Thus a nutritious diet is important in the prevention and cure of various diseases.

Healthy Food Groups
Since no single food group can nourish the body with all the vital ingredients it requires, it is important that we consume a variety of healthy foods to derive the nutrition our body needs. There are five main food groups, they are:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Cereals and Pulses
• Dairy
• Poultry, Fish and Meat products

A healthy balanced diet of these five food groups ensures essential vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. The food group serving size will depend upon various factors like age, activity level, body size and gender. It is also important that one eat a variety of foods from within and across the food groups. As some foods from within a food group provide more nutrients than others.

This will ensure that one gets the maximum recommended nutrition from the food group; besides the food variety will make for an interesting meal.

In conclusion, it must be noted that allopathic medicine treats the symptoms rather than the root cause of the disease, which is usually caused by wrong eating habits leading to an accumulation of toxins within the system. Whereas a nutritious diet can rectify underlying causes of diseases and restore one to wholeness of mind and body. Once we realize the connection between a wholesome balanced diet and good health, our food will be our medicine and maintaining good health will be a matter of making the right food choices and leading a healthy lifestyle.

Diet for Weight Loss

According to your height your ideal body should not be more than 47-48 kg. That means you need to lose the extra 17-18 kg which you have gained. Don’t aim to lose all this weight in a time span of just 30 days. It might be possible but it is not advisable. Try to lose 1kg per week that makes to 4 kg per month.  Remember weigh loss is a gradual process where diet and exercise goes hand in hand, stress on any one aspect will lead you no where, leaving you with a feeling of discouragement.

Follow these simple tips to lose weight –

• Eat small meals at frequent intervals. Avoiding both starving and binging. Eat slowly, that gives our body time to tell us that it is full before we’ve eaten more than we need.
• Avoid simple sugars and processed carbohydrates. Choose whole cereals or whole wheat products and avoid white flour and its products as far as possible. Eat healthy, mostly unprocessed foods, including fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and limited amounts of lean animal protein. This also includes fiber in your diet which makes you feel full soon and also moves fat through our digestive system faster so that less of it is absorbed.
• Consume at least 8-9 servings of fruits and vegetables including 1 green leafy vegetable daily.
• Eating salads is a healthy option, but don’t replace your meals only with salads, and be careful with salad dressings, mayonnaise, and other condiments that are high in fat content. They greatly increase the calorie count and can negate the healthy aspects of a meal.
• Avoid too much of deep fried, oily or fried foods. Include good proteins in the form of pulses, sprouts, milk, eggs, fish, and lean meats or de skinned chicken.
• The most important nutrient that is always forgotten is water. Drink sufficient water daily to keep yourself well hydrated.
• Keep in mind ‘fat free’ or ‘sugar free’ products do not mean calorie free. Make sure to read the food labels before any food item you consume. Be an aware customer.
• Physical activity or exercise is a very important criterion to remain fit and lose weight. Just a simple brisk walk for 40-45 minutes or stretching exercises for lower body will help. Exercise makes it possible to create a calorie deficit and lose weight without starving your body and slowing your metabolism.

Posted on December 21st, 2009 by admin
Filed under: Diet Tips