The Best Diet Of All - The Balanced Diet

The Balanced Diet

A healthiest diet of all is one that is balanced. This means eating the right amount of food for how active the you are, and eating a range of food from the five main food groups.

Including:

• carbohydrates, which contain lots of energy and nutrients and are found in starchy foods, such as bread, pasta and potatoes.

• protein, which helps the body to grow and repair itself, is found in meat, fish, beans and eggs

• fruit and vegetables

• milk and dairy foods

• foods that contain fat and sugar

Carbohydrates should make up about one-third of the daily diet as should fruit and vegetables. The rest of the diet may be split between protein and milk and dairy. Only a small amount of what is eaten every day should come from foods that are high in fat and sugar. 

Eating well is an important part of maintaining good health. Here's some practical tips how to cover the basics of healthy eating to help you make healthier choices:

TUCK INTO THE VEGGIES

Fruit and vegetables must be eaten, at least five portions of different types daily.

STARCHED 

Include some starchy foods in your meals as these provide energy.

HELLO LITTLE FISHY 

Include two portions of oily fish every week such as mackerel or sardines.

FAT ALERT

Avoid the sugars and fats, these are often found in snacks and processed foods.

SALT OVERLOAD

Salt should avoided as an condiment as it is naturally in most foods.

GET UP AND GET MOVING

Undertake active pursuits to achieve a healthy weight.

KEEP IT WATERED

Drink plenty of water, about six to eight glasses every day.

BREKKI IS A MUST 

breakfast should always be eaten as this provides the start-up energy for the day.

Remember what you put inside reflects on the outside,  food is our forgotten medicine.

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The Diets in Fashion in 2013 - Part 2 - The Fasting Diet

The Fasting Diet

The premiss of the fasting diet is to fast for short periods of time, such as 2 days of the week and then eat a healthy balanced diet for the other 5 days. I myself have tried fasting and it certainly work for me, I lost 5lbs and felt I had much more energy the days following.

Though it may not be the most practical diet, fasting can help the body to lose weight and to detox. How fasting is used for weight loss varies by diet. Some fasting diets involve drinking nothing but water or eating only raw foods for a period of one or more days, while others restrict food on alternate days. The fasting diet getting the headlines lately is the 5:2 approach as described above, so 5 days normal diet 2 days fasting - allowing yourself 500 calories on a fast day, for a women and 600 for a guy. When you fast, your body is forced to dip into energy stores to get the fuel it needs to keep going, so you will lose weight.

As you fast, your body will adjust by reducing your appetite, so you will initially feel less hungry. But once you have stopped fasting, your appetite hormones will kick back into gear and you may actually feel hungrier so the key is too eat one healthy balanced meal on fast days such as a lentil and squash salad and a glass of milk.

Fasting as a detox process.

Your body is naturally designed to remove toxins through the skin (by sweating), liver, colon, and kidneys. Although with today's environment and chemical, fat based diet our bodies are overloaded with toxins. Toxins from sugary drinks and processed food make out livers and kidneys work to the max but by fasting it gives our body a break from the digestion process and forces it into the healing and detox process. Clearing our bodies of toxins and giving us more energy and want for life.

Fasting For a longer life

Studies of fasting in both rodents and humans have indicated a connection between calorie restriction and length of lifespan. It is thought that by fasting and allowing the body to heal rather than process and digest, it can delay the onset of age related diseases such as stoke, cancer and heart disease.

Fasting is certainly the pop star of the diet world just now and information is widely available about the pros and cons of the diet. Check out the Michael Mosley documentary on BBC at www.thefastdiet.co.uk

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