Improve Your Diet With These 5 Tips

Those looking to improve their diet usually do so because they want to lose weight or become healthier. It's a great idea to make your diet better; however, it's not an easy task as it takes a lot of commitment to stick to it day in day out. From personal experience, it can be a bit too much to totally overhaul your diet, so changing things bit by bit can work better. Simply add in healthier foods and phase out junk food. Below are some tips for improving your diet.
Make sure your diet is balanced It's important to eat a balanced diet as too much of one thing is not good. Moderation is the key for most things in life, including food. Make sure you eat enough carbohydrates as they'll give you energy; eat a good amount of protein as protein will help build and repair cells; and eat some fats as fat is essential in your diet (just not too much and try to avoid the bad fats!). Also, fibre is important to ensure that your digestive system stays in good working order.
Don't eat large portions of food Keep your portions small. Nowadays lots of us overeat because we are greedy. We may be feeling very hungry so we eat a large plate of food and then feel absolutely stuffed afterwards. Eating too much means you'll put on fat and your stomach will grow bigger, meaning you will start needing more food to feel fuller, which isn't a good thing. Don't reduce your portion sizes drastically; simply reduce them slowly so that your stomach gets used to it and it'll then shrink.
Try and eat fruit and veg You should try and get fruit and vegetables in your diet as they're very good for you. They contain lots of vitamins and minerals that your body needs to function properly. Aim for five pieces of fruit or veg per day. That means anything like apples, bananas, carrots, lettuce, broccoli, grapes, etc. It's not too difficult!
Eat your meals slowly It's important to eat your meals slowly as it can take your brain around 20 minutes to realize you're full up. This is a big reason for people overeating; they eat a big meal and after 10 minutes they don't feel full so they eat some more food. Then after another 10 minutes, they feel absolutely stuffed. Sit back, relax, and enjoy your meal!
Don't consume too much sugar Sugar adds a nice sweet taste to most things you put it in, so it's no wonder we all like it so much. You can't really get rid of sugar from your diet but you can at least try to limit your sugar intake. When choosing a dessert, go for something with less sugar content or even better eat some fruit. Try to drink diet sodas instead of full sugar sodas.
Just by doing little things to your diet, you can make a difference to your overall health and also your weight. These tips are simple to implement so there's no excuse to not do them!
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Discover these tips on nutrition for sport and a healthy living

The sport and healthy life diet must have two basic components;
Enough fuel to meet training and sport demands
Essential nutrients for a good healthy life

Nutrients

Carbohydrate - for energy
Fat - for energy
Protein - for growth and repair of tissue
Vitamins - for growth and repair of tissue
Minerals - for regulation of body processes
Dietary Fibre - for regulation of body processes
Water - for regulation of body processes

Carbohydrates
There are two main types of carbohydrates
complex:
Breads, rice, cereals, pasta, biscuits, potatoes, peas, sweetcorn,parsnip,carrots,dried beans and lentils,fruit, milk and yogurt.
Simple:
Sugar, honey, jams, marmalade's, confectionery, cakes, soft drinks and cordials, sweet biscuits and flavoured mineral water.
Complex carbohydrates also contain vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre and are therefore better for you.
Simple carbohydrates are high sugar content and high in fat content.

Fat
A small amount of dietary fat is necessary for good health.
It is recommended that the amount of fat in the diet be kept to 25% to 30% of total kilojoules consumed.
Sources of dietary fat; cream, sour cream, butter, margarine's, full cream milk, cheese, ice-cream, yogurt, nuts, chocolate and snack foods.

Protein
Protein is essential for building and maintaining the body's tissues, such as muscles, skin, hair and blood. Protein also helps in the formation of antibodies.
The basic units of protein are called amino acids , 9 of these cannot be produced by the body and so must be consumed in the diet.The recommended daily amount of body weight.Sources of protein are; lean meat, eggs, dairy produce, fish and poultry, vegetables, nuts, bread,rice, etc.

Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins C, B, folate, pantothenic acid and biotin are easily passed by the body and so need to be included in the daily diet. Vitamins A, D, E and K are stored in the fatty tissues of the body and therefore can accumulate over time if an excess is consumed.

Minerals are required for nerve transmission and muscle contraction.
The two most important minerals are iron and calcium.
Sources of iron are; lean red meat, liver and green leafy vegetables.
Sources of calcium are; low fat dairy foods.
(To increase calcium retention, minimise caffeine and salt intake.)
Vitamin and Mineral tablets should only be used if your diet does not contain enough.

Dietary Fibre
Dietary fibre consists of plant material such as cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, polysaccharides, gums, mucilage and lignin.
These are found in wholegrain cereals,fruit,vegetables, nuts and legumes.
dietary fibre slows down the release of sugars from food and gives a move sustained release of energy.

Water
Water is essential for the body to function properly.
Water is passed regularly by the body and through the lungs and skin, so it needs to be replaced.
Thirst is not a good indicator to replace water lost through exercise.
It is recommended that you drink 2litres of water a day.