Sunday, February 17, 2013

Diet Plan Not Working? Simplify Your Approach to Food

Without wading into the tricky territory of whether or not certain diet plans are effective for healthy, sustained weight loss, it's safe to say that no single diet plan is perfect for everyone. We all have different body types, different target body weights, different genetic backgrounds, different allergies and food intolerances, different lifestyles, and different exercise capabilities. In short, there is no one-size-fits-all diet plan, and any plan that claims to be for everyone is misleading.

It's time to set all the diet crazes aside and to just be smart. After all, many of the popular diet plans operate by restricting certain types of food, which, depending on which plan it is, can lead to malnutrition, shortage of important vitamins, lack of energy, and muscle loss. In the end, with many of these plans, while your may lose weight, your body will suffer in other ways, many of which can be damaging to your looks and your long-term health.

The key is to know which foods are healthy and which are unhealthy, and to monitor how you respond to various types of foods. If you find that your body responds well to a type of food that some diet plans forbid, trust yourself first and foremost. Words written in a book by someone who has never met you can't discount the evidence you see with your own eyes and feel in your body.

Foods that are almost universally healthy and nourishing include whole grain-based foods such as oatmeal, granola, brown rice, whole grain bread, and whole wheat pasta; lean and white meats, particularly fish and chicken; legumes, beans, and lentils like black-eyed peas, black beans, soy beans, and kidney beans; unsaturated and monosaturated plant-based oils such as olive oil; and practically all fruits and vegetables. While the specific content of these foods varies greatly, they're all overwhelmingly made up of good stuff, with very little unhealthy fats and bad carbohydrates.

Speaking of fat and carbohydrates, disregard any diet plan that tells you to leave these out entirely. There are good fats and good carbohydrates that you need to keep your body functioning and beautiful. For example, the omega fatty acids found in fish, nuts, flax seed, and olive oil are essential for a healthy body, mind, and appearance. As for carbs, while synthetic sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup are invariably bad, the types of natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables are necessary fuel for the exercise that is needed for any healthy diet plan.

The worst foods to consume in any weight-loss diet plans are those that contain lots of calories without any good nutrients to make up for it. For example, sweet drinks like soda and non-organic juices from concentrate are good ways to get a little bit of a sugar fix, but they are nothing but empty calories from a nutritional standpoint. Meanwhile, other forbidden foods include fried foods, sweets, desserts, and greasy, cheesy meals like pizza. Any of these things can be consumed in moderation, but be careful. When we say "moderation," we mean it. If you're going to have pizza, have one slice. If you're going to have cake, have one small piece. And confine such indulgences to no more than once or twice a week.








Caterina Christakos is a published author and reviewer. Read her latest reviews of dolceandgabbanaeyewear.com/Dolce-&-Gabanna-Glasses.html Dolce & Gabanna Glasses and dolceandgabbanaeyewear.com Dolce and Gabbana eyewear.

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