Eating in the evening
According to the latest discoveries, eating in the evening actually does not affect our weight, it’s rather the quality and quantity of food we chose to eat that can tip the balance. In fact, if you haven't exceeded your recommended daily calorie intake and chose healthy foods throughout the day, it’s better to have a small snack in the evening if you are feeling real hunger signs, as opposed to waking up in the middle of the night with an unbearable hunger. However, we suggest you avoid eating right before bed because your digestion could disturb your sleep.
Breakfast
It’s often said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it’s true! When we eat in the morning, we are giving our body the energy it lost during the night back, and we are in better mental and physical shape during the day. So tomorrow morning, gather the family for breakfast to start the day off right!
Limit sugars
Most of us have trouble resisting sugar in all its forms, even though we know that it often contributes to our health problems. Indeed, added sugars are « empty calories » and offer us no nutritional benefits. In addition, if we eat too much of it, it brings a lot of unpleasant symptoms and several risks to our health, including the potential to develop blood sugar, weight gain, and even dental problems.
One might think wrongly that we only need to replace white sugar with honey or brown sugar, often seen as healthier alternatives, but these sugars are really no better for our health and are digested by our body in the same way as white sugar. It’s always best to choose fresh foods that naturally contain sugar like fruits when you’re craving something sweet!
Consume fibers
We know fibers are good for us, but why? Fibers are carbohydrates that aren’t digested and absorbed by our body. When they arrive intact in our intestine, they ferment with our intestinal bacteria, which offer us a multitude of benefits like good digestive health, a reduction in the risk of developing heart disease, slower absorption of carbohydrates that helps control the level of blood glucose in people with diabetes and feeling full longer, which helps control our weight. The best way to increase your fiber intake is to consume whole grains at every meal and a minimum of five servings of vegetables and fruits a day.
Reduce deli meat consumption
Deli meats are a popular choice for busy parents from sliced ham in the sandwiches to pepperoni on the pizzas. The problem is that those deli meats often contain a huge amount of salt in order to preserve and enhance their taste. Not to mention the amount of fat, which can reach up to 40 % of the total ingredients. In addition, the Global Fund against Cancer Research recommends not giving deli meats to children because of the presence of nitrites, which can increase the risk of developing cancers of the colon and stomach. Bacon is the principal culprit, causing an increased risk of developing cancer by 37 %. It goes without saying that it would be preferable to limit our consumption of deli meats and find healthier alternatives whenever possible.
