The Perfect Diet

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Posted on November 4, 2019

There are thousands of diets out there to lose weight, gain weight, be thin, be muscular, and so forth. But what is the healthiest one? Each person requires a certain diet due to his or her medical conditions, genes, and more. But in general, the best one will consider the intake of calories each day, the quality of food, and having balanced meals. All these factors will be considered in depth in the following paragraphs.

Intake of calories

Ideally, you should burn off as many or more calories you consume in order to be in good shape. A normal daily diet usually consists of 2,000 calories per day. You can count how many calories you take in each day and track whether or not you have burned off that many or more. There are countless mobile applications that allow you to calculate these numbers. But if you do not want to count calories constantly, make sure you eat just until you feel satisfied and that you exercise in some form daily. Everything from walking to lifting weights helps to burn calories (Harvard Health Publishing).

Quality of food

Sometimes we get so lost in counting calories that we forget about the quality of the food we are consuming. In fact, the substance of our food is often more essential to maintaining a healthy weight than looking at how many calories we are taking in. According to the School of Public Health of Harvard, “In a study of over 120,000 healthy women and men spanning 20 years, researchers determined that weight change was most strongly associated with the intake of potato chips, potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages, and both processed and unprocessed red meats. The researchers concluded that consumption of processed foods higher in starches, refined grains, fats, and sugars can increase weight gain. Foods shown to be associated with weight loss were vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts, and yogurt” (“The Best Diet: Quality Counts”). This means we should cut down on junk and processed foods in order to sustain an optimal diet.

Balanced meals

There have been many recommendations over the eons about what a healthy meal should consist of. Some say the more colors in it the better. But maybe a more practical tip is to have these ingredients, as summarized according to the School of Public Health of Harvard:

  1. Healthy oils, such as olive oil and canola oil, for cooking and salads
  2. Plenty of vegetables, excluding potatoes and potato-based foods
  3. Fruits of all different colors
  4. An ample of water, with some tea or coffee (preferably with not so much sugar or none at all)
  5. 1-2 servings of dairy products per day
  6. Only one glass a day of juice, doing your best to stay away from sugary drinks
  7. A multitude of whole grains while limiting the intake of refined grains
  8. Fish, poultry, beans, and nuts over red meat, cheese, bacon, and processed meat

It is also recommended to fill half of your plate with either vegetables or fruit or both. The other half comprises whole grains and healthy protein foods, with oils in moderation. On the side, you can drink water (two liters a day) and have a glass of juice, tea, or coffee during the day. Lastly, it is essential to be active in order to burn off calories and to keep a healthy body weight and be in proper shape (“Healthy Eating Plate”).

Creating the perfect diet is not too difficult. Through watching your intake of calories, monitoring the quality of the food you consume, and filling your plates with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy oils, proper protein, and drinking enough beneficial liquids, you can maintain an ideal diet. Exercise has to be in the equation, though. You cannot be in proper shape with just a healthy diet. Being active makes sure your diet works for you in the most effective way.

Works Cited
Harvard Health Publishing. “The Perfect Diet.” Harvard Health, www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-weight-loss/the-perfect-diet.
“Healthy Eating Plate.” The Nutrition Source, 22 May 2019, www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-eating-plate/.
“The Best Diet: Quality Counts.” The Nutrition Source, 15 Mar. 2018, www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-weight/best-diet-quality-counts/.

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