The Fundamentals of a Healthy Diet

Most of us let go a little when it comes to our diet and fitness during the summer. However, there are some simple tips to ensure you maintain your healthy diet even during the summer holiday season. Here’s how.

Breakfast like a King

  • Do not skip breakfast as breakfast is a very important meal not only for providing fuel to our body and brain but also for controlling our hunger and satiety, studies find.
  • For a healthy balanced diet, breakfast needs to be less in sodium (salt, canned food), saturated fats (such as processed meat), and added sugars (especially pastries and processed cereals).
  • A balanced breakfast meal needs to include whole unprocessed foods from each of the five food groups; fruits, vegetables, dairy products, grains, and protein.


    • Portion Control

  • The amount of portions of each food group depends on the age, gender, physical activity, and the daily calorie needs of each individual.
  • A plate consists of 20 percent fruits (preferably whole fruits), 30 percent vegetables (dark green, red and orange vegetables), 25 percent grains (preferably whole grains such as whole wheat bread, brown rice, brown pasta), the remaining 25 percent for healthy cooked proteins (found in eggs, meat, fish, legumes, cheese, nuts and seeds) and aside the plate, 1 cup of fat free or low fat dairy products (milk or yogurt).

    • An example of healthy balanced breakfast

    Whole wheat Toast with white egg boiled with slices of vegetables (cucumber) and one whole fruit (apple) and one cup of a low fat dairy product (milk).

    Don’t forget to drink water

    In order to stay healthy, having a good water intake is also important. For a healthy adult, studies suggest a water intake of 3.7 liters for men and 2.7 liters for women. These fluid recommendations include water, beverages, and food. Only 20 percent of fluid is coming from food and the rest from water and beverages. Basically, the daily average of water intake for a healthy adult should be 8 glasses of water as some people require less or more than this average depending on the factors.

    (Written by: Rayan Saleh, clinical dietician at Burjeel Hospital for Advanced Surgery, Dubai)