The Practice of Dieting

Dieting is the practice of ingesting food in a regulated fashion to achieve or maintain a controlled weight. In most cases the goal is weight loss in those who are overweight or obese, but some athletes aspire to gain weight, usually in the form of muscle. Diets can also be used to maintain a stable weight. Dieting in children and young adults should be undertaken with extreme caution, as receiving adequate nutrition through a well-balanced diet is crucial during childhood and adolescence. Research shows that putting children on starvation or extreme diet can be harmful. The brain is unable to correlate taste with nutritional value, which is why such children may consistently overeat later in their life despite adequate nutritional intake. Physical exercise is also an important complement to dieting in securing weight loss. This is primarily for your physical well being though, as the energy burnt during physical exercise has only limited effect on weight loss. One hour of aerobic exercise for a man burns only enough calories to be the equivalent of 2 ounces of fat. Weight loss typically involves the loss of fat, water and muscle. As muscle tissue is denser than fat, fat loss results in increased loss of body volume compared with muscle loss. Reducing even 10% body fat can therefore have a dramatic effect on a persons body shape. Muscle loss during weight loss can be restricted by regularly lifting weights or doing push-ups, or other strength oriented exercises, and by maintaining sufficient protein intake. Persons on low-carbohydrate diets, and those doing particularly strenuous exercise, may wish to increase their protein intake. Any diet that fails to meet minimum nutritional requirements can threaten general health and physical fitness in particular. If a person is not well enough to be active, weight loss and good quality of life will be unlikely.

Learning Foods for Diet

The worst health problem faced by America today is obesity. People just like to eat, and in so doing, eat too much of the wrong foods which have been ill prepared. Learning the foods for dieting, and proper preparation of same, could be a major milestone in the fight against obesity. Too much red meats and fatty fried foods don't do much to help the problem. Poor eating habits also contribute to poor blood chemistry that can be dangerously high in cholesterol and triglycerides which can lead to blocked arteries. Another problem is that obese persons have a much greater chance of developing diabetes also. In dieting there are certain absolute rules to follow which help to insure success. Learning proper foods for diet will help to insure success. For instance, there are good carbohydrate and bad carbohydrate foods that should be kept in mind. Carbohydrate foods with a high glycemic index (bad carbs) should be avoided, while the carbohydrates with low glycemic index (good carbs) are acceptable. A dies to be effective must be medically and nutritionally sound, but if it is hard top live with, is not practical and in all probability will fail. It must be flexible and simple, with as few rules as possible. It should allow people to eat basically the way they want to eat, utilizing foods for dieting that will improve their
nutrition intake, which in turn will improve their blood chemistry. Ideally, it will be a regime that can be followed after reaching your proper weight, so as to insure maintenance of your losses over the long run. Too many diets end up with weight loss, but then regaining most if not all of the loss. This can be disappointing as well as demoralizing.

Healthy Foods for Diet

There are numerous diet plans on the scene today. One that is getting a lot of attention now is the raw food diet. A recent article in a publication credited the plan with not only helping a diabetic lose several pounds, but he also was able to drop his insulin shots, and all in a 30 day period. It's understandable that raw foods do have more natural nutrients than foods that are prepared by cooking, as the heat in the cooking process has a tendency to destroy some of the natural nutrients. A good balanced diet plan would be one with at least 75% raw food. A great plan is healthy and will help you succeed in weight loss and enjoy raw food. The plan must be simple, with as few rules as possible, and fun to follow. It must be realistic, have proper balance of protein, good fats and carbs, and be adaptable to the individual involved. You must enjoy any diet for it to be successful. Foods for diet may be raw versions of foods you are already familiar with, for instance guacamole, pesto, salsa, ice creams, hot chocolate, raw cheese and honey, raw granola, chocolate cake, or your favorite salad. Other fun foods you might like are goji berries, raw chocolate, young coconuts, etc. Some recipes in this diet can be complicated and should not be tried at first. The plan should be kept simple to start, and work up later. Smoothies with super foods, juices, and raw versions of foods you already know are helpful in the beginning. These can increase chances of success on the raw food diet.