Eat Right to Fight Obesity
Having the right diet is necessary for people to keep those extra pounds at bay. Diet therapy can work wonders for those who want to control weight and be in great shape. This line of defense against weight gain does not involve starvation or eating less. However, one needs to watch what they eat and in what quantity one eats.
Obesity can be controlled by following the right diet plan. Different people have different approaches to dieting. There are a number of ways in which one can control their intake of proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and fat.
Eating the right kind of foods and having the right quantity is necessary to control body weight. Having a balanced diet is crucial to ensure that one gets all the essential nutrients, including minerals, complex carbohydrates, proteins, fat and vitamins. The metabolic rate of the body can be increased by as much as 30% with the intake of proteins.
Moreover, inclusion of protein is necessary as it can balance the release of insulin by aiding in the secretion of the pancreatic hormone glucagons, which in turn, helps in mobilizing fats from body tissues, thereby leading to weight loss. Having balanced diet is also vital to have steady blood sugar levels and also to enhance the ability to burn the calories for losing good amount of body weight.
Food Guidelines
Following are some of the food guidelines, which if followed, can give good results to help people cut down their flab and regain good body shape.
- It is important to include foods with high-fiber content and have good level of complex carbohydrates. Given that these foods make the body feel full sooner and it takes time to digest them, it is better to incorporate such foods in the diet for watching weight gain.
- Most nutritionists’ recommend higher intake of raw or lightly cooked vegetables as they are good in providing vital nutrients without adding any fat.
- When including proteins in the diet, it is good to check the protein content in the foods you take. Incorporate proteins with lower amounts of saturated fat, including beans and dry peas.
- Avoid having heavy meal at night. In stead have small meals in the middle of the day since food taken during that time can be easily digested or absorbed. Burning calories can become easy when taken during the day time.
- Drink plenty of water to prevent your body from getting dehydrated. Increase the intake of juices, milk and other beneficial beverages to get the required water content.
- Avoid going on a crash diets as that might increase your risk of developing eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia.
Food Recommendations
Include lot of vegetables and food items with high content of complex carbohydrates such as plain baked potatoes, lentils, tofu, sesame seeds, beans, brown rice and whole grains. Having low fat protein such as chicken breast, white fish and skinless turkey is also good for health. Incorporate lot of leafy vegetables in your diet such as cabbage, cauliflower, celery, green beans, cucumbers, onions, lettuce, spinach, turnips, radishes, carrots, broccoli and kale.
Green vegetables are a good source of proteins, amino acids and minerals like potassium and iron. Consumption of low carbohydrate and juicy fruits such as grapefruit, cantaloupe, strawberries and watermelon can also help people to have healthy skin. Nutritional supplements such as zinc, B vitamins, chromium and vitamin supplements can also help a person to become healthy.
Choose foods that increase the metabolism rate and also help in regulating the weight. People who love to have good amount of animal products can include cold-pressed flax oil to maintain the right hormonal balance. Pour a few teaspoons of flax oil every day on your food or take crushed flaxseed to aid in the digestion process.
Avoid taking food that are rich in calories like bananas, cherries, corn, figs, grapes, green peas, hominy, pears, pineapple, sweet potatoes, white rice and yams. If you want to normalize the body weight then you can also take raw goat’s milk. Consumption of celery and carrot sticks, low-fat cheese topped with fresh applesauce and walnuts, rice cakes and unsweetened yoghurt can be taken but not in high quantity.
Limit the intake of food products containing essential fatty acids to no more than twice a week. Excessive intake of foods including avocados, olive oil, raw nuts, seeds, corn germ and wheat germ can lead to deposit of fat in the body. Also learn about the products that contain small amounts of essential fatty acids.
Avoid greasy foods and alcohol as it only adds more calories and inhibits the burning of calories from fat deposits. Foods containing animal fat or fried stuff should also be avoided to control weight. Exercising daily can keep the body healthy and fine. Keep a track of what you eat and how much you eat each day to effectively devise a treatment program that can prevent you from putting on extra weight.