Healthy nutrition: it’s not just what you eat, but how.

Superfoods, Low Carb, Clean Eating, Atkins … there are lots of methods out there to help you eat a healthy diet. But we need to examine our eating habits too, not just what we put in our mouth. To keep up with the latest research, many people follow a succession of trends and read more than they eat. As a result, they often lose touch with their instincts and their own gut feeling for what does them good. Despite all the trends, most scientists have agreed for years that a balanced, varied diet should include fruit, vegetables, fish, moderate amounts of dairy and processed food, as little refined sugar as possible, and small amounts of meat.

Eight simple steps to healthier nutrition long term

So what can you do to improve your diet and your lifestyle? Our CARRERA Powerfood Expert looks at the bigger picture, not just the ingredients. Here’s what he suggests:

1. Avoid stress when eating, and take time for your food. Chewing each mouthful well (30 times) helps your stomach and gut digest food better. Healthy eating means not eating too fast.

2. If you’re planning to change your diet, do it gradually – not overnight. Smaller steps are more successful and more effective long term. Your body is not a machine that responds instantly when you hit a button.
3. To live is to learn. Most of us have forgotten how to listen to our gut feeling, so we eat according to habits and schedules instead. But each day is different and places different demands on our body, so a rigid dietary framework doesn’t really work. Why not tune back in to your gut feeling and give your body what it really needs instead?
4. People who eat a healthy diet and listen to their body tend not to be overweight or suffer from dietary deficiencies.
5. `Powerfood´ might sound like a trend, but actually it’s always been the easiest way to eat a healthy diet. The name says it all: power = energy, so instead of eating noodles, rice or conventional flour you eat more whole-grain products instead. These contain higher amounts of minerals, trace elements, proteins, fibre and more besides.

When shopping for products, go by the ingredients – not your habits.

6. Eat a helping of fruit and raw / cooked vegetables every day.
7. Don´t touch superfoods!

Superfoods are expensive, have a big carbon footprint and are totally unnecessary. Regional, seasonal ingredients are just as good, and cheaper too. Nature is smarter than we think and serves up local fruit, vegetables and grains that supply all the vitamins and nutrients we need all year round.

8. `Old fashioned’ ingredients such as wild herbs and other wild plants supply important ingredients and phytochemicals to strengthen our immune system, aid digestion and bring new, natural flavours to the kitchen. Experimenting is a great way to keep your diet balanced.

Steam food more often – it’s a great way to preserve the nutrients and vitamins that powerfoods contain. To find out more, follow this link..