Guide to healthy eating.

What is the right food to eat? Depends on who we ask. Everyone I ask has a completely different idea about what constitutes healthy eating.

There is information overload about healthy eating. Too many options for diets, nutrition, and lifestyle.

Organic, keto, vegan, traditional, Mediterranean, and the list continues endlessly with new diets getting added every day. They are sometimes confusing and often contradictory. I was looking for a simple version that fits everyone's lifestyle and dietary preferences?

I tried to compile all the wisdom I gleaned from various sources into useful practical guidelines. I am a vegetarian but my family is not. This still works for all.

Foods to avoid completely or to be consumed in extreme moderation

1. Sugary drinks.

2. Any Junkfood that's not homemade or at least handmade. Chips, cookies, fries, and desserts. ( This will not work for those who are very good home cooks who can make and bake anything. Fortunately, I don't have that problem)

3. Any food (other than salads of course) that doesn't need to be cooked. ( No, microwaving pizza is not cooking )

4. Any fresh food from supermarkets that takes more than a week to rot. Have you seen how long it takes for some supermarket apples to spoil? Forever! Try this fun experiment with your kids.

5. Anything from the supermarket aisles with an ingredient list that expects me to be a chemistry graduate.

Consume more :

1. Plant-based foods.

2. Vegetable Juices.

3. Produce bought from local farms.

4. Fruits and vegetables that are seasonal and local.

5. Traditional foods of my grandparents.

6. Colorful fruits and vegetables

7. Green leafy vegetables, preferably every day and with every meal.

8. Cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and cabbage.

9. Fermented foods like Kefir, kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut and yogurt. Preferably homemade and closer to my culture and tradition. If my grandmother makes a fermented pickle, it trumps Kimchi from Korea and Sauerkraut from Germany.

10. Grassfed and farm-grown organic meat and animal products. If you eat meat or drink milk then it matters what your animal ate and how it lived. Not just for animal welfare but also for your health. It's worth the extra price tag.

Consume less :

1. Sweets and desserts.

2. Fruit juices. Even if freshly squeezed and organic.

3. Meat and other animal products.

4. Alcohol.

5. Refined everything. Flour, oats, sugar, etc.

6. Processed food.

7. Grains and ingredients that are alien to my culture or region even if it's the current superfood fad.

8. Restaurant food.

Lifestyle changes that are essential complements to healthy eating:

1. A good sleep of a minimum of 7 hours in the nighttime.

2. Moderate physical activity, enough to make me feel out of breath, at least every other day.

3. Eating without distraction.

4. Lesser quantity of food and longer meal duration.

5. Time-restricted eating, same or similar timings for meals, including weekends. Preferably an eating window not longer than a 10-hours.

Practices that are hard but beneficial when adopted:

1. Growing edible plants, herbs, etc

2. Shopping in farmers' markets as often as possible.

3. Fresh produce shopping as frequently as possible instead of once a week.

4. Eating only freshly cooked food within a few hours of preparation and not eating too much refrigerated and reheated food, whenever possible.

5. Plating the food with 50 % vegetables, 25% proteins, and 25% carbohydrates with a bit of healthy fat.

I try to follow the above guidelines whenever and as much as possible, but I have also learned it's best not to obsess too much over what to eat. This is like a mental model whenever I need a bit of assistance.

I don't let these guidelines rule everything I do. But when it is in the back of my mind, I find myself making better food decisions whether it's while shopping or deciding what to cook or even how to spend my weekend.

I also don't rely on my weighing scale to tell me the state of my health. I Let my sleep quality and energy levels determine how well I am doing.

I do regular blood work (once a year ) and health check-ups to know where to make improvements with the help of food.

Stress is unavoidable, but is manageable with good mindfulness practices, whether it's meditation or time with the pets, family, and friends.

I take nutritional supplements appropriately after consulting my doctor. I try to do that only if I am unable to improve it with the right food. In my case, it is Vitamin D and Omega 3.

But the most important rule is that it is ok to 'Break the rules sometimes'. I just try not to do it frequently, then it becomes a new habit.

Let me know if this guide simplified or complicated healthy eating for you :).

Disclaimer: I am not a health care professional or nutrition expert. This is simply the list I made to simplify my choices, for my personal use. It has worked well for me. But you can come up with your own rules and guidelines to follow depending on your health, financial

and dietary requirements.