Do you have a good diet?  Many people think that they have reasonably good diets and that they eat well… however how does your daily diet actually make you feel from the inside out?

One of the first steps to having a well balanced diet is the education.  What you may think is a good diet, will be different from what someones thinks is a good diet.  I’m passionate about diet education. When I say diet I am not talking about the type of ‘DIET’ you engage in to loose weight. I’m talking about your daily diet… the diet your incorporate into your daily lifestyle.  After all I believe that weight loss Diets Die! Let’s make a change to your daily diet lifestyle that you use for the rest of your life.

One of the biggest hurdles I see people encounter is knowing what food is important for maintaining good health and knowing where they can be sourced.  In this post I’m going to teach you the 4 Main Principles for a Good Diet.  By simply implementing these into your daily diet you will already be on your way to being a happier, healthier you.  Let’s get started!

– Variety

– Wholesomeness

– Unprocessed Foods

– Individuality

1. Variety

The importance of having a diet wide in variety cannot be encouraged enough. Variety is important for a number of reasons, a major one being that when you exclude important food groups you can increase your risks of chronic disease and mortality.  Each and everyday the food that you prepare for yourself should be selected from a wide variety of food groups, all while keeping in mind the recommended amounts of each individual group.  Applying a variety into your daily diet provides your body with all the essentials for good health.  Personally I thrive on variety, I love to add colour to my plate by mixing up my vegetables, using different forms of meat while garnishing with herbs, spices, nuts and seeds.  When it comes to fruit for example it’s important to mix it up as like in all foods each different type of fruit contains different essential nutrients. Strawberries are rich in vitamin C, while bananas are rich in a number of B group vitamins – it’s important to remember that having a variety of foods daily not only provides us with different nutrients, it keeps us healthy too!

2. Wholesomeness

A well balanced diet should rely primarily on food that not only remains as close to its original state as possible but is also wholesome.  When we talk about food being ‘wholesome’ it generally refers to a variety of foods that are made from whole ingredients.  In saying that wholesome foods are those that contain no added preservatives, colours or flavours – thus remaining as close to it’s natural, original state as possible.  Not only will your body thrive because your providing it natural wholesome food  but it will also thank you from the inside out for not giving it unnatural substances.

3. Unprocessed Foods

This principle is generally the hardest of the four to implement due to the fast and demanding lifestyles that we live day in and day out.  Processed foods, are not only convenient, quick and easy, but we must remember that they also generally contain many additives like preservatives, colours, flavours and more. Ideally a well balanced diet should not reply heavily on processed foods such as tinned and frozen foods, pre-prepared food, fast food and reheated foods generally contain food additives to help them stay eatable for longer.  Remember Natural is Nutritional!

4. Individual

To coincide with the above 3 main principles it is essential to remember that we are all individual.  This brings me to the 4th principle – Individuality.  If I’ve learnt anything on my journey to wellness it is that we are all individual.  What may suit your body needs and requirements will be different from mine, your parents, a partners and your friends for a number of different reasons.  Genetics, environment, social, psychological and lifestyle factors like exercise all come into play when selecting what foods best suit each body type.  Not only will the quantity of food differ from plate to plate but also the importance of different types of nutrients is something to take into consideration. So when it comes time to sharing meals with others such as a partner, housemate or family members keep in mind of the size of your plate but what is also on it.

Recapping … Opening your plate up to the largest possible range of foods not only ensures that you are treating your body to the best, as it only deserves.  But your also providing yourself with the largest possible range of nutrients too.  Food matters!

Top Tips for a Balanced Diet:

1. Keep it Colourful

2. Keep it Fresh

3. Keep it Fun

4. And…. Keep it well proportioned! 

How does your Diet balance up with the 4 principles?  I’d love to hear from you  – share your comments with me below.

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