YOU’VE BEEN DOING IT ALL WRONG!-What You Need To Know About Dieting

Overview

Dieting is not what it used to be anymore, a lot of misinformation around the topic has resulted in many people binge eating (having eating disorders) instead of dieting.

The question to ask yourself is ‘why exactly am I dieting?’. Think about that well. Ask yourself how long you’ve been on this journey? Lastly, ask yourself if you have been able to achieve your set goals?

People diet for different reasons, and most of them don’t put into consideration the facts with it. 

What you need to know

A healthy diet is not about staying unrealistically thin or depriving yourself of the food you love. Rather it’s about feeling great, healthy and of course, looking fantastic.

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes you find yourself where an expert tells you a certain food is good for you and another telling you the exact opposite. You are not alone. This can be overwhelming. 

When you think of a healthy diet, calories should always come to mind. All types of food contain calories, whether they are fat, carbohydrate or proteins. Calories are very important for life and function.

How many calories should you eat daily?

 The National Institutes of Health (NIH) provided guidelines on calorie requirements for various age groups and activity level states that moderately active, middle-aged male should consume about 2,400 -2,600 calories per day while a moderately average middle-aged woman should consume about 2,000 calories per day.

Most people tell you they eat once daily, all in the name of dieting but what they fail to realise is that the number calories in just that one meal are almost equivalent and sometimes more than the calories in a three-course meal.

Dietitians advise you, "eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper". Following this advise, helps your body put calories consumed to best use and aid better digestion.

A healthy diet won't be a problem if you duly follow the plan below.

Successful ways to improve a healthy diet.

Increase fruit and vegetable consumption

Fruits and vegetables are a great source of vitamins and minerals which boosts the bodies immunity and protects the body against a wide range of disease conditions, ensuring the body functions properly. Fruits and vegetables are also low in calories. 

Include at least three fruits and two servings of vegetables. This will naturally fill you up and helps you avoid unhealthy foods.

 Sway your rice and cassava flakes for a freshly made salad

Replace junks (snacks) with fruits such as mangoes, pineapples, oranges- they are all antioxidant-rich.

Drink a lot of water

Water has its way of rehydrating us, flushing our systems to eliminate waste products and toxins.

It is very important to always take water first thing in the morning after brushing our teeth. It helps improve better performance in our day’s activities.

Exercise every day

Exercise helps boost your overall wellbeing. It gives a distinct difference between a healthy diet and dieting. A healthy diet along with exercising helps your body adjust properly as you burn fat. 

Exercising makes you fit and generally improve your performance for the day.

Take more cereal and whole grain food

Cereals and whole grains are high in fibre, which gives the energy to get up and go -and keep going – while also supporting mood and brain function. It helps you stay regular and reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. It also helps with weight loss. Other types of food containing fibre are beans, nuts and vegetables.

Cook more of your own food

Preparing more of your own meals helps you stay in check, taking charge of what you eat and monitoring what exactly goes into your food. It helps you avoid unhealthy fats, added sugar, chemical additives of packaged food.

Have a meal plan

When cutting back an unhealthy diet, it is important to replace them with alternatives, healthy ones.

Replace dangerous trans-fat to healthy fat (such as changing grilled chicken to grilled fish like croaker, catfish), switch from ice cream to yoghurt. Have a plan that guides this track and give yourself a reward for sticking it.

Read food labels

It’s so funny, reading a food label, right? But the truth is, labels give awareness on the nutritional content of the food product. Products that manufacturers claim to be healthy sometimes are not, checking the composition will help you know if it is the right product for you.

Conclusions

It’s important to know that you are what you eat and following this health plan will help make a difference for a better healthy life.

Remember to always take it one step at a time. Don't be in a haste to see an immediate result. With commitment and consistency be sure to be on the road to a healthy diet life.

Let's hear from you, what are your thought on a healthy diet, share your experience with us in the comment section below.