Diets have a lot of influence in the world of health, and people have different opinions about them. Some people think they’re great for losing weight and others use them strictly as a medical tool to control symptoms. Some people hate diets and use the number of fads in the media to prove that they are the worst thing ever!
Both sides of the equation are true. Your diet is what you eat on a daily basis, and thus, it’s what you live off of and how your body takes nutrition from the world. You can always change your eating habits, but make sure it’s healthy and provides you with the nutrients you need.
With all of that in mind, you may have some learning to do. The more you know about what you eat, the better equipped you are to feed yourself.
It’s easy! Cut your plate into five sections, then use a meal plan to assign the food groups to each section. (Image)
What Can You Stick to?
Let’s start with a quick but important point! No matter how you feel about food, diets should be something that you can stick to. After all, if your 6 month plan is only for a couple weeks, you will never lose the weight you want to.
If you’re not able to commit to a particular diet, that means it isn’t satisfying. It can make you dislike mealtime.
What Do you like to eat?
What is your current diet like? What foods are always available in your home? Your eating habits may have changed due to the arrival of your children in your life. Would you like to encourage them to eat healthy foods that are green?
You’ll need to start slowly if you want to switch to a healthier diet. This will help your body get used to the new routine. Otherwise all kinds of cravings, and waking up in the middle of the night to go on a secret midnight feast in the kitchen, is going to become a regular occurance for you! It’s hard to explain to the kids if they catch you!
So make sure the diet you’re thinking of trying is one that promotes the foods you already like to eat, except cooked or presented in healthy ways. Roasting your vegetables rather than boiling them will help them retain more nutrients and give them more flavour. Add some salt and black pepper to the broccoli, and the kids will no longer complain!
Where and when do you eat?
It’s important to focus on your own needs and not those of others when choosing a diet. It should be a diet that takes into consideration your eating habits and, in particular, when and where you eat. It’s not enough to just focus on what you prepare in the kitchen. Your best diet plan should also include the nights out at restaurants, midday cafe meetings, and takeaways that you order semi-regularly when you can’t be bothered cooking.
If you’re someone that keeps these things to a bare minimum, it won’t be a problem to leave them out of a menu plan you’re excited to try and follow. When it comes down to the fact, we wouldn’t live a fun or enriching life without eating out from time to time!
So find yourself a diet that allows you to eat at your own frequency; if you don’t eat three square meals per day, and the plan you’re thinking of requires this, it’ll be a real struggle for you to adjust. If you cannot survive without lunch at a specific time and your new plan asks you either to skip or postpone your midday meal then you should throw it away!
Then, you need to consider the extraneous factors. Does the diet plan take into account that you may still be eating this way, even though you only eat takeaways once or twice every two weeks? Does it ask you to completely cut out fast food and forget about its wonders? This is just not a realistic goal!
Why not get an education?
Knowing what foods you should be eating, how much to eat of them, and the best ways to incorporate all your favourite treats and tricks into your diet is invaluable. It’s a way to take back control of your own life and fight bad eating habits. It’s knowledge that many people lack, or rely upon others to provide. That’s when nutrition becomes dangerous. You need to know what is good for your body, because it works differently than anyone else’s.
How many times did you rely on someone older to tell what to eat, or someone more knowledgeable? As a kid, you were expected to listen to and eat the food that your parents prepared. As a late teen and early adult, did your reliance on others, particularly social media, still exist? Those platforms don’t usually have your best interests at heart, not unless the person is truly qualified in the nutritional advantages of the diet they’re advertising!
So let’s try and balance that kind of pressure a little more; why not think about how to Become a Nutrition adviser yourself? Why not get a real qualification if you’re so interested in food and what it can do for you? You can then put your nutritional knowledge and meal ideas to the ultimate test! This could be a great combination for you if you have the time to devote to your studies, perhaps on weekends or after the kids go to bed.
Can You Exercise Well?
A healthy diet is not just about what you eat. It is also important to consider your level of physical activity and how the foods you eat will affect your body’s ability to function and repair itself. If you’re trying to build muscle, you’ll need more protein. If you run 10ks every morning, you’ll need more carbs.
You won’t feel healthy if your diet either tells you not to exercise or eliminates the food groups that are essential for a working body. You need a diet that encourages you to eat before and after a workout, and details exactly what foods to eat depending on the activity you’ve done that day, whether that was weight lifting, or doing burpees for half an hour.
If you exercise regularly (and sometimes daily), you will need to eat something high-energy. You will need to eat more than usual, but this is the foundation you should start with if you want to lose weight and get healthier.
What is your best diet?
As we mentioned above, you should only decide this with the help of your doctor. In the end, you should choose a diet which works for you.
You must ensure that your food fills you up and leaves you satisfied. You need to ensure that you are getting enough vitamins and minerals. You’ll also want to include some tasty foods to ensure that you enjoy eating and will return for more tomorrow. Make it easier on yourself by choosing a diet you can stick to.