Safe Dieting

An alarming amount of Americans are overweight and the rate of obesity in both adults and children in the country has never been higher. But what exactly is it that has waistlines expanding? And more importantly how do we get back to our ideal body weight in a safe and healthy way?

Well, first things first we need to identify what exactly constitutes healthy eating and weight control. It is not starving yourself, nor is it eliminating food groups that provide essential nutrients. A healthy diet is something that can be implemented into your daily routine for long term weight maintenance. It should be well-rounded and include all four food groups as outlined by the FDA.

Your body relies on foods from all four groups as each one provides its own set of essential nutrients for optimal body health and function. Not only do these nutrients build and strengthen tendons, muscles and bones, they also help control blood pressure.

A healthy, well-rounded diet also decreases your risk of illness. Foods, such as vegetables and fruit, can reduce the risk of cancers, strokes and heart disease. And for individuals perhaps already battling a specific illness or disease, well, a healthy well-rounded diet could help you to control the symptoms and perhaps even keep the sickness at bay. For example, healthy eating can help diabetics control their blood sugar.

So with so many different diets out there promising to help you drop 10 pounds in just a week or two, how do you know which ones are safe and will give you results? Well, there are a few key dieting principals that can quickly weed out the good ones from the bad. Below are several questions you should ask yourself before pursuing any new diet regime:

• Does the diet include all four food groups? You should always eat food from all food groups.
• Does the diet encourage drinking lots of water? Water is essential to any diet.
• Is weight loss more than 3-5 pounds a week? Anything more than this is too much restriction and weight loss will be from water and muscle loss rather than fat. Furthermore it’s unhealthy to lose too much weight too quickly.

Perhaps the best method to achieving healthy sustainable weight loss is making your own diet regime. By doing the research yourself and finding your healthy recipes, this will allow you to incorporate foods into your diet that you enjoy and say away from the ones that make you green. This will help you to stick with it. A few things to keep in mind when designing your own weight loss program are:

1. Portion control is the most important. Ensure that you understand exactly what a serving means.
2. Diet alone is not enough. Ensure you’re getting enough exercise.
3. Talk to your doctor. He or she will ensure that your goals and method are both safe and attainable.

Comments

4 Comments

Dustin2
February 8th, 2010

I have just recently decided to learn more about all things detox. I have been eating unhealthy foods for years and wish to repair all the damage. Your site has inspired me to make the proper changes! Thank you!

Barbara79
February 5th, 2010

Today, I am about to attempt a detox dinner. Wish me luck, thanks for the great tips.

AnnaW
January 31st, 2010

I am new to dieting, but I believe I have waited long enough to start eating healthy and exercising. Seems like I have lots to learn.

777Jane
January 24th, 2010

I had a rude awakening after years of eating junk food and processed foods. Today, I feel much better thanks to reading about detox methods. Thanks.

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