling more motivated and have a more upbeat and happy personality.
Now, let’s get into the main parts.
Your skin will start getting better
Once you change up your diet what you will notice will be a sufficient decline in your skin at first but after a week your skin will start feeling fresher and healthier. You have to drink more water and drink raw lemonade without any sugar on an empty stomach. With you taking out processed meat, fat and sugar out of your diet, your skin will stop breaking out and it will glow as it used to as a child.
Lower risk of stroke and a better heart condition
When you will eliminate trans fat from your diet, this will reduce the levels of lipoprotein cholesterol. This type of cholesterol has a low-density and it causes plaque to collect in the arteries which causes a higher risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Limiting salt intake will also have similar effects on your body, improving heart conditions and reducing blood pressure.
Weight loss
Source: Diet Doctor
One of the key benefits that eating healthy will provide you with will be loss of fat. As you eat a healthier diet consisting of whole and natural foods your fat cells will shrink. Helping you gain the body you always wanted. Furthermore helping you controlling your insulin levels, preventing some types of cancer, and also preventing heart diseases.
Diabetes management
If unfortunately, you have diabetes eating healthier foods will help you manage the insulin levels of your body. your sugar will stop shooting up too high or going down too low. After you lose weight that will allow you to have better control over your sugar levels. Eating healthy and controlling your glucose intake, food intake, cholesterol intake and avoiding junk food will result in a healthier you with controlled blood-sugar.
Better nights sleep
Source: Longevity Live
A lot of times people who have bad eating habits experience bloating which totally kills their sleep. It prevents them from going down quickly at night. A lot of times because of how badly their body is responding they wake up 3 to 4 times in the night all jittery.
Some times sleep apnea can occur because of an unhealthy diet. So eat good and eat soon.
Reduce bloating, increase energy and get back your self-confidence
You will be surprised how bloated you are if you are eating an unhealthy diet. If you eat a lot of bad foods on a Monday you will remain bloated throughout Tuesday. Meaning if you constantly are in the habit of munching down on unhealthy foods then odds are that you are bloated constantly. This affects your energy, motivation, creativity, and self-confidence.
Eating a well-balanced healthy diet will, of course, reduce the bloating which will make you feel happier, stronger and more motivated than ever. You will look better and have more confidence and would have more energy because you would have gotten out of the FFF (Fast Food Fever.)
Source: Shutterstock
Don’t forget to have an exercise regiment as well where you are working out 45 to 60 minutes for 4-5 times a week. This regiment will include 4-5 days of weight training and 2-3 days of cardio. With eating healthy and working out you will get to your goal in no time.
Read Also: 5 Healthy Foods You Should Start Eating
