Guest Post: Dieting? Try These Easy Nutrition Tips!

The dictionary defines the word “diet” as what we eat, but if you’re on a diet in order to lose weight or for reasons of health, you’ll know that a diet is more a question of what you choose to eat and what you choose to avoid. Tell people that you’re on a diet and the tips come flying hard and fast at you – eat this, don’t eat that, stay away from this, you must include this, exercise intensively, don’t eat dinner, eat a large breakfast – and so on and so forth. I’m sure they all mean well, but a diet varies in efficacy according to a person’s mental and physical condition. So you may find that your friend loses more weight than you even though you both are on the same exercise program and diet – the combination of your genes, metabolism, body composition, stress, and hormone levels boosts or hinders effective weight loss.

The most important thing to remember when you’re on a diet is that your body is unique and that you must consider your needs rather than following fad diets or what works for others. Most people neglect nutrition when they’re on a diet – they figure that all they need to do to lose weight is to cut down on the calories they consume and get a little exercise every day. While this is true, if you eat foods with very little nutritious value, you find that your health starts to suffer – you fall ill more often, your bones become brittle and prone to breakage, your skin becomes dull and lifeless, and you feel listless and lethargic as opposed to energetic and enthusiastic.

So if you’re on a diet, ensure that your body does not crave nutrition with the following tips:

• Drink lots of water. Your body is made up mostly of water, and even though you’re not the kind to sweat a lot, drink at least one glass of water every hour. Water keeps your skin cool and your body hydrated. It prevents a host of medical complications like dehydration, constipation, and even common colds. Do not substitute water with sodas, coffee, tea or other sugary drinks – they only increase your chances of dehydration.
• Don’t follow fad diets that recommend only one kind of food group – while it may seem exciting to be able to eat all you want with an all-protein diet, your body is dangerously at risk for various diseases because of the loss of all-round nutrition.
• Choose to eat good carbohydrates that have whole grains and keep you feeling full for a longer time and which do not cause your blood sugar to fluctuate wildly – wholegrain bread, pasta and other foods that are not processed are good options.
• Don’t eliminate fat from your diet – fat is essential for the breakdown of food and in limited amounts, boosts weight loss and other beneficial functions of the human body. Some high fat foods that are good for you are almonds and other nuts (don’t salt them), fish with fatty acids, olive oil, and avocado.
• Avoid sugar, salt and other additives and preservatives – so eat fresh food as much as possible, choosing fruits and vegetables over juices and canned stuff.
• Never skip meals even though you’re not really hungry – eat an apple at dinner time if you’re not keen on other food and never miss breakfast because it helps boost your metabolism and gives you energy for the entire day ahead.
• And finally, include both cardio and strength training in your exercise routine to boost your fitness and improve your muscle and bone strength.

When you’re wise about nutrition, you find that your diet works much more effectively and efficiently.

By-line:

This article is contributed by Ashley M. Jones, who regularly writes on the subject of Pharmacist Technician Certification. She invites your questions, comments at her email address: ashleym.jones643@gmail.com.

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