Add More Nutrition To Your Diet This World Health Day

Your food choices each day affect your health — how you feel today, tomorrow, and in the future. Good nutrition is an essential part of leading a healthy lifestyle.

Combined with physical activity, your diet can help you to reach and maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk of chronic diseases, and promote your overall health. With World Health Day, it's the perfect time to re-focus on those nutrition goals we may have let fall away.

Feel a little overwhelmed by the idea of adding "nutrition" to your diet? You're not alone. We're here to help guide you with five easy steps to make that goal more achievable.

Eat more plant-based foods

You don't have to cut out animal products from your diet to be healthy, but the Indian Dietary Guidelines suggest eating a variety of foods to ensure a balanced diet, and eat plenty of plant-based foods like vegetables and fruits.

Incorporating plant-based foods to meals is an easy way to add essential nutrients and vitamins to your diet! This includes eating walnuts, increasing your intake of omega-3 ALA (2.5g per 28g).

Blend veggies and walnuts into your sandwiches, poha, upma, parathas, chutneys, sauces and dips, or swap half the meat in dishes with beans or walnuts to give them a healthy makeover.

Drink more water

Drinking at least eight glasses a day can help curb your cravings and help you from confusing thirst with hunger. Not to mention, staying hydrated is important, especially for those who are active.

Make your snacks count

Don't count your snacks—make your snacks count. Almost everyone snacks daily, and many do so to satisfy cravings, but most aren't meeting nutritional needs. Make sure your snacks offer a combination of protein, fiber and good fats.

A handful of walnuts, seasoned to your liking is an excellent snack that can hold you over until your next meal.

This is a great way to meet a craving for sweet or savoury with a satisfying crunch! You can even make a simple trail mix with walnuts and other nutrient-rich ingredients to really stack your snacks.

Make mealtime an occasion

Spending longer periods of time at home may now offer the possibility to enjoy regular meals with your family. But don't stop to enjoy these simple pleasures when you move through life quickly.

Things like sitting down to eat a meal can be good for you both mentally and physically, as it encourages you to eat more slowly, allowing your body to process and digest food more appropriately.

Physical benefits aside, this can also provide the mental benefit of taking a break and unplugging from what's happening around, while enjoying a meal and time with loved ones.

Add just a handful of walnuts to supercharge your meals and enjoy that healthy nutrition with your dear ones.

Understand nutrition labels

While eating whole, unprocessed foods as often as possible is great, it's not always realistic. Always pay attention to the ingredient lists on packaged products, and look out for things like saturated fats, sodium, and added sugars.

To avoid being in the situation of not knowing what you're going to grab and making bad choices, plan ahead by meal prepping your own snacks to fit in with your diet and nutrition goals.

For simple snacks, you can make in bulk+, whip up a batch of homemade energy bars or ladoos with walnuts, so you always have something on hand whenever hunger strikes.

There's not just one simple way to elevate your nutrition levels for healthy living, but there are a lot of steps you can take to work towards a more nutritious lifestyle.

Setting a goal of what you want to achieve and prioritizing a nutritious diet as a way of life are wonderful ways to start!

So, this World Health Day, let's try to get back to our health resolutions with the added goodness of California walnuts and make everyday count!

(The writer is a celebrity nutritionist and founder of nmami life)