Healthy Diet for Healthy Living

Optimum food intake is essential for good health. You said that you do not have a proper diet, is this due to time constrains or due to low appetite or due to dislike/disinterest in food? Your rapid weight loss is probably due to your poor eating habits so once you start following a regular diet you will start to put on weight. After following a healthy diet, if you do not notice a significant weight change, visit a doctor as it is possible that you may have a more serious health issue. I have mentioned a few general guidelines below to gain weight in a healthy way.

Healthy Eating and Nutrition with Guidelines for Weight Gain

Focus on whole cereals grains and its products; make it the basis of your diet. Avoid any refined or processed foods as the refining process strips most of the minerals and nutrients from that particular food.

Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in the form of raw fruits, salads, cooked vegetables, fruit juices, vegetable juices and fruit milkshakes. But the important point here to remember is variety as no one food will provide all the nutrients.

Breakfast is a very important meal of the day. It takes very little time to eat your daily breakfast, so don’t skip this meal. Breakfast really breaks your fast for 10 hours while you are sleeping at night, so have a substantial breakfast. For example, you can have a cup of iron-fortified cereal along with a tall glass of orange juice and an egg or a cup of milk or whole wheat bread with butter or jam along with a handful of mixed nuts.

You can get your proteins from milk and milk products, soy milk and other soy products, pulses, legumes, beans and sprouts, and eggs. As you are a vegetarian I have not suggested any non-vegetarian protein sources, but I assume you eat egg. If you want to increase your protein intake further, you can do so by modifying your cooking methods. For example use milk powder in your soups, vegetables or mix it along with other cereals; mix soy flour with your cereal flours which you use to bake bread; mix soy chunks in your vegetables or soups; or use nuts in your thick shakes or vegetable gravies.

Preferably avoid eating heavy meals, divide your meals throughout the day. Your main meals should be balanced comprising of all the food groups. A cereal along with pulse serving, yoghurt, vegetable and sprouts.

Be physically active and avoid taking any kind of stress. Check with a dietician or a specialist to rule out common eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia.