Hi friends, how are you all? All good, I am sure. And even if there was something that is bothering you, I am sure you will soon find a way out ?
It has been quite a hectic week for me too as I finally presented Nutrition Works (my own nutrition label) to you and the world. Not in a big way still, until I am able to add more products to it. Do try the super-yummy chocolate cake, made clean and fresh, without added sugars/additives and with mixed flours…that can be customized as per your preferences/diet/medical concerns (while retaining the core-deliciousness).
My belief that one can eat healthier and cleaner with a little effort holds true with this chocolate cake (and with other products that I would introduce soon, hopefully).
To add to the chaos, my help hasn’t been around and the younger one had a birthday party planned. So, between the clients, chores, cakes, birthday planning/buying, online schooling/reviews and some time for myself and my studies…it was crazy! Good crazy though ?
Coming back to the post today, we now come to the third and the last post of ‘’Weight Loss’’ series. With this series, I have tried to give you a very important tool so that you can decide what works best for you. And that tool is – knowledge which brings the power to make right decisions, for oneself.
Because there are no thumb rules. Neither in nutrition nor in fitness. What is right for me might not be right for you. What works for you might not work for me.
And that brings us to diet composition.
What is Diet Composition?
In simple terms, diet composition is the combination or percentage of various major nutrients of our diet. The carbs, the fats, the protein, the fibre and of course, other micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, polyphenols etc).
A balanced diet would provide us with enough energy to go through the day as well as enough nutrients to maintain good body composition and…health. Sometimes, diet might be able to provide adequate energy but isn’t well-balanced! Sometimes, it can create energy-imbalance.
How much of each (as well the quality of each nutrient), is a good question and it all depends on our goals. For good health in general, it is easy to achieve though. How? We will come to it, shortly.
Just calorie-counting is incomplete in itself if the calories comes from unhealthy sources or result in nutritional deficiencies/malnutrition.
The Downside
There is a downside to diet composition too, yes. And we bring it in ourselves when we become obsessed with counting every single carb or eliminating an entire food group, from our diet…or add too much of good thing beyond our actual requirements.
So, What To Do?
There are a few things that we all could do when it comes to eating a well-balanced diet and though these would differ slightly from one person to another, due to a lot of factors including individual goals…these still hold true at a foundation level:
- We can practice intuitive eating for one. This means that we eat when we are really hungry and not to find comfort in food. It is also an anti- crash dieting approach to food
- Keeping ourselves occupied with things that we like can keep us stress-free.This in turn, helps us with keeping our diet (and life) on track
- Stay active physically
- We must eat a variety of food on a daily basis. This means that we experiment with healthier options and include all sorts of grains, vegetables and fruits to our diet. Of course, one would take care of medical concerns here and avoid foods that create contradictions with certain medical conditions/medications etc
- Do not exclude specific food groups from diet. One can increase or decrease certain components e.g. you could add protein a little more if you are physically more active however, including everything on a daily basis helps tremendously. One can always look for alternatives if one is allergic or uncomfortable with a certain food-item
- Keeping food clean is very important. This simple means that we reduce our consumption of highly processed food and food that we already know is doing us no good. Do notice that I said, reduce…not completely stop. It can be gradual process and a sustainable approach to food works best, in my experience
- Practice mindful eating. Please take 10 minutes to sit quietly and enjoy the food. Observe how it tasted and how it made you feel. Chew slowly. Follow your hunger and satiety cues. And this would only happen if we make a conscious effort towards listening to our body
- Moderation is the key to a sustainable health plan. However, some things such as smoking, are best completely quit
In the end, if general good health is our goal, the above-mentioned points would serve us well. If we have specific goals in mind or we seek disease management, best to get professional help.
Hope you found this post (and this series) helpful. Do share with people who you think might benefit from these post. In case you wish to join me on Instagram, here is the link to it:
https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/
Till next Friday
Love, Heath & Peace
