Starting a new school, changing jobs, or even a shift in seasons can all affect your eating habits. However, no matter how your environment changes, as long as you steadfastly stick to these 15 small habits, good health will never be far away.
1. Take a multivitamin after breakfast. Studies have shown that taking a suitable multivitamin supplement is greatly beneficial to your health. So why take it after breakfast? Firstly, it can provide your body with the nutrients it needs for the day, giving you energy for work and study. Secondly, it prevents overburdening your kidneys.
2. Drink two glasses of water before each meal. This will keep your body well-hydrated and help control your food intake. A Dutch study showed that drinking two glasses of water before a meal can reduce hunger and food intake, thus aiding in weight loss.
3. Add coffee to milk, not milk to coffee. The first thing to do in the morning is to fill a glass with skim milk. Drink one-fifth of it, then fill the rest with coffee. This way, you can get 25% of your daily vitamin D and 30% of your calcium.
4. Drink a large glass of water after eating fast food. Fast food is often excessively high in calories and salt. While we can't do much about the fat we've consumed, a large glass of water can help dilute the sodium concentration in your body, keeping you further from high blood pressure.
5. Don't pass up any opportunity to eat onions. Many people carefully pick onions out of their food, trying to avoid them at all costs. This is a big mistake. Onions contain a large amount of heart-protecting flavonoids, so eating onions should be our responsibility. Especially when eating less healthy foods like grilled meat, the onions inside can be your "lifesaver."
6. If possible, brew black tea with cold water. A recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that a cup of black tea contains more antioxidants than green vegetables or carrots, effectively helping you resist wrinkles or cancer. Cold water allows the beneficial substances in the tea to seep out slowly without being destroyed; all you have to do is wait a bit longer.
7. Have a snack at 3 p.m. sharp. Maybe oversleeping can be an excuse for skipping breakfast, but you can't use any excuse to skip the 3 p.m. snack. Supplementing nutrients between lunch and dinner can help you get through the most tiring part of the day. Yogurt, fruit, and cookies are all good choices.
8. Eat oranges with the "white threads" on. Many people peel off the "white threads" on oranges when eating them. In fact, these threads are rich in flavonoids, which are very beneficial to your health. The slightly bitter yet sweet taste is actually quite pleasant when savored carefully.
9. Set a daily water intake goal. A busy workday might make you realize you haven't had any water all morning only when your mouth is dry. Keep a 1.5-liter bottle on your desk, pour the water you need to drink for the day into it, and make a rule for yourself to finish it before you can leave work.
10. Can't decide which fruit to buy? Choose the darker one. Although fruits come in all shapes and colors, when it comes to health, darker fruits are definitely superior because they contain more antioxidants. When you're wavering, choosing dark fruits like plums or black plums is a safe bet.
11. Rinse meat chunks with hot water. Lay a thick layer of paper towel on the cut meat to absorb the fat. If you want to get it cleaner, you can place the meat chunks in a strainer and rinse them with hot water. This method can remove about half of the fat.
12. Change mixed salads to dipping salads. It's not just grilled meat that's high in calories; sauces can also add a lot of calories to an otherwise healthy salad. So, put the prepared sauce in a small bowl and dip the cut vegetables in it. This way, you'll only need one-sixth of the original amount of sauce.
13. Some "vegetarian" dishes should be eaten "with meat." Eating too much oil is not good, but not eating any at all is even worse. Pumpkin and carrots contain a large amount of beta-carotene, so they shouldn't be eaten too blandly. You can stir-fry them with oil or make a cold salad. If the pumpkin is used in congee, make sure other dishes in the meal contain oil so they can "meet up" in your digestive system.
14. Be extra vigilant about fat at dinner. Some people avoid fatty foods at breakfast and lunch, thinking it's okay to eat more of them at dinner. This idea is wrong. Studies have shown that within a few hours of consuming 50-80 grams of fat in a meal, blood vessel elasticity decreases, and blood clotting factors rise sharply. So, even if you've eaten very lightly during the day, don't try to compensate yourself at night.
15. Eat high-fiber foods before bed. Dr. Judith Wurtman of MIT says: "Eating a low-calorie, carbohydrate-rich snack half an hour before bed can help with sleep." Eating cereal is the simplest way to supplement fiber, and most people only get half of their daily fiber requirement (25-35 grams). Therefore, it's recommended to take this opportunity to supplement your fiber intake right before bed.