Food for Achieving and Maintaining a Healthy BMI
You’ve probably heard of body mass index at a certain point in your life. BMI values refer to a person’s weight divided by their height. While these metrics aren’t indicative of the state of your organism, high BMI findings suggest increased body fatness, which can be a cause of several chronic ailments such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
Luckily, nowadays, it’s fairly easy to use smart scales for BMI tracking. Basically, once you’ve established a workout routine, you’ll be able to see the changes straight away, thanks to a helpful gadget called the Eros Smart Body Scale.
However, exercise isn’t the only way to maintain a good BMI. A healthy diet is also essential if you want to lead a balanced lifestyle. After all, it’s a well-known fact that fiber- and protein-rich foods benefit our health. In the following sections, we’ll discuss the top nutrients that can help you achieve an optimal body mass index.
Protein Rich Foods
Many studies have found that protein plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy weight thanks to its metabolism-boosting properties. Moreover, it also affects the so-called hunger hormones and boosts satiety hormones, decreasing our appetite as a result. In fact, some high-protein foods can even lead to an increase in burned calories — up to 100 daily.
Over time, you’ll probably notice that you're eating less and having fewer cravings. If you don't see any results right away, you can always use a body mass tracker like the Eros Scale to check for any changes. Of course, you need to be moderate with your protein intake.
The DRI for this food group is 46g for women and 56g for men. We know how hard it can be to weigh your portions down to the gram, which is why it’s useful to use a food scale for more accurate measurements.
Having a protein-rich diet is simple; just increase your intake of the following foods:
Meal Ideas
It’s winter, so it’s the perfect time to prepare a hearty stew. All you need is some smokey sausages, green lentils, and vegetables (carrots, celery, and onions). Once you saute the veggies, you can add the sausage and the lentils. After that, pour some cooking liquid and let it simmer while stirring occasionally.
Fiber-Rich Foods
Maintaining a healthy weight is necessary to prevent serious medical conditions, but we all know how strenuous the journey can be. We can count calories, consult our BMI fit track scale, cut back on sugar, and try out fad diets, all in vain. However, a recent study has shown that eating up to 30g of fiber daily can help you lose weight. Fiber or carbohydrates are foods that our stomach cannot digest and can be classified as insoluble and soluble. Those looking to shed pounds will be interested in the latter group.
This may qualify as a TMI topic, but your gut is home to approximately 100 trillion bacteria. Together, they make up your gut microbiome. Like us, bacteria need nutrients to stay healthy, and this is where soluble fiber proves useful. As it is nondigestible, it is able to reach our digestive tract and those microorganisms that can metabolize it and even turn it into usable energy.
What does that have to do with weight loss and BMI tracking, you may wonder? Well, fiber is known for reducing appetite. The more viscous it is, the less hunger you’ll feel.
Here are some foods that are very rich in fiber:
- Oats
- Flaxseeds
- Asparagus
- Brussels sprouts
Meal Ideas
We’ve covered lunch in the first section; now, let's focus on the most important meal of the day — breakfast. Oatmeal is very versatile and easy to prepare — but most importantly, it has lots of fiber. You’ll need rolled oats, flaxseed, cinnamon, blueberries, and bananas. Boil two cups of water, add two cups of rolled oats, and turn the heat to low. In your bowl, mash the bananas and add flaxseed and blueberries. Pour your oatmeal on top, mix in the cinnamon, and voila!
Healthy Fats
People usually dread foods that are high in fats. But not all of them are the same; full-fat foods can have more benefits than their low-fat counterparts, as they’re less processed and have lower sugar and carbs levels. There’s no need to be afraid of them — our bodies need fats to function properly. Be picky with the ingredients you consume, and you’ll see optimal values on your BMI weight tracker.
As we’ve said, the key to maintaining a healthy BMI is incorporating the right kind of fat into your diet. This includes monounsaturated fats, which will increase good cholesterol levels, and polyunsaturated fats, which promote brain and heart health.
Here are the foods you’ll want to include in your meal plans:
- Nuts
- Avocado
- Salmon
- Eggs
- Cheese and full-fat yogurt
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Dark chocolate
Toast with egg and avocado
Meal Ideas
Everyone and their dog knows how healthy avocado is, and avocado toast is probably one of the easiest meals you can make. Unsurprisingly, the key to a delicious toast is quality bread (multigrain or whole wheat). Then, you’ll need to find an avocado that’s perfectly ripe and mash it. Add some pepper and salt to taste and chili flakes and/or garlic powder. Put your avocado paste onto your toast and top it with a fried or poached egg for some extra flavor.
Low-Calorie and Nutrient-Dense Foods
Our final group for today is what most people identify with healthy eating. It consists of foods that aren’t calorie-dense, which means your portions will be larger, and you’ll be able to have bigger meals and feel full. For instance, food that contains lots of water will provide the volume but not the extra calories.
Fruits and vegetables are foods that are very low in calories but high in volume and weight. What’s more, they are also packed with vitamins and nutrients that can have a positive impact on our overall health.
Meal Ideas
What better way to wrap things up than with a cherry on top — or in our case, a fruit salad? You’ll need two oranges, two cups of fresh strawberries, two cups of blueberries, one cup of raspberries, three kiwis, and two pears. Once you’ve washed and cleaned your fruits, cut them into bite-sized pieces. Toss them all together and garnish the salad with a mint leaf.
Final Thoughts
Having a well-balanced diet is a crucial step toward meeting your ideal BMI. Of course, the whole process will be much easier now that you know which food groups to use. You can also rely on INEVIFIT’s Eros Smart Body Fat Scale to check your metrics regularly and achieve your weight goals even faster. As long as you’re moderate in your food intake and persistent in your workouts, you’re bound to succeed!
Read Next: FULL-BODY STRENGTH TRAINING: EXERCISES TO SCULPT A LEAN PHYSIQUE
