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Eat right

OK, the big Christmas extended feast is over, and you've put on a few pounds. Perhaps you've been a little "too heavy" for some time. So this is it – time for the diet. You're going to cut out all starches, or all sugars, or eat only green foods, and keep careful notes, and you're going to drop ten pounds in two weeks.

No, you're not. Healthy eating has to be sustainable. It has to be something you won't get bored with and cheat on. Fad diets simply don't work – you might lose a few pounds, but your metabolism compensates, so in the long run you may end up worse off than you started. And the more you make yourself feel deprived, the more you will crave unhealthy foods.

The way to feel healthy and happy is to eat a balanced, healthy diet – then your metabolism will function properly and you won't feel overly hungry. And, with the help of some physical activity (see the "Exercise more" section in this feature), you should be able to reduce your weight by 5% to 10% over six months or so – which is a realistic goal and a good pace for those who need to lose weight. If you weigh 160 pounds, 5% of your weight is 8 pounds – imagine eight one-pound bricks of butter. That's quite a bit to take off your body!

But that leaves us with the question, what is a balanced, healthy diet? Here are some more general guidelines for how to eat the right amount to achieve and maintain a healthy weight – and overall good health:

  • Fruits and vegetables: Eat more! The odds are very good that you don't eat enough fruits and vegetables. And, no, that sugar-filled beverage with "10% real fruit" doesn't count. At mealtime, try to fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables. You need variety; try an assortment of different fruits and vegetables each day. Keep things interesting with a variety of fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruits and vegetables. The more colour you see on your plate (green, red, yellow, orange), the better the range of nutrients you will be getting.
  • Starchy carbohydrates: Believe it or not, you probably need to eat more of these. The catch is that you don't want to add fat to your diet at the same time. Baked potatoes are fine. Mashed potatoes are OK, but are usually made with butter and consumed with gravy, so watch out. Potato chips are not the best thing and should be avoided. Corn, oats, pasta, rice, unsweetened breakfast cereals – all are fine. Those nice, crunchy whole-grain products such as oatmeal, quinoa, and whole grain bread, rice or pasta are the best kind. In addition to being a great source of fibre, vitamins and minerals, they will keep you feeling full longer.
  • Protein foods: The key words here are "less" and "fat." You should probably eat a bit less of these than you do – you don't need large amounts to meet your nutritional needs. Try to choose plant-based protein foods such as beans, lentils and tofu, more often: these are often lower in fat and provide more fibre. Choose lean cuts of meat and lower-fat dairy products when you can. But beware! People often compensate for the lack of fat by adding salt or sugars. Get some variety to keep interesting – it's easy to get bored with chicken six times a week. Try to have fish once or twice a week.
  • Fats and sugars: Of course, these are the things that taste so good... but we eat far more of them than we need to. Almost half of the Canadian population eats too much saturated fat. Many packaged foods also contain added sugars so it’s easy to consume too much. Diets that are high in sugar and saturated fat are one of the top risk factors obesity and conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. When cooking at home, make sure you don't make up for less of one by having more of the other. Add spices and herbs if you want more flavour.

All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2024. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/healthfeature/gethealthfeature/Keep-Your-Resolutions

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