The Basic Equation for A Healthy Diet
We all understand the basic equation for a healthy diet –
put kilojoules into your body by consuming food and drink,
burn the kilojoules by moving your body. So you would think
it would be easy to manage your weight, wouldn’t you?
Fewer kilojoules in, more kilojoules out....
But it’s so easy to move your body very
little. Drive wherever you need to go, use the elevator or
the escalator to get from one floor to the next, pay someone
to clean your house, tend your garden, make your bed and
iron your clothes.
And it's so easy to eat and drink whenever
you feel like it. The range of take-away and snack foods
gets bigger every day.
Have you noticed how hard it is to buy fresh
wholesome food when you're out and about vs high fat, sugar
laden, low nourishment snack food?
The Best Nutrition Supplement We Know -
BodyBalance
BodyBalance® is a liquid sea-vegetation blend that actually
contains more phyto nutrients and phyto minerals than any
other kind of food.
Phytonutrients are certain organic
components of plants that are thought to promote human
health. Fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and teas
are rich sources of phytonutrients and you can reduce your
risk of cancer and heart disease by increasing consumption
of phytonutrient-rich foods.
As important, Body Balance® is a WHOLE FOOD
(unlike many synthetic vitamins), so up to 98% of its
nutrients are immediately available for absorption by your
body.
The phyto nutrients in Body Balance are
available for immediate assimilation at the cellular level
to provide your body with essential minerals and nutrition.
Kilojoules - Food For Thought
Even the kilojoules aren't easy to follow. (Unless, of
course you are gripped by diet mania, in which case you'll
know the kilojoule content of everything that does or
doesn't make it past your lips).
Some food groups, e.g. fats and alcohol, are
absolutely loaded with them! So a little education is part
of a healthy diet too. Look at this example:
The Deadly Donut!
Have you ever fancied a little something to eat and popped a
small, iced donut into your mouth? A small, iced donut
represents 1430 kilojoules worth of energy!
You definitely could have chosen your
kilojoules more wisely, satisfied your hunger for longer and
nourished your body.
Contrast the donut with this whole list of
nourishing food that also adds up to 1430 kilojoules:
60 grams tuna (220 kilojoules), wholemeal
bread roll (600 kilojoules), 1 cup lettuce (20 kilojoules),
1/2 cup cucumber (35 kilojoules), 1/2 cup sliced tomatoes
(60 kilojoules), 1/2 cup red peppers (45 kilojoules), 1/2
cup asparagus (45 kilojoules), 20 grams black olives (150
kilojoules) and then .....
1 cup strawberries (115 kilojoules) with 1/2
cup low fat yoghurt (240 kilojoules).
Hmmm! Food for thought indeed. One small
iced donut or tuna, a bread roll, 3 cups of salad,
followed by strawberries and yoghurt.
How Do You Choose The Right Diet?
One of the main reasons that there is a whole industry
making billions of dollars out of diet and weight loss
programs is that it's so easy to eat the wrong foods and
there's less 'inbuilt' exercise in our daily lives.
So which are the healthy diets and how do
you choose the right program to follow?
No matter which weight loss program you
choose, do research it first and follow it carefully. Don't
set yourself up to be disappointed by choosing a diet that
has great short term results but which you can't stick to.
And don't risk damaging your long-term health by rushing
into a fad diet.
What Are The Basic Things To Look Out For?
Healthy diets have the following:
Number 1: Fresh natural foods win every
time. Grains, fruit, vegetables and grilled lean meat or
fish are your best bet.
Number 2: Exercise as a component of the
diet. The higher you get your resting metabolic rate, the
more you can eat. This is a fancy way of saying exercise
more.
Your body has a energy burn rate (your
metabolic rate) depending upon your lifestyle and genetic
makeup. You can raise this by increasing your activity
level.
If you exercise regularly, you get two
benefits.
(a) the benefit of the energy burn from a
specific exercise session and
(b) you also raise the resting energy burn
level. This means you burn more energy (and fat) even when
you're resting. Good news!
Low Carbohydrate Diets
Low carbohydrate diets or high protein diets are popular and
there are many variations on the theme.
They have been proven to be very effective
for sufferers of Type 2 diabetes needing to lose body fat,
particularly women. But are they healthy diets? Is it
healthy to eat a lot of protein? They are not recommended by
organizations promoting heart health because they tend to be
high in saturated fats and there is no data (yet) on the
long term effects of following a low carbohydrate diet.