A well-balanced and nutritious diet is a key component to healthy living

Train more or eat less? Diet versus exercise used to be a common debate both in the gym and across pages of healthy-living mags. Today however, it’s widely known a great body is 80% diet, 20% exercise; you can’t out-train poor diet and nutrition and that you train to support your goals, eat to support your training.

Google the topic and you’ll be struck with millions of search results claiming to know the answer. The bottom line is strike the right balance between diet and exercise and you’ll do just fine. Unfortunately for most, that means cutting back on calories because ultimately if you are not eating to support your goals you are fighting a losing battle.

The experts claim if you attempt to eat at least five ‘under-500-calorie’ dinners or lunches a week, we would notice a significant difference. The internet is flooded with recipes that will keep you satisfied on fewer calories. Here are a few tips for keeping things balanced and healthy.

Eat the right amount of calories for how active you are

The first step to a healthy diet is being observant of what you eat based on what you do. It is only when your calorie intake exceeds the amount of calories you burn, you gain weight. Replace processed carbohydrates that increase blood sugar and insulin, and shift to unrefined and unprocessed whole grains such as brown rice, whole wheat, quinoa and oats. Eating potatoes with their skins on not only gives you more fibre but leaves you feeling fuller for longer. A few healthy options include quinoa, whole grain pasta, brown rice and sweet potatoes that are baked instead of fried.

Eat lots of fruits and veggies

We must make sure the majority of our diet consists of a variety of fruit and vegetable options. This is easier to do than you think, from having vegetables raw and as a snack to preparing fruit and vegetable juices or smoothies; also remember to incorporate as many vegetables as you can into your meals. Go for quinoa, organic lentil salad and breakfast options with fruit, granola and smoothies for a healthy kick-start in the morning.

Cut down on saturated fats and sugar

Although we must pay attention to the fats we consume, fats are a necessary component to our diet. It is important to have foods with unsaturated fats, such as fish, raw nuts and fruits like avocado, as saturated fats can increase cholesterol in our blood and heighten the risk of heart disease. Keep the consumption of hard cheese, cakes, cream and butter to a minimum and instead opt for raw nuts, fish and avocado. Try healthy chicken and avocado tacos for a low fat option to keep you light and active.

Eat regularly and in moderate portions

Keeping your portion sizes reasonable will help you enjoy a variety of different meals while having a balanced diet. Portion control and calorie counting can help you consume meals more frequently, and helps diminish overeating. Snacking on the right things can help you curb hunger, especially if you have nuts, seeds, or nut butter with fruit.

Get active

Just dieting alone will not help you achieve drastic goals and it is very important to accompany healthy eating with healthy living. This includes getting out, being more active, pushing yourself harder, and finally rewarding yourself when you’ve worked hard. There are hundreds of low-calorie sweet options available at Choithrams.com for when you’re done, including brownies and cakes with less than 500 calories per serving.