Healthy living habits
1. Stay at the ideal weight.
We must all know what our ideal weight is, and try to stay as close to that weight. To do this, we must take into account our body mass index (BMI) and try not to deviate too much from ours from the optimal index that corresponds to each of us.
The Body Mass Index is used to define the person's weight status, and is calculated from the formula: weight (kg) / height (m) 2. A BMI between 25 and 30 is considered overweight, and obesity when the BMI is equal to or greater than 30. Ex: A person who weighs 90 kg and measures 1.80 will have a BMI of 27.7 and another who weighs 70 kg and measures 1.80 will have a BMI of 21.6.
We must try to strike a balance between the calories we drink and those we spend. If we consume more calories than we need, we will gain weight and being overweight is not good for your health.
2. Olive oil as main fat
Olive oil, a basic constituent of the Mediterranean diet, must continue to be the fundamental culinary fat of the diet, since in addition to providing us with mainly monounsaturated fat, it provides us with vitamins and antioxidants that prevent the development of cardiovascular disease.
3. Skimmed dairy
Skimmed dairy products are healthy because they provide proteins of high biological value and minerals such as calcium, avoiding saturated fats and cholesterol in whole milk.
4. Avoid saturated fat
Industrial pastries, potato chips, goodies, sausages in general (except turkey, chicken and some low-fat variants), fast food whole dairy products and their derivatives are foods that contain saturated fat in large quantities. Saturated fats are the factor of the diet that most increases blood cholesterol, so this type of food should be avoided or taken exceptionally.
5. Eat more fruits, vegetables and vegetables
The nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants present in fruits and vegetables, especially raw, help protect us against numerous diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer. They also contain very few calories and being vegetable products lack cholesterol.
Introduce the salad as the main garnish for meals, put a piece of fruit at lunch and desserts, are some measures that we can take to get to the 5 recommended servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
6. Eat more whole grains and legumes
Whole grains contain more fiber than refined cereals and also provide more vitamins and minerals. Legumes are also very rich in vitamins and minerals, complex carbohydrates and fiber. This fiber "traps" part of the cholesterol we eat through the diet, thus preventing its absorption in the intestine. In addition, if we combine cereals (bread, rice, pasta ...) with legumes (chickpeas, lentils, beans, peas ...) we will obtain proteins of excellent biological value.
7. Best poultry and fish
We must try to consume a greater proportion of poultry, rabbit and fish both white and blue, since these foods have a lower content of saturated fats and cholesterol if we compare them with red meat and sausages. In addition, blue fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which favor the child's brain development and decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood.
8. Up to 3-4 whole eggs per week
Contrary to what has always been thought, the consumption of eggs is not linked to a significant increase in blood cholesterol. The egg white does not contain cholesterol so there are no limitations on its consumption. As for the yolk, although it is true that it has cholesterol, its content in monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids such as omega-3 beneficial to health, far exceeds that of saturated fat. They also provide proteins of excellent biological value, minerals such as iron and many vitamins, in addition, they are cheap foods and admit many ways to cook them.
9. Avoid excessive consumption of salt and sugar.
We must know what foods and beverages contain hidden salt or sugar, helping us with nutritional labeling. Excess salt or sodium, as well as excess refined sugar, is not healthy.
10. Perform physical exercise every day.
Physical activity benefits our physical and mental health. We must not forget that performing 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a day will not only cause us to spend calories, but it will also help us prevent cardiovascular disease.
Finally, we must remember that tobacco consumption decreases life expectancy and predisposes to chronic diseases (cardiovascular, pulmonary and cancer). Therefore, we recommend that you DO NOT SMOKE.
