Healthy Eating vs Dieting

To be honest, dieting has never been my ultimate goal in life nor have I ever aspired to be as thin as a rail!. I tried it , though, years ago, in my mid thirties. All I managed to do was go on diet for five days and eat like a horse at the weekend. Then, in my early forties, I discovered the benefits of healthy eating. In the course of time, eating healthy became a way of life, a necessity - just like gym. What's more, I  ended up hating fried meat, butter, cheeses high in fat and processed food.  I love wholegrains, grilled chicken with salads or grilled / boiled  veggies, grilled salmon with some brown rice and lots of lemon juice and, generally all sorts of grilled fish. I still love sweets but  I decided I can have one once a week. When on holday, I eat everything in moderation.  In this way, I never feel hungry or deprived of any comfort food.

Adopting healthy eating habits has significantly increased my daily levels of energy and vitality. I remember how reluctant I was to get up early in the morning and would never dream of going jogging at the beach just before sunrise. Now I don't need strong coffee to start my day, I enjoy a cup or two of green tea and a healthy breakfast consisting of wholegrain toast, some jam and low fat cheese. If  I need a snack later in the day, I usually have a small fruit yoghurt with cereals or some nuts - almonds or walnuts. The greatest benefit of all is that healthy eating has helped me maintain a healthy body weight and I never feel hungry all the time.

Do you follow a healthy eating plan? What are your favourite foods?   

Comments

[Lakis Ioannou]

Unfortunately, no I don't follow a healthy eating plan but I don't smoke, I exercise regularly, I play golf and go hunting which I hope compensate for my bad eating habits. I love red meat such as pepper steak, T-bone steak with barbecue sauce, sheftalies, souvla with baked potatoes and our traditional meat meze.

[Christina]

Not really. There are days when I have time and cook healthy and other days I'd go for a pizza or junk food. When I put on weight, I go on diet which I keep for at least a month. I have a bowl of low-fat cereals for breakfast, grilled chicken or fish with veggies for lunch and a jacket potato with no toppings or a big green salad and an egg for dinner. And it works! I can lose up to 4 kilos in a month and I don't really feel hungry because in-between meals I can have a small piece of dark chocolate or an apple or a cereal stick.

[Constantinos T]

10 years ago, I was overweight and because of that I faced some health problems. I finally decided to visit a nutritionist who gave me a relatively flexible diet which I followed strictly. In less than a year, I lost 20 kilos. Since then I've adopted a healthy eating pattern which I follow daily with only few exceptions and have kept my weight down to normal levels. Although I am not a vegetarian, I don't eat meat or poultry very often and love fresh fruit and vegetables, grilled fish and occasionally seafood but I do love moussaka, pastitsio and kokkinisto which I can have once in two months. This is, indeed, a great post!

[Stefania]

Eating healthy is the foundation of good health, so yes I follow a healthy eating plan by including lots of fruit and vegetables in my menus, by removing the visible fat from meat, by baking or grilling meat, fish or vegetables rather by frying them. I also use lots of spices to make them tasty instead of using sauces, fresh cream or butter. I use olive oil a lot. The boys now enjoy my cooking and willingly eat vegetables and legumes. But once a week, they can have a pizza or Macdonalds and a soft drink instead of water or fresh juice.

[Laura]

Making healthy food choices improves our health and lifestyle. I generally avoid saturated fat and prefer vegetables and fruit to chips and sweets but I will occasionally have fish and chips, bangers and mash and a piece of apple custard pie as a special treat.

[Kofla Olivieri]

I need to change my diet completely, too much junk food.

[Haruko N]

Traditional japanese cuisine is very healthy because it combines the staple food, which is usually steamed rice, with one or several okazu or main dishes which can be accompanied by a miso soup and some pickles. I love grilled mackerel, tofu in paper pot, sashimi - sliced raw fish - soba (japanese noodles which can be a main dish too) and generally seafood which is abundant in Japan.

[Olga P]

Προσπαθώ όσο μπορώ να κάνω διατροφή και να γυμνάζομαι, αλλά έλα που δεν μπορώ να αντισταθώ στα Θρακιωτικα λουκάνικα ή σ'ενα καλομαγειρεμένο γιαουρτλού!

[Jeff]

In my teens and college years, I was addicted to junk food and practically lived on burgers, pizza, fizzy drinks or beer and sundaes. My favorite topping was chopped nuts and whipped cream. In more recent years, I've decided to eat right, which means healthier cooking methods such as boiling, grilling or baking. Fat-free or low-fat dairy products, herbs and spices to enhance flavors. And I split large desserts with friends or family to satisfy my sweet tooth. To balance my food intake and physical activity, I try to get 30 minutes of jogging a day five days a week.

[Anastasia]

I think you should combine exercise and a healthy eating pattern.

[Anastasia]

Dieting hasn't really worked for me. But then again, it's been ages I haven't been on diet. You know what, Christina? If you decide to include healthy eating in your daily diet, you don't need to go on diet when you put on weight. Can you believe it? Since eating healthy became a lifestyle for me, I've grown to hate oily foods, junk food, creamy sauces or fried food - the exception being chips which I have once a week - but I only eat 10! Ok... and a small dessert once a week.

[walid]

Habebti.
Hello. As for day starting , with a mug of green tea or any herbal tea. For breakfast I will have oate or some labnneh cottage cheese with cucumber or tomato.

As for lunch nothing better to fill my gut with green salad before having the grill white meat .Fish filet or a boneless chicken brest, some steamed vegitable.By four o'clock I will have an apple or some vegetable as lutes or cabbage. Row without any thing eating it like a rabite.Eating vegetable is a hobby for me now.

For super we Love tabouli too much it contains every thing. I have some with or with out lutes.Some fresh vegetable soup is good ln cold nights.

Before going to bed I always have a bowl of yogurt with some olive oil added to it and banana. God Bless.

[A Twitter User]

As for me and my husband, we try to eat healthy as much as we could but sometimes, we treat ourselves to food that are really not considered "healthy" such as burgers, fries, and fried foods, but that is not on a regular basis. We cook mostly our food with olive oil and we stay away from trans-fat and processed foods. I am not a dieter...I haven't done dieting since my teenage years. I have no problem with my weight ever, but I try to eat healthy just to maintain good heart health and be free from nutrition-related ailments.

[Anastasia]

Thank you. With strong will and perseverance, it's never too late to adopt a healthy eating pattern.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone

[Anastasia]

I also use olive oil a lot and choose healthy cooking methods. But like you, Alkis and I have a special treat occasionally. It's ok in so far as it's not on a regular basis.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone

[Anastasia]

I love tabouli too and often have it for dinner. Apart from being healthy, it's delicious and filling.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone

[Anastasia]

I used to have a sweet every day after dinner. I would often binge on chocolate in-beteen meals. Now I have my favourite dessert at the weekend but , like you, I split it with friends or Alkis. I have also cut down on chocolate.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone

[Bertrand]

I think I need to consider following a healthy eating plan. I like steaks,meatballs with cream sauce and mashed potatoes, gravlax on crispy toast for starters, and Jansoon's frestelse - a potato casserole. Hugs from Sweden.

[Sophia]

I also work long hours, Anastasia, so sometimes take-away is the easy solution for dinner. I always choose healthy fast food , such as grilled chicken, chicken souvlaki, salads and seafood. When I am off work and have time to cook, I try to cook healthy although , sometimes, hubby and kids want moussaka, pastitsio or ofton kleftikon! What can I do ?

[Sophia]

Oh, by the way, my favourite dessert is tiramisu and baklava!!! What's yours?

[Anastasia]

I love herbs and spices like paprika, oregano, saffran, thyme, basil, cumin and mint. I also think that they enhance flavours and use them a lot in my cooking.

[Anastasia]

Apple custard pie is also one of my favourite desserts. I usually have a small piece at the weekend.

[Anastasia]

If I don't have time to cook, I have fast food delivered but I make healthy choices such as salads, grilled chicken and souvlaki. Kofla, I'm sure that once you decide to follow a healthy eating plan, you'll never regret it.

[Anastasia]

One reason why I love the Japanese cuisine is because it's both tasty and healthy. I love sushimi!!!

[Anastasia]

Είχα την τύχη να δοκιμάσω τα θρακιώτικα λουκάνικα και το γιαουρτλού στην Αλεξανδρούπολη και πραγματικά τα τσάκισα!

[Anastasia]

I so love gravlax, it's a very healthy option for starters. I'm glad I can find the swedish gravlax at the local supermarket.

[Anastasia]

So many!!! :-) But I mostly love apple custard pie or apple pie with vanilla ice cream, I also love baklava but the one with walnuts and honey, lava, and all sorts of fruit tarts. I think cheese cake is the only dessert I don't like!

[Jafar]

The Indian cuisine is generally very healthy and also very tasty. I love it.