Dec 26, 2020
How to eat healthier?
The basic rules for eating healthier.
The first rule that cannot be waived and that must be applied immediately is to empty your cupboards, fridge, and freezer of everything industrial.
This includes
Prepared dishes (ALL)
Brick or freeze-dried soups
White bread, rusks, pre-baked bread …
Industrial cereals (even muesli)
Cookies whether they are classic, organic, or gluten-free … A cake is a cake
Crisps and company
Cereal bars
The stock cubes and stocks of poultry, veal …
Viennese pastries, pastries …
The cold cuts
Ready-made fruit juices (the only valid ones are cold-pressed and organic ones like those from bang the juice for example)
Surimi, fish “steak” …
Sweet or low-fat compotes (we accept “no added sugars”)
Sugar
“White” starchy foods, quick-cooking, in sachets … a good old 1-kilo package of brown rice will give more pleasure to your body and your wallet.
Sodas, chocolate (except dark minimum 70%), candies …
Dessert creams, fruit, sweet, light yogurts …
Ready-made sauces (except mustard)
If food is advertised on TV, don’t eat it.
To integrate as you go
Always eat fruits and vegetables in season and buy organic those that do not peel.
Reduce your consumption of animal flesh (red, white meat, fish, seafood, etc.) and replace them with vegetable proteins (lentils, quinoa, chickpeas, beans, peas, etc.). The WHO recommends not exceeding 500 gr per week or 2 to 3 servings max. I wrote an article about it, I put the link here if you are interested.
Stop cow’s milk, which is completely useless and indigestible for humans, and reduce other dairy products (yogurt, cheese, cream, etc.).
Preferably steam.
All of this, of course, is to be done gradually, at your own pace, when you feel it. No need to do it all at once, you might get lost and see it as a constraint when these are just positive changes.
What am I buying to eat healthier?
Whole grains (rice, quinoa, pasta, etc.)
Legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans, split peas, etc.)
Seasonal fruits and vegetables (a lot)
Sachets of frozen vegetables (they’ll save your life when you’re in a hurry)
Potatoes and sweet potatoes
Organic eggs
Green tea and organic infusions
Organic honey
A carton of vegetable milk
NATURE and NOT SWEETENED yogurts made from whole milk (goat or sheep preferably) or soya
Oatmeal
Almonds
Coconut milk
Soy cream
Goat’s and sheep’s cheese
For non-vegetarians: white fish, salmon, seafood, ham, minced steak 5% fat, chicken breast, etc. fresh or frozen without marinade, sauce or other preparations, sardines, mackerel, canned tuna WITHOUT oil
Some mustard
70% dark chocolate
Dehydrated spices and herbs
Lemons (a bottle of organic lemon juice can help too)
Cold-pressed and organic olive oil
Apple cider vinegar
This list is of course not exhaustive, but above all the good news is that you will find it all in any hypermarket.
My typical day
Breakfast
The “most important meal of the day” is essential to be healthy and to keep or regain the figure. A healthy and balanced breakfast will never make you fat. Rather, it gives you energy and regulates your appetite for the rest of the day.
On the other hand, forget the cookies, rusks, cereals, muesli… and switch to oatmeal.
Oatmeal is the simplest alternative, the cheapest, and especially used by many athletes or models. Yes, yes, even the Victoria’s Secret Angels eat oatmeal for breakfast!
– Be careful, I don’t promise you Karine Lima’s line, but why not start the day like her
Some breakfast ideas with oatmeal
Here are 3 simple, healthy oatmeal recipes with minimal ingredients:
The minute recipe: mix a soy yogurt with 5 tablespoons of oatmeal, a teaspoon of honey, and a piece of raw fruit cut into pieces.
Hot porridge: In a bowl, mix 5 tablespoons of oatmeal with 200 ml of vegetable milk. Heat 2 times 1 minute in the microwave, stirring between each. Leave to stand for 2 minutes after cooking, then add a teaspoon of honey and a fresh fruit cut into pieces.
The “express” porridge is eaten cold and should be prepared the day before. This is the one I do almost every day! The recipe is here.
Lunch
For lunch, prepare a nice plate composed of:
Half vegetables
A quarter protein (vegetable or animal)
A quarter starchy foods
1 teaspoon or a tablespoon of olive oil (depending on whether you want to stay stable or dry) to use in cooking or in a seasoning.
I give you some tips for organizing your lunch boxes here.
Dinner
At dinner time, avoid proteins that are more difficult to digest (and therefore disrupt sleep and recovery) and anything that is too fatty (cream, cheese, etc.). Compose a meal based on:
3/4 vegetables
1/4 starches
Don’t worry, starchy foods at night don’t make you fat as long as they are in the right amount.
The importance of snacks for healthier eating
Two snacks a day (one mid-morning and one in the afternoon) are needed to regulate hunger and provide continuous energy. If you want to know more about the subject, I talk about it here.
A balanced snack consists of fresh fruit alone or with almonds (the palm of a hand), a whole yogurt, or two squares of dark chocolate (70% minimum).
To each his own pace to start eating healthier
Do it according to your means, your budget, your time… it will never be perfect, but it will always be one more step towards better health and you will quickly see the benefits (digestion, sleep, skin, immunity…).
