What to eat, what not to eat. What to eat to stay healthy, what to eat to stay fit. What to, what to, what to… if questions like these and more are swirling through your head and you need a plan, then reading through this article will really help you out.
God, I used to hate the word diet. It drew mental images of boiled cabbages and sad looking strands of carrots for me. But then I got to the point where I realized that the word diet does not equate to starvation. It does not mean that there is any sort of denying yourself or putting yourself through torture for the sake of food. Quite the contrary, actually. Diet simply refers to the food that you eat. And since the food that you eat and the way in which you eat it has a direct effect on you, it becomes important to know what you’re consuming and what it is doing to you.
Getting to the part about teenage girls―it really helps if one knows what one is eating and the effects of the same at an early age. This is so that it can help them understand the basics of good diet plans and then take them forth throughout their lives. In this following article, we will be taking you through the basics of planning healthy diet plans for teen girls and how to make them successful.
Nothing is Taboo
The first thing that you need to discard from your mind is the taboo that you view food as. Nothing is taboo if you go by the proper rules to follow. Every single natural food item is necessary for humans because it provides for certain key nutrients. Simple and straight. These nutrients are necessary for our growth and well-being. So don’t decide for yourself that you’ll boycott a particular food item from your diet. Instead, understand what should be eaten and why (We’ll go into more details on this one in the following paragraphs).
Think Nutrition, Not Calories
Another mental block that you need to get rid of when planning a diet? Counting calories. You need a set amount of calories to survive everyday and if you don’t provide your body with those, it can cause deficiencies and health risks. Consult a doctor to know what the required calorie intake is for you and then make sure that you are getting those in. Do not compromise on them.
Portion is Key
So just because you don’t count calories, does not mean you do not know what you’re putting into your body. The portions have to be small. Remember this simple rule―our digestive systems can only digest a particular amount of food in every function. How much is that food? Approximately about the size of two fists together. Make sure that your portions are small. How to do this? Eat in smaller plates. It gives an effect of eating more while not actually doing that.
6 Small Meals
So when you have smaller portions, you’ll feel hungry sooner, right? Good. Eat when you’re hungry, but in small portions. Every time in small portions. Focus on eating 5-6 small meals per day rather than 3 huge ones. This will ensure that the food is digested every single time and there is no pressure put on the digestive system.
When to Eat What
Here’s how you plan your day of eating:
- Wake up to a glass of warm water and consume even before you’ve brushed your teeth. The bacteria in the mouth is good for digestion.
- Eat a fruit. Not tea, not coffee―a fruit. This will kick start your metabolism. Tea and coffee suppress the digestive acids in the stomach and then you end up hogging on useless things later.
- Wait for half an hour before having your breakfast (a must!) Never, ever skip your breakfast because the body will then get a signal to start storing fat for later.
- Have a heavy breakfast that contains carbs, dairy, and muesli.
- After two hours, have a small snack like raisins or a glass of milk.
- For lunch, concentrate on filing your system with nutrients from all basic food groups. Lunch should be lighter than breakfast.
- Have a snack after two hours again. Something like tender coconut water.
- Dinner should be the lightest. Have grilled and steamed chicken and fish instead of frying them.
- Wait for at least two hours before bedtime so that the food is digested well.
What to Avoid and Why
Avoid eating sugary stuff, refined, processed, and bakery products. These get stored in the body as layers of fat and lead to health problems. If one has to indulge once in a while then it should be done early in the morning or immediately after an exercise session. And limit the intake to once a week only.
Water
Do not forget the importance of water when it comes to diet plans. Water helps to keep the body hydrated, aids in digestion, controls body heat, keeps the bowel movements active, and most importantly, flushes out all the toxins from the body. Without this factor, no diet plan is complete. Sipping on warm water throughout the day not only helps one lose weight but also helps to keep a person healthy and fit.
Health Supplements
Consult a doctor to find out the kind of health supplements you need. As a teenage girl, there has to be proper attention paid to what your body needs.
One cannot, and definitely should not forget the importance of exercising and following a colon cleansing routine when it comes to following a proper diet. These are prerequisites to maintaining great health, a great body, and thereby a great mind. And that’s all there is to it, really. Simple and effective.
