There was a time when people used to diet generously to lose weight, some got results some not . Some people continued it, some became frustrated and got back to their old schedule. Sadly speaking most people don't even know what the dieting is? They just know this much that" dieting is to not eat enough food which will make them thin but they don't understand that they are getting thin but they are also achieving emotional, mental and physical weakness. I sympathise with these people because they don't know what to do and I was also once the same as they are.
It was in my early twenties I got to know what the proper dieting is. It is to eat food which is full of essential nutrients and least of non essential elements along with proper exercise and a positive mental attitude. But people who are eating as per earlier definition of dieting are not losing fat but actually gaining fat in long term. Now why it is so? It is so because when we don't eat enough food or survive only on fruits we get only short term results. In the long term let us ask ourselves how many of us can live just on fruits and ignoring our favourite food items.Eventually the person will give up and start returning to his/her old food menu which will again result in fat gain. I am of Punjabi origin , now ask any punjabi person can he/she live without paranthas, desi ghee , dairy products like lassi ,milk and butter for long time. Most of them will say "No yaar". So what is the fun of doing such so called dieting.
Now let us briefly understand what these essential nutrients are
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1. CARBOHYDRATES : often known as 'carbs' are energy sources for our body. Without them we can't perform our physical and mental tasks. Are you feeling low in energy? Then start taking some more Carbs. It should constitute 40-50% of out diet.These are divide into two categories
#Simple Carbs: The are high glycemic carbs i.e. body absorb them quickly. They raise our blood sugar quickly i.e why they are so addictive in nature. These includes breads, fruits/juices/shakes, white rice, potatoes etc. One should eat these carbs immediately after workout or any physical activity as they are quick sources of energy.But on the other side they should be taken in limit because they also helps in gaining fat.
#Complex carbs; These are low glycemic carbs i.e. they are absorbed by our body very slowly and they raise our blood sugar slowly i.e. why they are not so addictive in nature. They release energy in our body slowly. These includes vegetables, pulses, cereals etc. These are more beneficial then simple carbs.
2. PROTEINS:These are favourite of any person who is health conscious such as athletes, health and fitness professionals etc. Proteins are building blocks of our body. Just as the bricks are required to build a wall proteins are required to build, repair and maintain our body's tissues, cells and organs. They are highly present in poultry products such as meat ,eggs, fish, dairy products such as milk ,curd, whey ,pulses such as soyabean etc. for optimum benefits one should consume all these products because they proteins are made up of Amino acids and all different protein products contain different amino acids. it should constitute 40% of our diet depending upon our physical activities.
3. FATS : We all have made them our enemy no.1 but actually they are our friends. Only very few of them are our enemies such as partially hydrogenated fats and junk food. Friendly fats are essential fats which we get from dairy products , dry fruits, fish known as omega 3 and omega 6. These are required for proper functioning of our brain and body. A very important fact we need to know is that our Brain is 60% fat i.e. why our parents usually urged us to eat almonds(badaam), cashewnuts(kaju) and other dry fruits in our childhood because all these dry fruits contains essential fatty acids which helps in proper functioning of our brain. Anyone feeling dull using brain properly? Why not start increase consumption of essential fats.
4. VITAMINS: Vitamins are essential nutrients that are required by our body in small amounts for proper cellular functioning of our body and prevention of many diseases. There are 13 categories of universally recognised vitamins including vitamin A, vitamin B1,B2,B3,B5,B6,B7,B9,B12,Vitamin C,D,E and K. Each category has its own benefits.
5. MINERALS: There various other minerals which are required for more efficient working of our body such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, selenium, sodium, iron, zinc, copper, iodine etc.
EXERCISE: We often ignore this important step. Even if we no time for it we have to make time if we want to live a healthier life. A 45-60 minutes of workout session which includes cardiovascular exercises such as running, walking, jumping, skipping etc , some strength exercises and stretching is enough for normal working person. For athletes it varies as per their individual requirement.
POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE: We can't lose fat if we are working out regularly along with proper dieting but thinking negatively. Only proper dieting+exercise+ positive attitude can give you required results.
SMALL MEALS: Instead of eating 3 large meals eat at least 5-6 small meals. You will see your metabolism getting faster. This is important because our stomach can only accommodate limited food at a time. When we overload it with different items it results into partial metabolism and more fat storage.
EXTRA TIP ( optional)
CHEAT MEAL- Yes you can cheat on the meals but only if you have earned it. I suggest every two weeks one should decide a day on which he /she can eat whatever he wants including junk food. If a day of exercise cannot make you slim then a day of junk food cannot make you fat. We only gain fat when we cheat consistently.
So I conclude urging everyone to consume healthy diet consisting of all these nutrients, exercise and maintain positive mindset to lead a healthy and happy life.
