Food serves as a source of energy necessary for the smooth functioning of the human body. That is why nutritionists recommend paying attention to what you eat. It is important that breakfast, lunch, dinner are complete and balanced. After reading this article, you will learn about the main aspects of proper nutrition.
Basic principles
Those who want to understand how much to eat once a day should remember that when compiling an individual menu, it is advisable to take into account the physiological characteristics of their body. It is important that the food fully meets your needs for carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals. For example, those whose activities are associated with hard physical labor are recommended to consume more meat, and those who work in the office are shown products with a high glucose content.
One of the key roles in this case is played by the method of preparation of certain products. So, fried legs are much more harmful than boiled or baked. You should also pay attention to the temperature of the food consumed. Experts advise to exclude from the daily menu too cold and too hot dishes. Otherwise, the breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack you eat may cause heartburn or stomach pain. Ideally, the temperature of the food served at the table should be about 38 degrees.
Among other things, it is important to consider the serving size. According to most leading nutritionists, you need to eat a little, but often. Do not stretch your own stomach, sending the first, second and third at the same time. Thinking through the menu, we should not forget about the recommended daily calorie intake.
What should be the best breakfast?
Those who are trying to figure out how much to eat once a day should remember that the most high-calorie meals should be consumed in the morning. At this meal, you need to eat about 30% of the total daily average recommended norm of kilocalories. For a completely healthy person, this figure is about 3000 kcal per day.
The first breakfast, which takes place at 7-8 o’clock in the morning, will have time to fully absorb and process into energy. If you neglect the morning meal in favor of a cup of coffee and a sandwich, then literally in half an hour you will again feel hunger.
You can have breakfast with carbohydrate food. Omelets, scrambled eggs with bacon, cereals, cheeses and bakery products are perfectly suited for this. But it is advisable to refuse semi-finished products, sausages and sausages, since they contain a large number of flavorings, stabilizers and dyes that negatively affect our health.
What foods are suitable for lunch?
Usually, by 11 o’clock in the afternoon, a healthy person will again feel hungry. This means that it is time to eat a second breakfast consisting of low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese. These products are considered excellent sources of potassium, magnesium and other trace elements necessary for the normal functioning of our body.
To get the most benefit, you should give preference to natural products. You can also eat fruit for lunch. At the same time, it is important that they are local and not brought from another country. Most imported products contain practically no useful substances, and their taste is very different from domestic counterparts.
What can I eat during the lunch break?
Around 13-14 hours of the day, you must definitely eat some liquid dish. It can be an ear, borsch, chicken or vegetable soup. Such food will not only satisfy your hunger, but also will not allow you to overeat.
If necessary, the soup can be replaced with a small portion of baked or boiled meat. Garnish is great for foods that contain enough starch. It can be potatoes, beans, rice or pasta.
Those who want to know how much to eat once a day, it is important to remember that after hot dishes you can not drink any cold drinks. Such temperature changes often cause a slowdown in digestive processes.
What foods can I eat for an afternoon snack?
About 16 hours, a healthy body again needs to replenish energy reserves. At this time, it is important not to overeat, so as not to shift dinner time and avoid an unpleasant feeling of heaviness in the stomach. For an afternoon snack, you should choose light and quickly digestible dishes, such as mousse, chocolate, fruit and vegetable salads. Nutritionists do not recommend eating cupcakes, pizza, rolls, cookies and other pastries at this time.
What to choose for dinner?
Those who already understand how much to eat once a day should remember that light meals should be consumed during the evening meal. Ideally, dining is recommended no later than four hours before bedtime.
You can eat raw or stewed vegetables during this meal. But meat with fried potatoes or legumes are not considered the best option for dinner. Also in the evening it is allowed to eat low-fat fish or boiled white meat. Before going to bed, a glass of warm milk or kefir is allowed.
Nutrition by age
All nutritionists agree that, at different periods of life, a person needs a different amount of food. So, a newborn baby eats exclusively breast milk. At the same time, he asks for food every three to four hours, therefore, the baby eats six to eight times a day.
As the child grows older, the interval between feedings also increases. In addition, the baby's diet becomes more diverse, new, previously unfamiliar products appear in it. A one-year-old toddler usually eats four to five times a day.
In adolescence, when there is an active growth of the body, nutritionists are advised to transfer the child to 3 meals a day. During this period, your heir needs a full breakfast, lunch and dinner. Between these meals you can have light but nutritious snacks.
Most adults eat just like teens three times a day. But they are not so active, so they need fewer kilocalories. If a thirteen-year-old boy should consume about 3200 kcal per day, then in an adult this figure drops to 3000.
Summer food
It's no secret that in the hot season you need to adjust your diet. It is advisable to exclude salty, smoked, fried and fatty dishes from the daily menu. Best suited for summer: cottage cheese, milk porridge, stew, vegetable salads, okroshka and chicken meat. As a dessert, you can eat fruit ice, various mousses and ice cream. For breakfast, it is advisable to eat porridge rich in all nutrients and slow carbohydrates. It can be sweet (with honey or fruit) or salty (with cheese or nuts). It is also recommended to supplement the morning meal with fermented milk products.
For lunch, you can eat vegetable soup with sorrel, parsley or spinach. Do not forget about meat and fish. However, in the summer you need to be very careful about the choice of these products and be sure to subject them to heat treatment. It is advisable to boil fish, meat, stew, steam or bake in the oven.
In the evening you can eat some light low-fat dish. Fruits and berries are not recommended for dinner, as they can cause fermentation and abdominal discomfort.
To quench your thirst in the summer heat, it is recommended to drink fruit drinks, juices and fruit drinks. A lack of fluid can cause blood clotting, headache, weakness, and general well-being. Therefore, on hot days it is important to observe the drinking regime.
In the summer months, do not abuse lemonades, sodas and packaged juices, since they contain a large amount of sugar and other substances with a diuretic effect. A good way to quench your thirst is chilled green tea, as well as a decoction of wild rose or peppermint.