When it comes to dieting, controlling what we eat is essential. However, for those of us who love food, it’s not easy to adjust our diets. Why does the world have to have so many delicious things, right? 😅 Here are five ways to adjust your diet healthily that you can start practicing right away.

How to Maintain A Healthy Diet

A healthy diet is also a lifelong companion for us. Instead of drastically adjusting our diet for immediate weight loss, we can achieve sustainable and healthy dietary control by incorporating small habits into our daily lives.

1. Drink plenty of water

Drinking plenty of water is the starting point for all diet adjustments. Water is one of the best ways to promote the body's metabolism. When the body is adequately hydrated, the excretion of waste products becomes more efficient. Additionally, drinking water continuously can help maintain a feeling of fullness, aiding in diet control. It's also important to prioritize plain water over sugary carbonated beverages or diuretic drinks like coffee and tea.

While many people believe that drinking over 2 liters of water a day is optimal, recent research suggests that the required amount of water varies depending on age, gender, and dietary habits. Taking these factors into account, the Korean Nutrition Society provided the following guidelines in 2021: [1] For men in their 30s and 40s, the recommended daily water intake is around 957ml (about 5 cups), while for women, it's about 772ml (about 3-4 cups). It's helpful to keep these recommendations in mind.

2. Control meal portions

Extreme dietary restrictions for weight loss can lead to side effects like yo-yo syndrome. Instead of drastic fasting or starvation, it’s beneficial to objectively assess your meal portions and gradually adjust them if they exceed the recommended intake. 

According to the World Health Organization(WHO), reducing daily calorie intake by about 500 calories through a low-calorie diet can result in a weight loss of about 0.5kg per week. Sustaining this over six months could lead to a loss of around 10% of your initial body weight. It’s a practical and sustainable method to shed pounds while still enjoying the foods you love.

3. Eating Slowly

Eating your food slowly and chewing it thoroughly is beneficial. Spending at least 20 minutes on a meal can aid in dieting. This is because the hormone responsible for making us feel full, called “leptin,” takes at least 20 minutes to be secreted after food enters the stomach. Therefore, if you finish your meal in less than 20 minutes, you might not feel as satisfied compared to the amount you’ve eaten, which could lead to overeating.

By eating slowly, the hormone that triggers hunger, known as “ghrelin,” decreases, while leptin, the hormone that induces feelings of fullness, increases. This helps in reducing the amount of food consumed. Why not savor the flavor of your food and eat slowly for a healthy meal?

4. Adequate Protein Intake

For a healthy and sustainable diet, incorporating high-quality protein is essential. Not only does protein provide the necessary nutrients our bodies need, but it also helps reduce appetite and prevent overeating. You may have noticed that you feel fuller quicker and for a longer duration when you eat protein compared to when you only eat vegetables or carbohydrates. 

A high-protein diet increases satiety, reduces hunger, and helps maintain energy balance. If you’re dieting or controlling your food intake, don’t forget to include healthy protein sources like chicken breast, pork shoulder, or legumes.

5. Eating Three Meals a Day

While it might seem like eating three meals a day could lead to overeating, sticking to regular meal times is actually better for healthy diet management. Irregular meal times can lead to overeating in one sitting. 

Additionally, irregular eating patterns can lower your basal metabolic rate. Our bodies may enter a sort of emergency state, waiting for food without knowing when it will come, and tend to store incoming calories as fat. Therefore, it's beneficial to prevent your body from becoming anxious by providing high-quality food at regular times.

6. Avoid Processed and Fast Food 

It goes without saying, but merely reducing the amount of food you eat and ensuring you have three meals a day loses its significance if your diet mainly consists of processed foods and fast food. Processed foods and fast food are relatively high in calories and contain a lot of sodium and sugar, which can have negative effects on your health. Therefore, it’s advisable to eliminate or gradually reduce the frequency of processed foods and fast food in your diet. 

Diet control is one of the most challenging yet effective methods when it comes to dieting. If implementing these five dietary tips all at once seems daunting, starting with one and gradually increasing can ultimately lead to the formation of healthy eating habits. 

This not only aids in dieting but also boosts self-efficacy regarding healthy eating. Now that you’ve finished reading this article, how about drinking a glass of water and slowly savoring a protein-focused meal for your next dish? 😋