Beating obesity: How To Maintain A Healthy Diet

By Kat Fuschillo
Writer for FEP International

Knowing about the food you eat, is key to maintaining a balanced diet and a normal healthy weight. The better your food education, the less likely you are to eat fatty junk foods. Eating the right diet isn't just great for losing weight, but it's also great for your health. Read on to find out more about the foods you eat and how you can change your diet and improve your health.

Many people still know very little about the foods they eat. A bad food education is one of the most common causes of obesity today. Many children and even some adults have no idea about weight management, know little about calories and fat content, or the nutritional values of the foods they eat.

What is my daily calorie allowance?

The average man should be consuming around 2000 calories a day, and women only need around 1500. Your daily caloric need will be more or less depending on your height, age, and activity level. Try counting your calories and work out how many you're consuming on average. You should aim for 400-500 calories during each meal, which leaves a few extra for snacks and drinks throughout the day. If you're suffering from obesity, you may find that you're eating far more than your daily recommendation. Don't be alarmed. Try to gradually reduce your daily intake, and aim to hit your daily allowance within the next couple of weeks.

Did you know... there are over 1200 calories in a Big Mac meal? That's almost the entire daily allowance for a woman. Once you start counting calories, you'll be amazed at how many you'll find in fatty junk foods [1].

Fruit and vegetables...

We should all be eating at least 5 servings/pieces of fruit and vegetables each day. How many do you eat? Two, three, or maybe even none? Fruit and vegetables need to be an essential part of your diet. Eating 5 portions does sound like a lot, but you can start with 2 or 3, and build up slowly to 5 a day. There are so many fruits and vegetables you can choose from and they can all be served variety of ways [2].

Taking steps to overcome obesity...

You can improve your diet and start losing weight by cutting down on the following:
- Saturated fats
- Foods with a high sugar content
- Fatty junk foods
- Processed carbohydrates

Making some small changes...

Don't worry, you don't have to change your diet overnight. Instead, you need to take small steps that will improve your diet and overall heath. Here are some quick changes you can make to your diet plan:
- Switch from whole fat milk to semi-skimmed or soya
- Buy low-fat or calories reduced alternatives
- Drink water and pure fruit juices instead of soft drinks
- Try high fiber breakfast cereals

These are very small changes, but you'll be amazed at well they work.

You need to aim for a weekly weight loss of 1 – 2 pounds each week. A healthy balanced diet and daily physical activity will help you start to lose weight at a safe rate [3].

References

1. McDonalds calories – http://www.weightlossforall.com/mcdonalds-calories-list.htm. Accessed Aug 12, 2009.

2. 5 A DAY portion information – http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/Healthimprovement/FiveADay/FiveADayGeneralInformation/DH_4001494. Accessed Aug 12, 2009.

3. Obesity & Diet – http://www.dietsurf.com/obesity_diets.htm. Accessed Aug 12, 2009.

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