What is a Balanced Diet? - Are you Making Some Dieting Mistakes

We all know Health is the most counted wealth of ours. In today's busy schedule, we don’t get time to exercise and also we eat junk food that is unhealthy. Due to all these reasons, people are becoming fat, obese and thus are trying hard to understand What is dieting? Obesity is much talked about the issue around the world.

People are not only becoming overweight but are also falling sick physically due to unhealthy eating habits.
So to stay healthy eating the right food is vital. It keeps us away from diseases.

A proper diet plan recommended by the veteran fitness practitioner can explain the best of What is dieting and what are the guidelines which need to be followed while dieting? Fitness seekers have to find a dietitian who is well experienced and verified. So that he/she can properly examine the body, and then recommends you accordingly.

What is dieting?

Dieting is just a practice of following a disciplined manner of eating to increase, decrease or maintain the body weight. The person involved in the process follows the diet chart, prepared by the dietitian.

Dieting basically focuses on the intake of food. It eliminates all the unwanted and junk food from the list. Dieting helps the person feel fresh and more active than before. It constraints all the unnecessary food items which harm the body by storing fat tissues, thus making a person obese and overweight. It is highly used to improve health and stabilize the body weight. The gracious answer to What is dieting? is just that, it is the ratio of healthy food consumed by a person. 

What is a balanced diet?

We become what we eat. It affects our body as well as the mind. Therefore to stay fit physically and emotionally we should practice exercise and also follow a proper diet.

A diet which has an appropriate amount of macro and micronutrients, that assists in the proper functioning of the body, is called a balanced diet.

How do you start a diet? 

A healthy, balanced diet is recommended to everyone. Many people have the misconception that people who should ‘diet’ are those who plan to lose weight. Depending on your nutritional goals and requirements, you can engage in a wide range of diet plans, such as weight loss diet plans that include intermittent fasting, one meal a day (OMAD), the Mediterranean diet, and the like. 

Starting and sticking to a diet plan is a long yet worthwhile journey. Before shopping for your new pantry favorites, preparing your diet plan first is paramount. The wisest first step is to identify your nutritional goals, as the components of your diet will mainly depend on what you’re trying to achieve. For example, if you want to lose weight, you’ll have to avoid calories in your diet, while individuals building lean muscle mass should focus on protein packing. 

Typically, if you don’t have any health conditions, browsing reliable online sources is enough to create your diet plan. However, seeking help from a nutritionist or dietician is even better, as they can help you design a more personalized diet plan fit for your health and preferences. Also, if you have any additional diet restrictions, your expert can find better alternatives to add to your diet.   

Another essential tip to achieve your diet plan is to find an accountability buddy. It would be best if they had similar goals as they could join you when making recipes, working out, and most importantly, achieving a healthy lifestyle. 

Role of macronutrients and micronutrients in our diet

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the following are the Daily Values *(DV) of the essential nutrients in a 2000 calorie diet.

Essential Macronutrients

Steemit

• Carbohydrates: 300 grams (50-60%)

Our body converts carbohydrates into glucose. Our body instantly utilizes glucose to provide energy to all the cells, muscles and organs of the body. The largest consumer of glucose in the human brain. Excess glucose converts into glycogen and the body utilizes it as per its requirements.

• Fat: 65 grams (20-30%)

Fats contain the highest calories and are a rich source of energy. Fat increases the feeling of satiety and does not allow the blood sugar to elevate. This is primarily because fat slows down digestion.
Choose monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fat. Limit saturated fat (less than 20 grams) and trans-fats.

• Protein: 50 grams (10-20%)

Protein is an important nutrient for muscle building, repairing and immunity development. Maintain a minimum of 0.8-grams protein per pound of body weight.

Essential Micronutrients

Muscle Food

These involve vitamins and minerals(sodium, phosphorous, calcium, iron, etc) where sodium to potassium ratio should be 0.5 and another intake must be according to an individual's health.

This is because, some people may need more calcium, some may need less. People having low hemoglobin require more iron while some people require less. It is up to the nutritionist/doctor to decide what amount is appropriate.

What's the role of a balanced diet in weight loss?

The question of What is dieting? only arises when there is a weight loss factor involved. In today's time, fitness has become a trend among all individuals in the world. Yet, there are a few instances too, where people face difficulty in losing weight.

We must know that our body uses the macronutrients from the foods that we consume. Now each food item has different calorie levels. Our body utilizes calories as fuel for performing our daily activities.

However, when there's a lack of exercise or when the lifestyle becomes sedentary, our body gradually begins to store the excess calories. Say, for example, excess carbohydrate converts into fat and accumulates in the lower abdomen area, thus, contributing to obesity. Moreover, excessive protein is converted into fatty acids and stored as fat in the body and this happens when the body lacks energy.

So, our diet is a key parameter to watch for the sake of our weight loss goals.

How to have a balanced diet?

• Try to achieve the carbs-protein-fat balance where 50 percent of calories come from carbs and 25 percent of calories come from proteins and fats each.
• Ensure that fruits and vegetables are a part of each serving in a day.

• Consume whole grains.

• Reduce refined flours and sugars.

• Prefer baked instead of fried foods.

• Minimize the consumption of oily fast foods.

• Maintain the sodium-potassium balance.

Are you making these Dieting Mistakes?

• Exercising less and eating more OR Exercising more and eating less?

Exercise speeds up the cardiovascular activity inside the body. This surge increases the fat loss procedure immediately and furthermore, burns calories quickly. Exercises like Pilates, Planks, Ab-crunches can be performed at your convenience even at home.

Several simple, yet effective, muscle-building exercises help in easy weight loss. Disciplines like exercise and yoga help an individual to achieve mental balance. The determination is a must for weight loss programs.

• Thinking that dieting leads to weight loss?

Yes, dieting is not always an optimum solution. Wikipedia defines dieting as: restrict oneself to small amounts or special kinds of food in order to lose weight. Now, the words 'special kinds' means those foods that possess a low glycemic index.

Additionally, foods that do not raise the blood sugar immediately after consumption, are known as low glycemic index(GI) foods, for example, legumes.

For instance, you must always look for foods that are rich in fiber. Since people are unaware of the genuine and correct techniques of dieting, they often face issues like nutrient deficiencies, electrolyte imbalance, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and much more.

Besides, dieting also increases the craving and desire to eat junk food after an extended period of dieting. Such individuals become prey to unhealthy eating habits and this kicks the purpose of dieting itself.

• Having a sedentary lifestyle?

Sedentary lifestyles relate with tending to spend much time seated, somewhat inactive and this lifestyle can affect the person's health. A person should be a little dynamic in his routine, not static at all. Otherwise, it could become hard for him/her to dissolve fatty tissues.

Sitting or staying idle for a prolonged period of time contributes to weight gain too. Make sure to take a brisk walk once in a while, whether at home or at an office.

• Not following the diamond pattern of eating?

Eat a heavy breakfast, a moderate lunch and cut down to a light dinner. Do not skip any of the meals and prolonged gaps between meals are not encouraged at all.

According to a health website (health.usnews.com), metabolism refers to how the cells utilize the energy we have absorbed from food during digestion. For this to happen, sufficient inflow and outflow have to be created within the body.

Developing an equilibrium where the demand is equal to the supply and vice versa is essential. This can occur if we eat our food in divided portions and that too at regular intervals. Health professionals and nutritionists always stress eating light meals 4-6 times a day.

Here the body learns to utilize the energy acquired from foods efficiently and aids in weight loss too. Drinking or sipping water throughout the day is also instrumental in weight loss.

• Consuming too much alcohol and fried foods?

Alcohol gets stored in the body in the form of fat especially in the abdominal areas and lower back. The same is true for fried foods too. It requires a lot of exercise and dieting to get rid of the stubborn fat. Therefore, it's crucial to minimize alcohol consumption and binge eating.

Who all can reap the benefits of dieting?

Overweight children and adults of any age can follow weight loss programs. Although, it's recommended that they seek the help of an experienced medical professional or a nutritionist. Also, any form of exercise may require the assistance of a professional trainer. Stay away from quick weight loss programs that involve the use of steroids or harmful chemicals.

Benefits of a balanced diet

• Regulates the digestion process.
• It helps in reducing obesity.
• Reduces the risk of heart disease.
• Maintains cholesterol and blood pressure.

A balanced diet, coupled with a healthy lifestyle, works wonders in our life.

Therefore, we all must make sure to extensively follow a balanced diet pattern. Proper awareness about the benefits of a balanced diet must be propagated to benefit more and more individuals across the world.

If you are also somewhere revolving around What is dieting? fitness queries and issues. Then its time to get rid of them. An experienced dietitian will prove to be the best help for your fitness. If you are searching as dietitians near me, then it is time to hold your search. Life Positive is offering a list of certified fitness experts and valuable dietitians for all the wanna-be-fit aspirants.