Six “healthy” eating mistakes we tend to make

1. Using too much oil

Oils are good for us; our bodies need some fat and they definitely require unsaturated fats found in plant oils, but drowning our salads or vegetables in them will add to overall kilojoule intake because oil is still a fat. There’s no need to cut it out of our diets, but using it in moderation is key.

2. Only eating fruit throughout the day

Fruit provides an unbelievable variety of nutrients as well as fibre, but they do also contain carbohydrates in for the form of fructose, a fruit sugar. While we do need energy, getting it all in the form of sugars is not a good idea. Fruit should be one part of a balanced diet.

3. Taking a health benefit of a food out of context

Dark chocolate may well be better for our hearts than other chocolate, but that is not a reason to eat a slab every day! Chocolate should be an occasional treat and not used as a meal or source of energy to get through the day. Again, moderation is key.

4. Not understanding food labels

There are many products with words on them which may lead you to believe that they are better for you. Keep in mind that often if one thing such as fat is removed, other ingredients (such as sugar) are added in to keep the flavour. If you want to choose between two products, always compare their nutrient composition by looking at the column for 100g/100ml because a serving suggestion for one may be 45g whereas the serving size for another may be 35g. Comparing based on the serving size will not give you an accurate picture of which is healthier.

5. Eating very healthily during the week, but then bingeing on the weekend

Cutting out all the foods you enjoy and being on a diet for five days of the week is not satisfying and eating all you can over the weekend results in too many kilojoules ingested over a short period of time. This diet mentality is not maintainable. It is far better to make smaller healthy changes to meals each and every day so that you become used to the new flavours, tastes or portion sizes and eventually feel that the healthier eating has become a lifestyle instead of a massive challenge each and every week.

6. You exercise until you are ravenous

Exercising is good for your overall health, but pushing yourself in an effort to burn excess kilojoules only to want to eat everything in sight when you are done is not a good cycle to be in. We need energy to exercise and we also need to recover that energy once done. It depends on the time of day you exercise, but find out whether eating something before or after your exercise session works best for you. With optimal energy levels you will be able to exercise better and recover well.

 

Sources

 

http://www.webmd.com/
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