DIET, DIET, DIET! THAT’S ALL WE EVER HEAR??
The road to healthy living is a long and weary one. It takes guts, confidence, determination, courage, the strength of will, and most importantly, patience to travel through it without losing a part of yourself.
There are many paths one can follow to obtain and live a healthy lifestyle; doctors and health coaches normally advise people who are interested in improving the quality of their lives to adhering to the following:
- Don’t smoke.
- Stay physically active.
- Pay close attention to your oral hygiene; this can go a long way in improving your general health as good oral hygiene has been proven to reduce the risk of heart disease greatly.
- Exercise at least three times a week.
- Eat and maintain a healthy diet
- Get enough sleep.
- Maintain a healthy body weight.
- Cut down on sugar and salt.
- Visit the hospital or clinic regularly for a health check-up.
- Drink loads of water.
- Vegetables and fruits are your best friends.
What is Diet?
Many people have different ideas on what diet is and what the do’s and don’ts of dieting entails. We will abandon all preconceptions and hypotheses surrounding diets and look at science for the definition of diet. In nutrition, diet is defined as the total of food eaten by a person or organism.
According to Britannica, “Dieting, regulating one’s food intake for the purpose of improving one’s physical condition, especially for the purpose of reducing obesity, or what is conceived to be excessive body fat.”
Humans are omnivores, which means that we can consume meat and plants; a particular class of food doesn’t control our diet. People’s diet hugely depends on the culture and environment in which the person grows up. One’s diet also determines preferences and taboos.
Why Diet?
The benefits of a healthy diet cannot be overemphasized; there are countless reasons why choosing and sticking to nutritious meals is the key to a healthier life. The list below contains some of the reasons why dieting is one of the best decision you can ever make:
Weight Loss
It doesn’t matter the environment, culture, or era; dieting has always been listed as one method that helps in the efficient and consistent loss of weight. Partaking in a low-calorie, highly processed, or restrictive fad diet is an assured weight loss program.
Reduces Your Chances of Having Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes and obesity go hand in hand like winter and hand gloves. To reduce your risk of having any diabetes, especially type 2, you must lose weight and eat foods that are low in calories and high in nutrients. Other benefits of dieting include:
- It keeps you energized.
- A healthy diet equates to healthy skin and hair.
- Dieting is inexpensive.
- Dieting has been proven to prevent cancer.
- Dieting reduces the risk of heart diseases.
- It helps with weight gain.
The Do’s of Diet
Certain rules and guidelines in dieting help regulate your portion, what you eat, and the number of times you eat. To ensure that your diet stays healthy and nutritious, here are a couple of things you should do:
Do Set Achievable Goals
This step might not seem as important as others, but trust me, it is. Setting unrealistic diet goals can quickly turn a healthy, fun diet program into a thing of hate and unhappiness. The fact that you selected goals that are impossible for you to achieve as an individual, you have opened a mental door for disappointment, shame, self-hate, and depression to flood in through.
To prevent these negative emotions, always make sure the type of diet you observe is within the realm of reality. Here are some health snacks you can get to keep you on track
Do Eat Loads of Fruits and Veggies
The importance of vegetables and fruits, while dieting can not be overemphasized. Fruits also help keep the body hydrated; they’re little packs of water, fiber, and nutrients that are fun to eat and healthy. On the other hand, vegetables may not be fun to eat, but they do significantly improve bowel movement and digestion.
Do Control Your Portions
Portion control is the not-so-secret ingredient to a healthy diet. Like all steps which lead to a healthier life, portion control is hard and difficult to practice. Don’t give in to the urge to clear your plate; always divide your food in half to eat later if the portions are big. Paying attention to the quantity of food you consume goes a long way in maintaining a nutritious and balanced diet.
The Don’ts of Diet
Don’t Give Up
During your diet journey, you will encounter many moments where you want to give up and resign your faith to the gods of cheeseburger and fries; DON’T do this. Whenever you go through these moments, you must remind yourself that everything wonderful must be fought for.
Hungry Equals Angry; Don’t Miss Meals
Skipping meals is not the way to go in the dieting world; it might look like missing a meal is great for weight loss, but do not be deceived; eating several tiny and nutritious meals is better than skipping breakfast and eating large portions for lunch and dinner.
The Meditteranean diet is the most recommended diet; this is because it is low in processed foods and high in fresh foods which are low in calories.
Don’t Just Diet; Exercise
The chances of achieving your health goals by dieting alone are very low; there must be a balance of dietary and physical health. Exercising at least three times a week is what health coaches and fitness gurus advise clients looking for a significant improvement in their health status.
Check out some at home equipment you can purchase to exercise:
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