Your Basic Meal Plan For Staying Fit
If you don’t have a basic meal plan for staying fit yet, I am about to tell you a great one here. It doesn’t include strict food restrictions but, instead, some tips for foods that you should include in your well-balanced diet.
Drink plenty of water
It’s a well-known fact that around 75% of our body is made up of water. Experts recommend drinking eight glasses of water per day, in order to be healthy and fit as well as to keep in shape. We are all aware that during the last two years and over the many lockdowns we were less active and this may have resulted in a situation where you just didn’t feel as thirsty. However, this doesn’t change the recommended daily water intake!
Use your phone to set reminders
Setting reminders on your phone to make sure you drink plenty of water or using a bottle that shows you how much water has been drunk, is crucial to your health! Just do whatever you think fits, in order to remind yourself that hydration is crucial and drink more water than usual.
Also, If you prefer flavored liquids and are not keen on plain water, you could add some slices of cucumber, lemon, or orange slices. Plus, if you want to stay in shape, it’s important to eliminate sugary beverages, such as soft or carbonated drinks from your basic meal plan, due to their high sugar content.
Foods that give you energy
These are the foods that are essential for energy, crucial for thinking, working out, and staying healthy, so it is important to include them in your diet. Think of wholesome foods such as rice, pasta, bread, or pulses. Choose whole-grain foods, such as whole-wheat bread or mixed-grain rice, as they release energy more slowly, and will keep you full for longer – they can even help you maintain a healthy weight.
Protein-rich foods
There are different sources of protein and for the goal of keeping in shape, I recommend vegetables such as lentils and beans, which can be kept for long periods of time and are rich in vitamins and minerals.
Eggs are also a fantastic source of low-fat protein, so consume them as a part of your healthy, balanced diet. What you should limit according to all fitness experts is the intake of processed meat because it is generally high in fat and salt. If you must consume canned meat, choose canned tuna which is a healthier alternative.
Fats in your meal plan
The basic meal plan for staying fit should be free of most fats. Many experts claim that low-fat diets are great for losing weight, but not in the long term. They relate high-fat diets to the risk of heart diseases and stroke. On the other hand, there are experts that suggest putting some foods rich in fat in their meal plan, and maintaining the weight loss for a couple of years!
Of course, this doesn’t allow you to eat fat as much as you can, uncontrollably. It only means that fats should not totally be forbidden in your meal plan, because not all of them are the same. What I want to point out is that there are ‘bad ones’ and ‘good ones’.
For example, saturated fats and trans fats are the ones to say ‘NO’ to. On the other hand, there are healthy fats present in olive oil, seed oils, eggs, cow's milk, and some fish such as salmon, and if consumed in the right amounts they can benefit your body and health significantly.
Try this basic meal plan advice along with your daily exercise, to help you achieve a fit body and a healthy mind. And of course, keep exploring other topics on my site.
