Hello everyone!. Today I start my “Nutrition Works” blog series where I focus on what exactly dieting is!
Everyone talks about diet these days. People have become more health conscious. We see health centers on every nook and corner of the city. We see crowded gyms, zumba, yoga, aerobics and other centers. We see healthy food outlets coming up. We see restaurants displaying calories and proteins (nutritive value) of foods they serve. We see precise nutrient information on food labels of packaged food products. We see people practicing their own diet and exercise regime. Your environment may inspire you to follow a lifestyle that focuses on adopting various diet and exercise practices and also alter food choices as well as food portions.
After all this, we quite often see people interpreting dieting as fasting or starving. But the fact is that diet means to take adequate Nutrition and not cutting down your food intake. Dieting means to balance your body’s nutrient requirement with food intake to maintain a good health. Fasting is usually followed by a feasting behavior that leads to negative effect on health rather than improving health.
Usually dieting is referred to weight loss diet. Prevalence of obesity is increasing and majority of people perceive only slim to be fit. This has not only increased ignorance of the slim to improve nutrition but also excessive exercise and improper diet by majority of the obese. This has lead to ill health rather than improving health in both.
Here comes the question… Dieting?.. Die eating?.. or Die not eating?.. There may come many “fad” diets due to advertisements, branding and marketing which give importance to elimination or inclusion of various foods in diet, but main guideline of dieting says, eat but in moderation. Eat in amount that will neither be too less nor to more to affect your nutritional status. Dieting along with life style modification in all respects can help to improve overall health.
A healthy diet plan [DIETING] meets nutritional requirements, provides maximum nutrients, considers individual likes and dislikes, provides variety, gives satiety and maintains nutritional status. Thus a “dieting” can help you to improve quality of life.
On the other hand feasting or DIE-EATING or feasting now and then and starving or DIE – NOT – EATING both can affect nutritional status of body causing over or under nutrition (Malnutrition).
Say NO to Fasting
Say No to Feasting
People may either be health conscious or negligent. In both cases there can be a serious effect on body causing various disorders in long run. Thus consuming a balanced diet not only for short time but also throughout your life can help you to enjoy best of your health.
Balanced diet provides all nutrients required by the body at various stages of life or in disease conditions. It provides body with essential nutrition by providing adequate calories, proteins, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, etc. Balanced diet helps one to achieve their optimum nutritional status. Such a “diet” also helps to achieve and maintain adequate weight by preventing starving (die-not-eating) or feasting (die-eating).
Here are some easy dietary tips to achieve good nutrition status:
1) Slow and steady reduction/gain in weight is advisable than the sudden weight loss / gain that occurs due to crash diets and exercise programs.
2) Regular physical activity should be encouraged.
3) Eat frequently but small meals.
4) Avoid feasting as well as starving/ fasting.
5) Restrict empty calorie foods like sugar, refined foods, fatty foods, soft drinks, alcohol, etc.
6) Consume low calorie high protein food in good amount in beginning of every meal. Eg: egg whites/ sprouts in breakfast, buttermilk in lunch, chicken soup in dinner, etc.
7) Do not snack on high calorie food in between meals.
8) Preferably consume dinner at least 2 hours before going to bed. Do not sleep immediately after dinner or take a small walk after dinner before going to bed.
9) DessertS = StresseD. Do not stress your body. Restrict/ avoid processed foods.
10) Consume fresh seasonal veggies/ fruits daily.
11) Drink plenty of nutritious fluids and water throughout the day.
12) Love your home food. Cook variety. Prepare different recipes. Remove monotony in menus. Add colors to menus.
13) Recognize your body signals. Eat only till full. Be foodie, enjoy dieting.
Thus if dieting seems to be attractive to adopt, why die eating or die not eating?Lets Diet!