In nutrition, the diet is usually the sum of all food ingested by an organism or individual. The diet of an average human usually consists of meat, poultry, fish, eggs, legumes, and root crops. Some experts believe that the typical American diet lacks essential vitamins and nutrients, leading to a variety of diseases. The best diet for you depends on your lifestyle and age, as well as your personal preferences.
A diet high in fats is usually associated with high levels of blood cholesterol, which can lead to heart disease. For this reason, many people choose to limit their intake of fats, particularly saturated fats like those found in some types of margarine. Saturated fats have been shown to raise the risk of heart disease and certain cancers, while consuming foods low in fat can lower your cholesterol levels and reduce your risk of chronic diseases including diabetes, obesity, tooth decay, heart disease, and osteoporosis.
Another example of a controversial diet is the low-carb diet, sometimes called the Atkins diet. This diet restricts one’s intake of carbohydrates, which are the body’s source of energy. The logic behind this diet is that the body cannot survive on carbohydrates alone, so one needs to eat more protein to get its energy. To go along with this, some dieters reduce their intake of fatty acids like those found in fish oil.
The goal of a healthy diet is to keep the body’s metabolic rate within the normal range. If the metabolic rate is too high, it means that the body is functioning too hard, and the calories are not burned off. On the other hand, a slow-burning diet, such as the low-fat, low-calorie diet, speeds up the metabolic rate and ensures that enough calories are burned off to maintain the body’s health. A healthy diet should be balanced, meaning that a percentage of the diet should be taken from fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and whole grains.
The consumption of food containing sufficient amounts of nutrients, at the right proportions, is also important in achieving a balanced diet. Foods that are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber are good for the body. These include green leafy vegetables (especially dark green leafy vegetables), sweet potatoes, yams, sweet peas, avocados, bananas, apples, garlic, spinach, mushrooms, and walnuts. Meats are good but should be carefully monitored: too much fat can lead to clogged arteries and obesity. In addition, foods that are rich in antioxidants can protect the body against free radicals that cause aging, heart disease, cancer, and other diseases.
Eating healthy requires that you eat in small portions. This is not as easy as it sounds since everyone tends to overeat when they are happy. Nonetheless, if you are aiming for a healthy lifestyle, you have to find a way to limit your food intake, especially if you are still growing. The trick is to eat small portions at regular intervals throughout the day. Small frequent feedings allow the body to break down the food gradually, reducing the amount of fat and calories you consume and increasing the efficiency with which your body converts the food into energy.