Healthy eating: habits and recipes for a better life

Eat next to the ones you love, avoid very busy environments and don’t eat in a hurry. It may not seem like it, but these three ideas make a difference in healthy eating and are some of the tips from Alice Amaral, a doctor specializing in nutrology and exercise and sport medicine.

In the rush of everyday life, taking time to have a quiet meal and always be in the company of a loved one can be something very rare. Although these are difficult tips to adopt in your daily life, it is possible to incorporate other fundamental habits and foods that will make your diet healthier.

Always having fruits and vegetables in your meals throughout the day and opting for organic foods and natural seasonings are simple activities that enrich your diet. At the same time, the exaggeration of processed foods, with a large number of chemical additives and fast foods should be avoided as much as possible.

In addition to avoiding excesses and including fruits and vegetables in the menu, it is important to eat frequent meals and balance the nutritious portions on each dish. Eating little or eating only vegetables at every meal does not necessarily mean that your diet is healthy: the ideal is to create a diet that includes essential nutrients for the body.

10 requirements to have a healthy diet:

Check out how to make your diet healthy by adopting some habits, getting to know some of the most nutritious foods and learning recipes for each meal.

1. Eat every three hours

For starters, schedule yourself to eat every three hours – the equivalent of five or six meals a day. Eating frequently helps to avoid overeating in a single meal. After all, if you have a snack between breakfast and lunch, you will be less hungry by lunch time.

2. Include vegetables in meals

Vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals and other nutrients essential for the health and proper functioning of the body. Therefore, they should not be forgotten when assembling a dish. The tip of dr. Alice Amaral is that the amount of vegetables is 50% of the food on the plate.

3. Have food variety

“A healthy dish should contain 5 colors and 4 food groups that should be divided as follows: 50% vegetables, 25% proteins, 12% legumes and 12% carbohydrates”, recommends Alice Amaral.

4. Hydrate yourself

Drinking plenty of water should be part of your routine. Keeping the body well hydrated is essential for the health of the body.

5. Avoid excesses

Be careful not to exaggerate the consumption of foods that harm the body. “Excesses of some foods should be avoided, especially refined sugar, fried foods, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages”, says nutritionist and gastrologist Liliane Oppermann.

6. Opt for organic or whole foods

When choosing vegetables, always look for organic ones, which have not been grown with pesticides or pesticides. In the selection of carbohydrates, prefer rice, flour and whole grain pasta.

7. Opt for lean meats

Meat is a great source of protein for meals. But, for a healthy meat consumption, always give preference to lean meats and without or with little fat.

8. Use natural seasonings

Industrialized seasonings may even be quite practical, but they are far from healthy. These seasonings have excess salt, preservatives, flavorings, dyes and other chemical additives that are not good for the body. Thus, the ideal is to avoid industrialized seasonings and use herbs and other natural seasonings to season your recipes.

9. Consume fruit throughout the day

Fruits are a great choice to compose morning and afternoon snacks. “They are the body’s regulators: rich in Vitamin C, fiber and B Complex vitamins, fruits are allies for the skin, hair, intestines and metabolism”, comments Dr. Liliane Oppermann.

10. Don’t “skip” meals

Avoiding prolonged fasting is essential for healthy eating. Skipping a meal can throw a healthy diet off balance and make you lack energy to face the day – hence the great importance of having a good breakfast.

40 healthy recipes for your meals

Check out the ideas below to inspire your weekly menu and enjoy the ones that most appeal to your taste buds:

Breakfast

1. Light cheese bread: This cheese bread recipe does not use eggs, gluten or oil. The tip for a lighter recipe is to replace the flour with tapioca flour and use light cheeses. The result is a cheese bread twice as low in calories as a traditional one!

2. Oatmeal and banana porridge: Oats are rich in iron, calcium and vitamins; Bananas are also a source of vitamins and iron, as well as potassium, dietary fiber and magnesium. In this recipe you have the union of the two foods in a great dish to start the day with energy.

3. Special fruit salad: The secret for a fruit salad to be sweet without using sugar or condensed milk is to choose the fruits well – if they are very ripe, the result will be a sweeter dish. To add a special touch to the mix, this recipe also uses orange juice and Greek yogurt.

4. Yogurt parfait: The recipe mixes cream, natural yogurt, cottage cheese and a little sugar for a different and very easy-to-prepare yogurt, which should be served with the fruits of your choice.

5. Banana Oatmeal Cake: Once again the banana and oatmeal combo! This recipe replaces wheat flour with oatmeal and results in a healthy, moist and tasty cake.

6. Wholemeal bread: The dough for this bread is quick and easy to prepare in a blender. As it does not take preservatives, the tip is to think about the amounts of the recipe to consume the whole bread in up to four days.

7. Tapioca Cake: Easy to make, this cake takes approximately 50 minutes to prepare. The recipe does not use wheat flour, since the main ingredient is tapioca flour.

8. Cookies: This cookie recipe is gluten, lactose and sugar free. The main ingredients are bananas, oat flakes, dried fruits and nuts. If you prefer, you can substitute oats for quinoa or amaranth.

9. Coconut and Chocolate Granola: An easy and practical recipe for those who want to make granola at home. Cocoa powder adds an extra touch of flavor to the blend of almonds, coconut, oatmeal, flaxseed and chia.

Morning snack

10. Cereal bars: Cereal bars are great options for a quick snack. To avoid consuming industrialized ones, which often include a lot of preservatives, you can make your own at home. The recipe is quick and easy, and the result is a much healthier bar.

11. Homemade yogurt: This recipe only takes two ingredients, milk and a small pot of plain yogurt. In addition to being cheap, the recipe is super practical and yields ten servings – enough to spend a few days without worrying about preparing a snack.

12. Dry Curd: Simple to make, this recipe can serve as a complement to sandwiches and other dishes. If you prefer, the curds can be frozen for up to 40 days and keep in the fridge without spoiling for up to a week.

13. Turkey Breast Sandwich: Made with whole wheat bread, cherry tomatoes, sprouted sprouts, turkey breast and cream cheese, this sandwich is a healthy and satisfying option for those who feel hungrier in the middle of the morning.

14. Quinoa and Honey Cookie: This cookie uses quinoa, whole wheat flour and honey and has just over 50 calories for each unit. The recipe yields about 20 cookies and is a good option to have a snack ready for longer.

Lunch

15. Rice with chestnuts and apricots: Rich in vitamins, fiber, proteins, minerals and good fats, chestnuts are a great option for a healthy and nutrient-rich meal. To enrich the dish even more, serve with salads.

16. Chickpea Salad with Tuna: This salad gains extra nutrients with the addition of a fish. If you prefer, you can swap the tuna for salmon or cod. Chicken is also a light alternative to compose the dish.

17. Baked Stuffed Eggplant: Eggplant is nutritious and offers carbohydrates, potassium, vitamins, fiber and minerals. Accompanied by a lean meat for the preparation of the filling, your meal also gains a portion of protein.

18. Eggplant Tower: Those who have less time to prepare lunch and still want to make a dish with eggplant will like this recipe. The main ingredients are eggplant, tomato and cheese, and the preparation takes just a few minutes.

17. Tropical Salad: This is a good option to include fruit in your lunch. Star fruit is an excellent source of vitamins A, B and C, minerals, fiber and antioxidants – in addition to being the special touch to improve the presentation of the dish even more.

20. Light meatball: Prepared with lean ground beef and oatmeal or wholemeal bread, the meatball is an easy and practical option to include fiber and protein in the diet. The tip is to freeze and have the dish always available for a quick meal.

21. Moroccan couscous with vegetables: Couscous is a great alternative to replacing rice and having a portion of carbohydrates in the meal. To enrich the dish even more, be sure to choose the vegetables.

Afternoon snack

22. Fit do bem cake: This cake does not contain gluten, lactose or sugar. The recipe combines raisins, chestnuts, avocado, bananas, coconut and cinnamon. The result is a cake with a pleasant and fluffy texture.

23. Crepioca: Practical and quick, crepioca is a different recipe to vary the traditional tapioca. In addition, it does not require filling and is tasty served plain.

24. Pink chicken sandwich: A good option for those who feel very hungry during the afternoon, this sandwich is practical, colorful and nutritious. The reason for the chicken to turn pink is the use of beets, which are rich in antioxidants, iron, potassium and help fight cholesterol. Chicken can also be substituted for tuna.

25. Raw ham sandwich: The secret of this recipe is to put the tomatoes in the oven for a few minutes before assembling the sandwich, which also includes steppe cheese, arugula and raw ham.

26. Chicken wrap with mango: This recipe is a great option to make sure you have a fruit for your afternoon snack. The wrap combines chicken, lettuce and mango, fruit that is rich in minerals, antioxidants and various types of vitamins.

27. Tapioca dices: Simple to make, tapioca dices require few ingredients and are a great choice for serving quick snacks. To make the dish more colorful, bet on dried tomato and basil to season.

28. Ricotta pâté: The pâté is made with just ricotta, milk, salt and parsley and is ready in just a few minutes. It’s a great accompaniment to whole-grain breads and the right choice to please visitors without giving up a healthy snack.

Dinner

29. Tomatoes stuffed with Moroccan couscous: Tomatoes are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C and beta-carotene. In this recipe, you combine the tomato with the Moroccan couscous and you already guarantee the carbohydrate portion of the meal.

30. Broccoli Pie: This pie takes…