HEALTHY DIET PLANS - TYPES, HOW TO ACHIEVE THEM AND BENEFITS OF GOOD DIET PLANS
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A healthy diet plans is a well thought out meal plan meant to keep your health in check as well as improve on it. It provides your body with the required amounts of various nutrients that are meant to support your body’s health.
To maintain a healthy diet plans, one needs to consume enough calories- almost the same as your body uses, adequate amounts of fats; preferably unsaturated fats, a high consumption of plant foods e.g. fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains etc. as well as reduced intakes of sugar and salts.
A diet is simply the sum amount of drinks and foods you consume habitually on daily basis. People regularly go into dieting for various reasons. Determining factors include; weight loss, health issues i.e. diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart diseases, and beliefs. As much as diets are meant to be healthy, some disobey the rules and indulge in western or junk food diets which are unhealthy.
Your body requires energy to function efficiently and to keep you alive. This energy is obtained from the foods you consume in your diet. Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are such foods. As for mineral and vitamins, they’re considered as supplement nutrients and they are as important as any other nutritional foods.
A healthy diet plans naturally involves a balanced diet which includes all nutritional foods. It is beneficial in that it helps in preventing certain diseases. Such diseases include heart-related illnesses, diabetes, as well as stroke and can also reduce the chances of developing cancer. In case you fall ill and you take up a healthy diet plans, chances of recovering quickly are high. It also helps in preventing lifestyle diseases such as obesity.
As earlier said, a healthy diet plans is comprises of vegetables, fruits and starch which provide the bulk for your meals. Proteins and fats are the other components of a healthy diet plans. It should be noted that foods and drinks with high sugar content and saturated fats should be avoided at all cost.
There are various types of healthy diet plans which include;
1. Vegetarian diet; this diet excludes any consumption of meat.
Most vegetarian dieters are lacto-ovo-vegetarians, i.e. they don’t consume animal-based foods exclusive of eggs, dairy and honey. Studies show vegetarians have lower body weights, have longer life expectancy and have lower risks of falling ill.
1. Vegan diet; involves non-consumption of any animal by-products.
Vegans adopt this diet for more reasons than health. They believe that modern farming methods are not good for our environment as well as sustainability. Thus they also chose this diet for environmental reasons as well as for compassion towards the animals.
1. Mediterranean diet; this is a diet based on the eating habits of some Southern European Countries.
The diet emphasizes on intake of lots of plant foods, fresh fruits as desert, nuts, beans, olive oil, seeds and cereals as dietary fats, yoghurt and cheese as the main dairy foods, moderate amounts of fish and poultry and low consumption of red meat and wine as well. This diet has been incorporated by countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
1. Weight watchers diet; this is a diet for those looking out for their weight and want to lose some pounds.
Weight watchers focus on losing weight through what they eat, by exercising and through a support network. The food nutrients considered are proteins, fats, carbohydrates and fiber.
1. Atkins diet; it entails intake of low-carbohydrate foods.
It is desired to control the levels of insulin in our bodies. If carbohydrates are consumed in large amounts, the levels of insulin will rise and fall rapidly. Most people who follow this diet tend to consume large amounts of proteins than normally.
1. Low-carb diet; this diet restrict consumption of carbohydrates found in some foods.
It mainly improves health and aids in weight loss. People who incorporate this diet avoid sugar, wheat, seeds, processed foods and low-fat products and take foods highly rich in proteins, fats and gluten free grains.
1. Paleo diet; this diet is based on the eating habits during the Paleolithic era by man.
The idea behind this diet type is simply eating lots of lean meat, berries, fresh fruits, and non-starchy vegetables like our caveman ancestors did.
1. Low-fat diet; this diet inhibits intake of fats, often unsaturated fats and cholesterol.
Reduced intake of fats in your diet makes it easier to cut calories. The intention of the diet is to reduce heart diseases and obesity. Low fat intake also results into reduced total and LDL (bad) cholesterol, which is connected to high risk of heart diseases and increased HDL (good) cholesterol.
1. Raw food diet; involves intake of non-processed food and drinks.
This diet comprises of consumption of raw uncooked foods.
1. Other different types of diet may include; slim fast diet, high and low protein diet, south beach diet, the zone diet, among many more.
Various healthy diet plans can be categorized according to the calorie intakes. 1200 calorie intake diet plan, 1500 calorie intake diet plan all the way up to 2200 calorie intake diet. This is dependent on the different foods you consume during the meal times and the specific amounts you take of each nutritional food. To come up with a definite healthy diet plan on the amount of calories you take, it is advisable to create a meal plan to help you stay in range.
Achieving a healthy diet plan is not complicated as it may sound. To make sure that you accomplish this there are guidelines to follow. This includes;
Consuming a variety of foods. It should be noted not all nutrients in food are of good health. So when you eat various types of foods, it will help in ascertaining that you also eat the right kind of nutrients that will contribute to good health.
Keeping the portions you consume on watch. This is especially in the case of caloric foods intake such as carbs.
Eating plenty of farm foods, i.e. whole fruits and vegetables. Nutrients and fiber found in these foods are healthy and they aid in preventing diseases and cancers. Choose whole fruits over their drinks since the drinks contain too much sugar which is not good for your health.
Eat more whole grains. Whole grains such as oat and barley are good for your health because they retain bran and germ thus all nutrients and fiber of the grains are available.
Limit intake of refined grains and added sugar. These foods have little or lack dietary value since most of the good nutrients have been extracted. Candy and sugar sweetened beverages are not healthy at all sine they are rich in calories which will only lead to weight gain.
Consume more of fish, eggs, nuts and vegetable oils. They contain healthy unsaturated fats hence increases HDL cholesterol in the body and even though they’re rich in calories, they do not promote weight gain.
Minimize intake of animal fat. These are saturated fats and tend to cause bad cholesterol in your body. Instead of red meat, you could substitute with lean meat or white meat.
Maintain sodium levels low and potassium levels up. Excess sodium raises blood pressure thus if you suffer from hypertension, diabetes or kidney diseases, you should cut down on sodium intake. Potassium on the other hand lowers blood pressure.
Keep calcium and vitamin D in check. They’re essential for bone development. Get calcium from dairy products which are low-fat and vitamin from foods rich in the nutrient or take supplements to meet the required intake.
Choose foods over supplements. As much as it may be difficult to obtain the right amounts of vitamin and mineral nutrients from foods, they’re healthier. Despite these two vital nutrients, foods contain a whole lot more of other nutrients which are good for your health.
Reduced alcohol consumption. In case you do drink, do so in moderation. High intakes of alcohol only causes health issues. It is therefore advisable to drink required amounts of alcohol since it is considered beneficial for the heart.
Drink healthy beverages. This include water, coffee and tea. Water helps prevent hydration while tea and coffee are antioxidants. The drinks have health benefits compared to alcoholic drinks and sugary beverages.
A healthy diet plan is made up of all the vital meals meant to be taken throughout the day i.e. breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Inconsistency in following the healthy diet plan is usually the greatest challenge people face. To get by, it is advisable to personalize the Low Carbohydrate Diet and set health goals you would like to achieve. You could also keep track of the calorie and nutrients you consume on daily basis to ensure you get positive results.
The importance of a healthy diet plans is that it helps keeping track of what you consume and its health benefits. You are also able to identify what’s not good for your health and keep away from them. You also adopt a new and healthier lifestyle which means reduced risks of getting sick. With a variety of healthy diet plans, you accomplish different goals. Therefore, you can choose to incorporate your own health diet plans as long as you ensure consistency. At the end of the day, a good healthy diet plans means good body health.
