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Dieting refers to the controlled intake of food
and drink designed for weight loss this could be for health or religious
reasons, or to control or improve a medical condition. In this case we
shall be focusing on the use of diet to prevent certain diseases or at least
control those diseases.
A healthy diet is important as it could help maintain health
by preventing loss of muscle strength, bone mass, and vitamin deficiency
states. It also helps to prevent diseases such as ulcers, heart attacks,
strokes, obesity, osteoporosis and even certain cancers. Diets may also
help control and/or treat chronic diseases and conditions such as high
blood pressure. Diabetes mellitus and celiac disease.
Many times we ignore the importance of eating healthy foods
and would rather indulge in eating all sorts of unhealthy comfort foods
that more often than not affect our health negatively.
To be able to maintain good health, the body requires
carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals to maintain healthy
organs, bones, muscles, nerves, and to produce hormones and chemicals that
are necessary for the proper function of organs.
Vitamins and minerals are naturally occurring substances
that are essential for the growth and function of the body. Vitamins and
minerals are both necessary (in small amounts) for normal chemical
reactions otherwise called metabolism, in the body.
Vitamin
supplements are not only used to prevent deficiencies but also used to
prevent diseases. Certain vitamin supplements (such as folic acid, vitamin
B6, and B12) have been used to lower blood levels of homocysteine, which
may help prevent heart attacks. Folic acid fortification in cereals and
vitamin supplements has been found to decrease the risk of birth defects in women of childbearing age.
Obesity and heart attacks are major public-health problems.
Therefore, most dietary recommendations are aimed at preventing these
diseases. Obesity is caused by eating more calories than the body burns.
Obesity, in turn, can be a cause of many diseases such as heart disease,
diabetes, liver disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, gout, gallstones,
and certain cancers.
To lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, one needs to
eat more low-energy-dense foods. These Low-energy-dense foods (such as
vegetables and fruits) contain few calories per unit volume of food so that
one can eat a large volume of it (for example, lettuce) without taking in
many calories. One should also eat less of the high-energy-dense foods such
as fats, egg yolks, fried foods, sweets, and high-fat salad dressings.
Foods with a high energy density also often have high cholesterol
and saturated fat content. One should also eat less of those foods that
provide calories but little other nutrients, such as alcohol and many packaged
snack foods.
For ailments such as
Obesity, reduced ration of food is important. That you eat more low
fatty/sugar foods doesn’t mean you should wolf down mighty portions of it. Reduction
of ration should be a priority. There are certain urges we may have to eat
certain unhealthy foods, in those cases if you have the tendency of being
obese, try to chew on high mint gums, they keep your mouth busy and subdues
the craving.
In fact, alcohol particularly affects our physical health by
causing problems with the kidneys and liver and in other cases diabetes. It
also affects our psychological health. This is because it proves addictive
to heavy drinkers. They may begin to get destructive which will affect
their mental balance and may even confine them to rehabilitation centers.
A healthy diet should be able to emphasize fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products. Also,
diets should include lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and be
low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added
sugars. Diets
low in simple sugar are important in controlling blood glucose levels in
people with diabetes mellitus. Eating whole
grains help in keeping you full yet minimizing your risk of high
carbohydrate.
One thing we should underestimate
is the power of exercises. Whether you choose to go for a run or engage in
physical activities in your home, you should do something that will keep
you active and help keep you fit.
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