We all learned about a balanced diet in the 4th grade. However, we never got around to implementing. Folks, today, eat healthily and are still the target of numerous deficiency diseases. The culprit, you may ask? Unbalanced diet! While healthy foods contain a lot of vitamins and minerals, they do not contain all. Living solely on leafy or green vegetables can be harmful to you, as they would not provide your body with healthy fats or proteins.
Similarly, living solely on meat will not provide you with any number of vitamins your body needs. For instance, sailors used to get bleeding and swollen gums while on a voyage. It was soon discovered this was due to a deficiency of Vitamin C as no citrus fruits were carried on the ships, as they would spoil quickly. That is why a balanced diet is vital, as it ensures all necessary vitamins and nutrients are consumed.
Four Tranquil Ways To Maintain Your Balanced Diet
Try these four easy ways to maintain a balanced diet:
Calculate Your Calories:
You need not only take the essential nutrients but take them in specific amounts as well. This is where a calorie calculator comes in handy. It calculates the exact number of calories the food you are about to consume contains.
The general formula for calculating the number of calories you need to take to maintain your present bodyweight is:
The total weight of your body x 12= Number of calories you need to consume.
If you are looking to lose weight, subtract 500 to decrease one pound or kg per week. Meaning to lose 2 pounds/kg per week deduct 1000, for three pounds per week minus 1500 and so forth.
Similarly, for gaining weight, add 500 for each pound you wish to gain per week.
Eat by The Pyramid:
We have all studied the food pyramid in our schools. It consisted of meats, oil, fruits, grains, vegetable and dairy products. It highlighted the essential food groups that you must consume for a healthy and balanced diet. The USDA recommends different amount of foods should be consumed for a different amount of calorie requirements. Their pyramid scheme highlights the exact amount of all the above food groups for some ranges of required calorie intake.
Use this pyramid to your advantage and plan your meals ahead of time that contains the exact amount of food as mentioned in it.
Divide Your Plate:
When you serve out food, it is easy to horde it all in your plate. Even if you do not hoard it, you will likely take more of what you like as compared to tasteless vegetables. You must make portions of your food. Reserve half the plate for leafy or crunchy vegetables, Divide the rest into two quarters and reserve one for meat and the other for starchy vegetables.
Take Supplements:
Due to some health issues, you might not be able to consume a nutrient, or your diet might not prove to be sufficient to improve your health. In this case, you can take food supplements that will add additional nutritional value to your diet. Some folks like old folks or those who do bodybuilding might require more nutrients than any regular diet can afford. Hence, they need to take supplements. Supplements are not meant to replace any food group and should be taken as a secondary nutrient. It ensures that you at least hit the minimum count of nutrients. They are available for proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals.
Everything you need to know about supplements is discussed in detail by the folks at Total Shape.com. They highlight the risks, dosage as well as the advantages of such supplements. They provide you with a view of how supplements will help you.…
