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Written by Rebecca Vitali
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Sunday, 13 April 2008 |
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Everyone is thinking about diet this time of year. Time to think about bathing suit weather. To have a healthy diet, consume your food from the four basic food groups. Think about eating them in proper proportions and you will lose weight. If you are an average person, not too large or too small, you will most likely consume about 2000-2500 calories a day. The best proportions are 50% of your calories will be carbohydrates, 30% will come from fat (some fat is good for you) and 20% will come from lean proteins.
by RebeccaVitali
Everyone is thinking about diet this time of year. Time to think about bathing suit weather. To have a healthy diet, consume your food from the four basic food groups. Think about eating them in proper proportions and you will lose weight. If you are an average person, not too large or too small, you will most likely consume about 2000-2500 calories a day. The best proportions are 50% of your calories will be carbohydrates, 30% will come from fat (some fat is good for you) and 20% will come from lean proteins.
Everyone has heard about carbohydrates. But they are not all bad. Carbs are your main source of energy. From simple sugars like glucose and fructose, that rapidly break down in your system. Your body starts processing sugar minutes after you eat it. It is complex carbs you want to have in your diet. Starches, like a nice potato, take longer to break down and are healthy in moderation.
Fats have a bad rap. Fats are chemically on par with carbohydrates. They contain fatty acids that are essential to health. When you consume Proteins they are lysed (split) in order to create amino acids. The amino acids are then recombined to make up the proteins used in muscles and other parts of the body.
Most folks consume meat as their main source of protein, though a vegetarian has other options to consider. The average person should have 3 ounces of protein per meal. Then round this out with two cups of leafy greens for your fiber, vitamins and mineral portion and a cup of pasta for your carbohydrates.
So a basic balanced meal is easy to fix. You can make it up simply from a serving of meat or other protein source, starchy carbohydrates such as pasta, rice, corn or potatoes, and fruit. Just go easy on the butter and condiments, like cheese, sauces and other sources of sugar or fat.
Fat has nine calories per gram. This is a whopping double amount when compared to other energy sources. This is why you need to consider keeping foods high in fat down to moderate levels. If you are watching your cholesterol levels, this is imperative.
Carbohydrates, on the other hand have just four calories per gram. Some of our favorites are fruits (strawberries, apples, pears), nuts (pistachios, macadamia, walnuts. Try to avoid fatty peanuts or cashews) and grains (they supply fiber and minerals).
The fat and sugar content in candy is why it is bad for you, if you are on a diet. If you want to consume then you must only eat very modest portions. I have a bag of individually wrapped snickers in my drawer and eat one, at the most two per day. Since candy is designed as high in fat and sugar, its biggest drawback is that it also is lower in helpful nutrients. So they provide enormous calories and fewer other nutrients.
Making a list of items you consume will show you the relative amounts of helpful nutrients - and how many calories each contains. Putting a little arithmetic into your diet plan will help you reduce the number you obsess over - your weight.
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