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How Healthy Living and Balanced diet Can Help You Live a Better Life

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How Healthy Living and Balanced diet Can Help You Live a Better Life

The balanced diet pointer has risen too much, and you decide to diet again. But with so many fad diets, it’s hard to choose one, is not it? What diet will work that same?

Well, the bad news is that the vast majority of popular and radical diets do not work – at least not in the long run. Just look at the numbers: every year new miracle diets come up for quick weight loss, yet the levels of overweight and obesity only increase, reaching today’s frightening numbers. Half – more, exactly 51% – of the Brazilian population is overweight, which is defined by a BMI (Body Mass Index) above 25.

Also, recent research has found that 48% of women have diets four or more times, while 22% of women have diets more than ten times. That is, if miracle diets worked and people did not get fat again, they would not have to be repeated so many times, right?

That leads us to the conclusion that, to lose weight and health, it is necessary to follow a balanced diet, which allows not only to lose weight, but also to prevent the lost pounds from being recovered quickly.

Before we see how to make a balanced diet, let’s first find out why it’s no use wanting to lose weight in two weeks all the weight it took you months or even years to gain.

 

Why do not radical diets work?

Most diets fail because they are too restrictive and practically impossible to maintain a lifestyle. Who can eat 800 calories a day for the rest of their lives? And what usually happens is that after a few days undergoing a radical diet, hunger increases desperately and you only send everything into space. You then compensate for all the deprivations suffered during the diet, not only regaining lost weight but also somewhat more.

And all this adds up to the fact that metabolism slows down a lot with extreme diets to lose weight. Until he returns to normal, you will continue to gain weight.

The secret to losing weight and being healthy is to eat a balanced diet that respects your energy needs and does not cut down on food groups (some diets cut out carbohydrates, others eliminate fats and so on).

A balanced diet is one that allows you to lose not only weight but also maintain health and quality of life. It’s no use thinning three pounds in three days and not having the energy to do your activities or spend most of your time in a bad mood because you’re hungry.

The best diet is one that can be maintained forever, as a lifestyle, and that favors fruits, vegetables, and whole foods.

 

What to eat to lose weight and live healthily

Almost all diets have in common the fact that they focus mainly on what you should not eat. In addition to causing nutritional deficiencies, this can psychologically make you more eager to eat what is not on the list.

To lose weight and health, it is important first to consider what to put in your diet, thinking not only of quantity but also of food quality.

Include in your food foods from the five food groups – vegetables, fruits, meats, grains, and dairy.

 

Fruits and vegetables

As we have said before, vegetables and fruits should be fixed items from your daily menu. Vegetables and leaves contain numerous nutrients that contribute to weight loss and maintain health. Also, they still improve bowel function, contain few calories and will help maintain satiety.

In addition to the nutrients, fruits offer fibers and fructose, a natural sugar, which will contribute to taking away the urge to eat sweets without adding so many calories to your food. Try to vary the fruits each day, always choosing to eat them whole, and not only in the form of juices have (the juices eliminated the fibers, leaving only the sugar, which will raise fast blood glucose rates, causing fast hunger).

 

Quality protein

You do not need to become a vegetarian for a balanced diet, but do you need to eat ham for breakfast, turkey breast at lunch, steak at lunch, salami in the afternoon, and chicken at dinner? Try to swap some of your meat-based meals with legumes, such as lentils, beans, peas, or chickpeas.

In addition to adding too much fiber to your diet (which will help maintain satiety for longer), beans do not contain cholesterol or saturated animal fat, so harmful to cardiovascular health.

 

Dairy Products

Dairy products provide protein for muscle and calcium for bones but should be consumed in moderation. That is due to its high content of saturated fats and sodium, which in addition to raising blood cholesterol levels, will still make it swollen and make it difficult to lose weight since some cheeses are quite high in calories.

To not compromise the health of your bones, also include other sources of calcium in your balanced diet. Some of them are:

Dark vegetables: cabbage, broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, and mustard.

Beans: Black beans, white beans, and frosty beans.

 

Whole grains

A balanced diet for weight loss and health needs carbohydrates, contrary to what many restrictive diets preach. Of course, you should avoid white bread, pasta, and sweets filled with refined carbs, but the secret is to replace them with healthier versions.

Exchange the white rice for the integral, and choose kinds of pasta and bread made with whole wheat flour. Whole grains help in the proper functioning of the intestine, as well as not causing such intense variations in blood sugar levels. As they have many fibers, they slow down digestion, increasing the feeling of satiety and contributing to weight loss.

 

Fats from the well

Although diets for fast weight loss virtually eliminate all fats, know that they are essential for a balanced diet. Healthy fats are key to the good functioning of the brain, heart, and cells, as well as being responsible for the health of the skin, hair, and nails.

A balanced diet favors “good fats”: Omega 3, Omega 6 and monounsaturated fats.

To get healthy fats without needing supplements, including extra virgin olive oil, avocado, nuts, and fish like salmon, sardines, and tuna in your diet.

 

What cannot be eaten on a balanced diet?

You must have heard that famous phrase, “All things in moderation.” For it is almost as it should be your food. Should frying be avoided? Yes, of course, you should, but if it is something very sporadic, it will not drastically affect your diet.

Now take a test: try talking to yourself “I will never eat a steak again.” Guess what food you’re going to rush to eat as soon as you interrupt your diet? Yes, a succulent steak breaded with fries.

It is not a question of stimulating the consumption of “unhealthy” foods, but rather of prioritizing right foods and leaving a loophole to experiment with a small quantity of unhealthy food occasionally. We can call this “Feijoada Syndrome”: many Brazilians never eat this national “delicacy,” but only travel abroad to leave desperately behind a Brazilian restaurant. Restrictive diets work the same way, increasing the will of what is “forbidden.”

Use common sense and leave these foods for special occasions, such as a party or dinner, always trying not to overdo the amount.

 

Not So Healthy

Some foods are advertised as healthy and friends of the scale, but not quite so. Many supermarket section diet products should not regularly go on a balanced diet if your goal is to lose weight and gain health.

For example, diet sodas. They contain dye, preservative, and sweetener, which in addition to not bringing benefits can even get fat since the sweetener changes blood sugar levels.

There are even foods labeled as 0% fat, but they often carry large amounts of sugar and salt, used to enhance the taste. Some calories may even be lower, but the excess sugar will make you hungrier, and sodium will cause you to retain liquids and may alter your blood pressure.

Therefore, to have a balanced diet, give preference to the most natural and less industrialized foods.

 

How to lose weight with a balanced diet?

 

In order to lose weight with a balanced diet, it is necessary that in addition to choosing healthy foods, you have a negative energy balance. That is that you burn more calories than you ingest. That can be done in two ways: by eating less or by exercising more. Or rather, both.

Most diet plans are based solely on calorie cutting, and since there are very few calories in these regimens, exercising is often impossible because you simply do not have energy.

The best option for you to lose weight with a balanced diet is to generate a small caloric deficit every day, instead of trying to lose all of your weight all at once. You probably have not gained any extra pounds in a single month, so do not want to lose them in 20 days. Research shows that people who can lose weight and maintain their weight are those who lose weight slowly and gradually. A weight loss of up to 500g per week is considered normal and healthy, and above that, you may be depriving yourself of essential nutrients for health and also risking the accordion effect.

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