Healthy Diet: Guidelines, Tips and Diet Menu for Fast Weight Loss
A healthy diet is one of the many ways to lose weight. There are many ways to diet fast and healthy, but there are still some who practice unhealthy diets. Some of them try to lose weight quickly so that it causes bad effects on their health. Most people actually follow diet trends without knowing whether it is safe for health or not.
Therefore, a healthy diet is highly recommended because it is scientifically proven to provide many health benefits. Some of the benefits that will be obtained, such as reducing the risk of chronic disease and keeping the body healthy.
Simple tips for a fast and healthy diet
There are many weight loss strategies that can make the body feel sick and the results don't last long. Well, for that a fast and healthy diet needs to be done so that weight loss does not cause side effects to the body.
How to run a healthy diet can be done on your own, but not a few require expert help to get the desired weight. Some ways of a healthy natural diet that can be done independently, including:
1. Eat Slowly
The speed at which you eat will affect how much food you eat, allowing you to gain weight. In one study also mentioned eating speed up to 115% more likely to be obese than slow eaters.
Appetite is controlled by hormones that work to signal the brain when you are hungry or full. However, please note if the brain takes about 20 minutes to receive the message.
So eating more slowly or slowly will give your brain time to understand that you are full.
Research also states that eating slowly can reduce the number of calories you consume while eating. In addition, this method can also help you lose weight healthily.
2. Increase protein intake
Protein is often cited as a source of nutrition and has several super powers. Protein, which is a macronutrient nutrient, can affect the hormones of hunger and satiety.
A study shows that increasing protein intake to 30% can make people eat less.
What's more, protein can help you maintain muscle mass and determine the body's metabolic rate. This is very important to prevent the loss of muscle mass that can occur during weight loss.
Adding a protein source to your diet will help your body feel fuller for longer and tend to curb the urge to eat too much.
Some good proteins to eat include dairy products, nuts, peanut butter, eggs, and lean meats.
3. Drink enough water
Getting enough water intake is very important for a healthy body. Many studies have shown that drinking water can provide benefits for weight loss. In addition, it can also maintain an ideal body weight and increase the number of calories burned each day.
A study also says that drinking water before meals can reduce appetite and calorie intake during subsequent meals in adults.
People with adequate drinking water intake have been shown to consume 200 calories less per day than those who drink other fluids.
4. Boil food rather than fry it
One popular method of preparing meat and fish is frying. However, during this cooking method some potentially toxic compounds will be formed.
Some of the toxicities that may be formed are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs, advanced glycation end products or AGEs, and heterocyclic amines or HCA.
All of these compounds have been linked to several diseases, including cancer and heart disease. Healthier cooking methods include baking and boiling.
This cooking method will not cause the formation of harmful compounds and will make the food healthier.
5. Consume omega-3 and vitamin D
Most people in the world are deficient in vitamin D. Vitamin D itself is a fat-soluble vitamin. This vitamin is very important for bone health and boosts the immune system in the body.
In fact, every cell in the body has a receptor for vitamin D. Vitamin D is found in a number of foods, especially fatty seafood.
Meanwhile, omega 3 fatty acids are other nutrients that have an important role in reducing inflammation, maintaining heart health and improving brain function.
6. Expand green vegetables
The best natural healthy diet is to increase the consumption of green vegetables. By increasing the consumption of green vegetables when hungry, the components of unhealthy foods tend to be consumed less.
Consuming more vegetables can also make you eat less and you will get healthier calories. Apart from that, eating vegetables before consuming carbohydrate-rich foods also has a beneficial effect on blood sugar levels.
7. Cook at home more often
Another natural healthy diet that you can do is to make the habit of cooking at home more often. The first reason, namely reducing the budget and secondly being able to find out the materials used.
If you cook in large portions, you can store leftovers for the next day and ensure they stay healthy. In addition, cooking at home has been shown to reduce the risk of gaining excess weight, especially among children.
8. Be more active when a healthy diet
The intake of nutrients that enter the body and physical activity such as exercise must be balanced. No need to do strenuous exercise, just be more active by moving a lot.
An active body has been shown to improve mood and reduce anxiety or stress.
Not only that, other benefits that may be obtained are weight loss, increase energy in the body, reduce the risk of chronic disease, and improve sleep quality.
9. Eat fruit instead of drinking it
Fruits are very healthy because they are rich in water, fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. Research has repeatedly linked eating fruit to a reduced risk of several diseases. The diseases in question are heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Fruits that are eaten straight are generally digested very slowly so they do not cause large spikes in blood sugar levels. However, if the fruit is consumed by juicing it may contain a lot of sugar.
10. Get enough sleep
Getting enough sleep can also help you live a healthy diet. Lack of sleep will interfere with eating regulation, namely increasing appetite resulting in increased calorie intake and weight gain.
In fact, people who sleep too little tend to weigh significantly more than people who get enough sleep. Lack of sleep also negatively impacts concentration, productivity, glucose metabolism and immune function.
What's more, lack of sleep can increase the risk of several diseases, such as inflammatory diseases and heart disease. Therefore, it is very important to get adequate good quality sleep especially when on a diet.
Food for a healthy diet
Based on the Dietary Guidelines for American 2015-2020, choosing foods for a fast and healthy diet cannot be arbitrary.
Foods for a fast and healthy diet must match your daily calorie needs, be fat free, low in saturated fat, and focus on consuming fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Here are some foods for a healthy diet recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for American.
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Foods high in calcium (yogurt and low-fat milk)
- Lean meat
Healthy diet menu
Some healthy diets may seem difficult to make yourself, but not all of them. Here are some inspirational healthy diet menus made from simple ingredients that are easy to find:
- Salad. For a healthy salad, use leafy greens, other colored vegetables, and additional sources of protein. Add nuts or seeds and olive oil as a dressing.
- Pasta. There are many choices of types of pasta that are sold in the market. Choose pasta made with quality wheat. For protein sources, you can use chicken, fish or tofu. Then choose a pasta sauce made with tomato or pesto.
- A bowl of whole grains. To make this one healthy diet, just cook quinoa or brown rice then sprinkle with chicken, boiled eggs, or other protein. Also add non-starchy vegetables such as carrots, broccoli or mustard greens.
- Soup. Soup is also good for consumption as food for a healthy diet. You can include meat or seafood, vegetables, beans, or lentils. As a companion, brown rice, quinoa or potatoes can be an option.
Relax, besides the ingredients are easy to get, preparing the diet menus above doesn't take much time. If you are bored, you can change the content of vegetables or protein sources according to your choice.
Things not to do when dieting
A healthy diet does take longer, so many people have unhealthy diets. The unhealthy diet that is meant is to do it fast and instant.
You can lose weight quickly if you have an unhealthy diet, such as reducing your food intake without considering your body's abilities.
Keep in mind, there are many things you shouldn't do when on a diet. Some of these things can be your reference in choosing a healthy and safe diet. Well, some things that are not recommended for you to do during a diet, such as:
Low fat diet
Going on a low-fat diet for weight loss can be a bad idea. Eating low-fat foods will indeed keep you full for a long time and prevent overeating.
Fat itself is an important nutrient for the body to carry out its functions, such as cell growth, brain function, and hormone production.
Because of this, a diet that is very low in fat can lead to hormonal imbalances, high risk of diabetes, worsening heart health, and impaired brain function.
Low carbohydrate diet
A low-carb diet focuses on protein and fat consisting of fish, eggs, poultry, and non-starchy vegetables. Some of the foods that are not included, such as nuts, fruit, bread, candy, and whole grains.
Carbohydrates provide energy for the body, but they can also cause several health problems. These health problems include bad breath, weakness, headaches, fatigue, skin rashes, and intestinal imbalance.
Skipping meals
Skipping breakfast, lunch, or dinner is certainly an easy way to reduce calorie intake. However, this method will actually make you eat more than normal at the next mealtime.
The body actually wants more intake when skipping meals so that weight gain can occur. A study also shows that skipping breakfast will not reduce overeating or prevent weight gain.
Exercise for hours
Of course, exercise can help you lose weight. However, exercising excessively without proper recovery can lead to hunger pangs and a tendency to overeat.
Exercising in the right way can indeed be physically healthy and maintain the immune system. However, it is different from excessive exercise because it can cause heart and mental health problems.
Overeating after exercise
Eating too much after exercising is not a good way to lose weight because calories accumulate after burning fat in the body. Instead, eat lean protein and healthy high-fiber carbohydrates in moderation.
Make sure you get the right intake after burning fat after exercise. Also pay attention to the content in the food to avoid other health problems.
It should be understood, all the ways of fast weight loss will only last for a short time or in the short term. When you return to old habits, you can gain more fat and less muscle mass.
Therefore, think carefully before going on a diet or adopting a healthy lifestyle so that weight changes can be sustainable.
After knowing some of the do's and don'ts during your diet, don't forget to put them into practice. Try to follow the exact instructions during a healthy diet so that your weight loss goals can be achieved.