9 Things You Should Do For Nutritional Success

#1. Water!

Drink lots and lots of water. Unlike most of us might believe, water is actually one of the most essential nutrients our body needs. All our bodily functions and biochemical reactions require water, digestion, excretion, absorption of other nutrients, etc. Water acts as the building block and is the base to build your nutritional life on.

Your body has no way to store water; hence it is important to drink at least 2 liters/half a gallon of water each day. We might have all learned in our biology classes; a human body can survive weeks without food, but barely any days without water.

Important facts about the water we need to know:

#2. Nuts!

Remember how mothers have always forced us to eat almonds, cashews and walnuts? It’s not just a “boring snack” but a super product for your body. They might be small, but they’re filled with nutrients. A snack of mixed nuts can contain the following nutrients:

Apart from these nutrients, they’re loaded with antioxidants. They aid in decreasing the risk of chronic diseases. A lot of people have a misconception that nuts could contribute to weight gain. This is actually ironic because studies have proven that almonds and pistachios promote weight loss. They are high in calories, but our body does not absorb all of them; some are used to aid digestion.

#3. Vitamin D!

Vitamin D is one of the most essential vitamins that is needed to promote body growth, especially in kids and younger adults. It aids in bone growth and strengthening. Apart from that, recent studies have proven the importance of vitamin D when it comes to some diseases such as breast cancer, heart diseases, prostate cancer, and even depression.

The Vitamin D Council conducted entire research and is now promoting the importance of this vitamin as they found its importance in the treatment of diseases such as cancers, autism, autoimmune diseases, depression, and a lot more.

Due to the essentiality of this vitamin, your body produces it on its own if provided with enough sunlight. However, if your body does not get enough exposure to the sun, consult your doctor, and consider taking supplements.

#4. Veggies and Fruits!

Ah, not this again; you must be thinking. But I cannot stress enough on how important they are to maintain a healthy lifestyle. They are so many distinct types of fruits and vegetables that can have an impact on different parts of your body, making it such an all-rounded nutritional item!

Vegetables are filled with a lot of essential nutrients such as fibre, vitamins, folic acid, and potassium. They are a great option if you’re looking to lose weight as they are low in calories yet very filling and nutritious.

Fruits are again low in fat and calories yet filled with essential nutrients such as dietary fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and other vitamins. They have great benefits to the skin and protect your body against a lot of risks, sometimes even cancer.

Maintaining a diet that is filled with fruits and vegetables ensures reduced risk to a lot of health risks such as obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, stroke, and heart attacks.

#5. Protein!

One of the most critical components for our body. You could also say; The power of protein is one of the greatest. It plays a super important role in making and repairing tissues, enzymes, and other body chemicals. It’s one of the major building blocks of our body, and it’s crucial for our bones, muscle, skin, and blood.

Protein is known as a “Macronutrient” since our body requires it in large amounts. Most of your meals must contain protein for you to lead a healthy life and maintain a healthy body.

Some of the foods to include in your protein regime:

Protein is a non-negotiable element on any diet and it’s importance cannot be over-emphasized.

#6. Eggs!

This is one of the most important superfoods. Period. The benefits of egg are usually overlooked and underestimated too. Eggs are very wholesome and are super rich in nutrients such as proteins, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. There is an easy and inexpensive “complete” source of high protein. “Complete” because they are known to have all 9 amino acids in them, the ones are body will be super grateful for.

They have vitamin D, which is great for the bones. They have fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, D, and K. They contain a good amount of almost all the nutrients that are essential for your body.

There has been a lot of misconception regarding eggs, and it’s linked to heart diseases. A study conducted with 263,938 participants proved that there was no association between the two.

#7. Sugar! A big NO-NO!

Before getting into this, let’s clarify a few things. Natural sugars in a controlled amount is okay for your health and good for your soul. However, the problem arises with added sugar. Added sugar is an artificial sugar that’s used as a flavor enhancer in most of your favorite cheat meals.

Added sugar is in soda, packed fruit juices, cereals, cakes, muffins, cookies, candies, and all the predictable ones BUT it’s also in the ones that are not so predictable such as sauces, cured meats, bread, soup mixes, and other similar packed foods.

We all know excess sugar leads to immediate weight gain, which could potentially lead to obesity and diabetes. It also immensely increases your blood pressure, risk of heart diseases, and a lot of other chronic diseases.

But does this mean you can never have cakes and candies again? No, that’s not what this means. Like we’ve always said a little bit of sugar is always good for the soul but try and limit yourself to a small amount (about 36 grams as suggested by the American Heart Association).

#8. Coffee!

An unusual suggestion, right? But a healthy one. Coffee being one of the most popular beverages, is actually very healthy for your body. A lot of studies have been conducted to prove this. Research shows that coffee drinkers are exposed to a much lower risk of a lot of chronic diseases.

Some of the great benefits of coffee:

#9. Sleep!

You’ve probably heard a million times why sleep is important for a healthy lifestyle; what we don’t normally hear is its importance when it comes to its impact on the food we consume. A lot of nutrients are not consumed properly if your body does not get enough sleep. Poor sleep can also disrupt your appetite, affect your energy levels, reduce mental performance, and also increase your risk of weight gain.

Try and get at least 6-8 hours of sleep every day. Avoid long day naps if you can, as this can disrupt your sleep cycle and, therefore, your bodily functions.