How to plan a Healthy and Balanced Diet?

Posted on November 12, 2007 in Diet-Health

Dieting, for reasons known only too few myths propagated by careless media, is related to Obesity. However diet planning is not only for those who are overweight but also for those who are under weight. Technically speaking a balanced diet is helpful to everyone. But sticking to a diet has become such an issue in our busy lives that planning has become a very important element in taking up a diet regimen.

First let’s understand the reason why diet regimens fail. Most of them fail because they demand a sudden change in the way we eat, to the extent this diet plan starts interfering with our lifestyle. Many persons believe that diets are restrictive and are of long duration. And after termination of counseling, people generally tend to get back to their old eating habits, leading to gaining or losing weight. The physical and psychological challenges of such repeated weight fluctuations can be actually more harmful than being overweight or underweight.

Therefore planning a diet, which is normally called diet planning, becomes very important. Both dieticians and patients need to consider the following:

Individualization:
Weight control programs need to be individualized to fit into patient’s lifestyle and eating preferences. Individualization not only diminishes the thought of being deprived from favorite food but also encourages patients to follow the diet.

Variety in foods:
Variety in foods promises interest towards taking up the diet without any doubts in their minds. Even when they are going through the diet, they look forward to taking their foods rather than thinking of taking the food in disgust..

Energizing diet:
The minimum amount of energy required by any person is 1200Kcal. Consuming food that doesn’t give more that 1200 Kcal may result in loss of muscle than fat.

Realistic goal setting:
The maximum weight loss recommended is 2 pounds per week. Dieticians should keep this in mind and also explain the same to their patients to set goals that are realistic and healthy.

Behavioral Adjustments:
The patients who are taking up diet must be ready to accept the behavioral changes that will be advised or that will be required. Making this clear to the patient helps them to accept the changes while they are coming. This is one of the keys to maintain a healthy diet.

Regular Exercise:
Exercise is as much a part of diet as is food. Most people assume that diet is to replace the hard work involved in exercise. Any balanced diet will give quick results when associated with regulated exercise. However few people tend to overdo exercise, which results in excess usage of energies and probably lead to more food consumption.

The few points mentioned above should help anyone to understand that dieting is not as easy as is assumed. But it is not as hard as is made to believe. The fact that many people just like you and me should encourage us to take up dieting. However, some planning absolutely helps in shedding or gaining weight for a healthy state of mind.

Comments

One Response to “How to plan a Healthy and Balanced Diet?”

  1. P. Smith on June 23rd, 2009 4:43 pm

    I’ve been having problems subscribing to this feed. It lets me subscribe and it loads in the rss reader program I use (which is netnewswire for mac) but it’s not showing new posts. A few duplicates too. Am I using the wrong url perhaps?

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