What diet do you adopt to make your body look good…

Summer has come, the holidays are coming, your body looks good…

Lately I have been facing the problem of diet more and more often.

You may be looking for a fast way to lose weight and there’s no shortage of ‘fad diets’ around. These ‘diets’ may provide short-term results, but they are difficult to sustain and, ultimately, they deprive you of the essential nutrients that only balanced eating can offer.

Typically, a fad diet shares some, or all, of the following characteristics:

• Promises a quick fix.
• Promotes ‘magic’ foods or combinations of foods.
• Implies that food can change body chemistry.
• Excludes or severely restricts food groups or nutrients, such as carbohydrates.
• Has rigid rules that focus on weight loss.
• Makes claims based on a single study or testimonials only.

Of course, some medical conditions do require special eating plans. In these instances, any recommendations from your doctor should be followed.

Because they often cut out key foods, fad diets may cause the following symptoms:

• Dehydration.
• Weakness and fatigue.
• Nausea and headaches.
• Constipation.
• Inadequate vitamin and mineral intake.

Fad diets that severely restrict food groups or nutrients may also mean that you miss out on the protective health effects that a balanced eating plan provides. We don’t know whether fad diets are safe over the longer term, or whether they lead to an increased risk of various diseases.

Don’t worry.
There is a diet that works.
You may acquire and maintain a healthy body weight without cutting out any meals since you can eat anything — in moderation.

It’s called a balanced eating plan, and it’s nothing new.
It will transform your life when combined with modest physical activity.

What you leave out of a balanced eating plan makes all the difference.
To be effective with a balanced eating plan, you must:

Consume a lot of veggies, beans, and fruits.

Include a variety of cereals, especially wholegrain (including breads, rice, pasta, and noodles).

Include lean meat, fish, poultry, or substitutes.

Include milk, yoghurt, cheese, or other dairy substitutes.

Drink a lot of water.

Limit your consumption of saturated fat and keep your overall fat consumption to a minimum.

Wherever feasible, use low-fat versions of foods.

Choose low-salt foods.

If you choose to drink, keep your alcohol consumption to a minimum.

Consume only modest amounts of sweets and sugar-containing foods and beverages.
Limit your intake of sugar-sweetened drinks in particular.

A steady body weight indicates that the quantity of kilojoules you consume equals the number of kilojoules you utilize.
If you’re gaining weight, it might be because you’re eating too much or performing too little physical exercise, or both.

Different dietary components contain varying amounts of kilojoules:

• Fat is the most concentrated — it contains 37kJ/g (kilojoules per gram).
• Protein contains 17kJ/g.
• Carbohydrates have 16kJ/g.
• Alcohol has 29kJ/g.

Carbohydrates provide the body with kilojoules, or fuel. Foods that contain the most carbohydrates include:

• Fruit.
• Vegetables, especially potatoes and corn.
• Legumes, including dried beans, peas and lentils.
• Grains.
• Bread.
• Breakfast cereal.
• Rice, pasta and noodles.
• Low-fat milk and yoghurt.

These meals are high in vitamins and minerals and low in fat.
As a result, they are perfectly suited to a healthy eating regimen.
Wholegrain types, legumes, fruit, and vegetables are all good sources of nutritional fibre.

Foods containing a lot of added sugar (such as soft drinks and sweets) are another source of carbs, but they provide additional kilojoules with little vitamins and minerals.

Once you’ve established a healthy eating routine, you’ll notice that you have more energy and desire to be more active.
Here are a few ideas to help you get the recommended amount of physical exercise each day:

Consider mobility to be an opportunity, not a hindrance.

On most, if not all, days, engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical exercise.

If you can, get some frequent, intense activity for added health and fitness.

Remember that the more you move, the more benefits you’ll reap.

Being healthy includes feeling good about yourself. Don’t accept the unrealistic images portrayed in the media. At times, there are pressures on top of work and family, which make it harder to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Adopting balanced eating habits can help you feel better about yourself.

Once a wide range of nutritious foods and physical activity become part of your everyday routine, the idea of dieting will start to seem strange.