5 habits that will make pasta and carbohydrates a healthy complement to your diet

Your diet doesn’t have to be strict or boring, instead you should enjoy delicious and healthy food.

At one point, a nutritionist  found herself constantly watching her feed and opening the fitness app on her phone more than Instagram.  After suffering from an eating disorder at just 17 years old, she began working as a model for an e-commerce giant and was criticized by her agency for her appearance on camera.

When she turned to the Internet looking for ways to lose weight she didn’t really need to lose, she came across “a whole host of nutrition-focused content that was really wrapped up in diet culture ”.

Now, perhaps better known as , the nutritionist, she has 1.3 million followers on Instagram and counting. With a year of therapy behind her, she has long left behind the days when she avoided eating her mother’s home-cooked food for fear of gaining weight.

“My mission in life is to show people that you don’t have to give up good food to enjoy healthy eating ,” he explains, “you can have the best of both worlds, you should be able to enjoy everything you eat.”

“It’s actually the food you want to eat, designed by a nutritionist,” she says. “That has been my ethic from day one. Aesthetically pleasing and delicious food that people see and think ‘I’d like to eat that’, but I’m also a nutritionist, so as well as being delicious it’s also good for you.”

How to include pasta and carbohydrates in a healthy diet?

“It’s okay to eat pasta and carbs—everything in moderation,” says English, who adds that he opposes the idea of ​​swapping food groups. “There is a misconception that we have to change our lifestyle to try to become a healthier version of ourselves, but changing doesn’t work, just like extreme diets don’t work ”; Instead, his approach is to prioritize nutrition , building on the foods we already enjoy and prepare for ourselves.

What he recommends not consuming are sugary soft drinks or refined or synthetic foods, so ultra-processed foods are out and, as most health experts advise, whole foods, cereals, legumes and vegetables are in: “ I don’t think it’s normal for our body to ingest large amounts of sugar at once it’s really difficult. That doesn’t mean I’m completely anti-sugar. If you continuously eat bad foods and have one salad a week, does that mean you are healthy? No. And the same thing happens the other way around. Having a little oat milk in your coffee in the morning in the context of a balanced diet and lifestyle should not scare us: we focus too much on the wrong things .”

5 tips for having a healthy diet that includes carbohydrates

have a routine

“ prioritizing regularity and routine in eating was highly  recommend. It’s simple, but it helps maintain intestinal health, since the microbiome follows the same circadian rhythm as you. This way, it knows when to expect food, and therefore bacteria begin to flourish during meals, extracting, fermenting and absorbing all the good stuff. It also helps regulate appetite, so the more consistent your eating schedules are , the more balanced you will feel.”

Start the day well

“Sometimes we skip breakfast or we can’t eat until three in the afternoon because we are busy. This is when we start to notice  blood sugar spikes and energy dips, which can make you feel irritable, which is not good for female hormonal health. Also keep in mind that if you train intensely in the morning, you are a woman and you skip breakfast, you may be wreaking havoc on your hormones: I recommend focusing on protein and fiber consumption at the beginning of the day , especially if you are going to do something intense first thing in the morning.”

Add more protein to avoid cravings

“Protein isn’t only for people who go to the gym! They are foods that build muscle and really influence how you feel. Protein doesn’t have to be a big piece of chicken, it can come from delicious grains such as quinoa, legumes such as chickpeas, feta cheese or salmon.

If you combine protein with fiber , you will help slow down and reduce blood sugar spikes, which in turn will make you feel more balanced, regulate your appetite, and make you feel fuller for longer. The fact was that as soon as we feel satisfied and full, we stop thinking about food. Many people who diet and restrict themselves end up mentally obsessed with food : they are so restrictive that their body says “I need to eat.” If you incorporate protein into your meals, along with fiber, you will begin to notice that your brain calms down.

Prepare your proteins

“I always try to have prepared protein options : they are things that I can quickly throw into a bowl , a salad or a pitta bread. I always have canned tuna, chickpeas and legumes, and pre-cooked chicken or beans. They are the basic components of a tasty and healthy meal. I also always have pre-cooked rice, quinoa and lentils, you name it! From there, I can use pretty much anything I have in the fridge and make it all together. And I call them quick and healthy convenience foods.”

Control your stress

“When you eat, try to do so in a relaxed atmosphere. Many of us eat in a hurry and at times of high cortisol, and we can suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, bloating or digestive discomfort; Often it’s not the food that triggers them, but how your body is responding to the food: your body is not prepared for digestion when it is in fight or flight mode . Take a few deep breaths before eating and try to consume your food mindfully. “That will make a difference.”