Welcome to Information Source for Diets
Your diet is made up of what you eat. There are many different types of diets. A healthy diet
- Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products.
- May include lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts.
- Is low in saturated fats, trans fat, cholesterol, salt and added sugars.
There are many different types of diets. Some, like a vegetarian diet, don't include meats. Others, like the Mediterranean diet, describe a pattern of eating with an emphasis on less saturated fat than most Americans eat.
Many people follow specific diets to lose weight. Some of these diets are fad or crash diets that severely restrict calories or the types of food you are allowed to eat. These diets rarely lead to permanent weight loss and often don't provide all of the nutrients your body needs. To lose weight, you need to use more calories than you eat. Portion control is the key. When trying to lose weight, you can still eat your favorite foods -- as long as you pay attention to the total number of calories that you eat.
Vegetarian Diet
A vegetarian diet focuses on plants for food. These include fruits, vegetables, dried beans and peas, grains, seeds and nuts. There is no single type of vegetarian diet. Instead, vegetarian eating patterns usually fall into the following groups: >
- The vegan diet, which excludes all meat and animal products
- The lacto vegetarian diet, which includes plant foods plus dairy products
- The lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, which includes both dairy products and eggs
People who follow vegetarian diets can get all the nutrients they need. However, they must be careful to eat a wide variety of foods to meet their nutritional needs. Nutrients vegetarians may need to focus on include protein, iron, calcium, zinc and vitamin B12.
Weight Control
If you are overweight, you are not alone. Sixty-six percent of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese . Achieving a healthy weight can help you control your cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. It might also help you prevent weight-related diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and some cancers.
Eating too much or not being physically active enough will make you overweight. To maintain your weight, the calories you eat must equal the energy you burn. To lose weight, you must use more calories than you eat. A weight-control strategy might include
- Choosing low-fat, low-calorie foods
- Eating smaller portions
- Drinking water instead of sugary drinks
- Being physically active
Exercise and Physical Fitness
There are 1,440 minutes in every day. Schedule 30 of them for physical activity!
Regular exercise is a critical part of staying healthy. People who are active live longer and feel better. Exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight. It can delay or prevent diabetes, some cancers and heart problems.
Most adults need at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least five days per week. Examples include walking briskly, mowing the lawn, dancing, swimming for recreation or bicycling. Stretching and weight training can also strengthen your body and improve your fitness level.
The key is to find the right exercise for you. If it is fun, you are more likely to stay motivated. You may want to walk with a friend, join a class or plan a group bike ride. If you've been inactive for awhile, use a sensible approach and start out slowly.
Weight Loss Surgery
Also called: Bariatric surgery, Bypass surgery, Gastric banding, Obesity surgery
If you're very overweight and can't lose pounds with a healthy diet and exercise, surgery might be an option for you. The surgery is usually for men who are at least 100 pounds overweight and women who are at least 80 pounds overweight. If you are somewhat less overweight, surgery still might be an option if you also have diabetes, heart disease or sleep apnea.
Weight loss surgery limits the amount of food you can take in. Some operations also restrict the amount of food you can digest. Many people who have the surgery lose weight quickly. If you follow diet and exercise recommendations, you can keep most of the weight off. The surgery has risks and complications, however, including infections, hernias and blood clots.
Obesity
Obesity means having too much body fat. It is different from being overweight, which means weighing too much. The weight may come from muscle, bone, fat and/or body water. Both terms mean that a person's weight is greater than what's considered healthy for his or her height.
Obesity occurs over time when you eat more calories than you use. The balance between calories-in and calories-out differs for each person. Factors that might tip the balance include your genetic makeup, overeating, eating high-fat foods and not being physically active.
Being obese increases your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis and some cancers. If you are obese, losing even 5 to 10 percent of your weight can delay or prevent some of these diseases.
Practical Ways to Change Your Diet
Below are tips on how to choose foods for your diets.
- Poultry, fish, and lean cuts of meat more often. Remove skin from chicken & trim fat from meat.
- Skim or 1% milk, instead of 2% or whole milk.
- Cheeses with no more than 3 grams of fat per ounce, include low-fat cottage cheese or other low-fat cheeses. Cut down on full-fat processed, natural, and hard cheeses, like American, brie, and cheddar.
- Liquid vegetable oils that are high in unsaturated fat (these include canola, corn, olive, and sunflower oil). Use tub or liquid margarines that list liquid vegetable oil as the first ingredient - instead of lard and hydrogenated vegetable shortening which are high in saturated fat. Choose products that are lowest in saturated fat on the label.
- Fewer commercially prepared and processed foods made with saturated or hydrogenated fats or oils, like cakes, cookies and crackers. Read food labels to choose products low in saturated fats.
- Foods high in starch and fiber, instead of foods high in saturated fats.
Cutting back on saturated fat helps you to control dietary cholesterol as well. Two additional points to remember when cutting back on dietary cholesterol are:
- Eating less organ meat - such as liver, brain, and kidney
- Eat fewer egg yolks as whole eggs or in prepared foods - try substituting two eggs whites for each whole egg in recipes, or using an egg substitute.
Include more foods high in starch and fiber, choose:
- More whole grain breads and cereals, pasta, rice, and dry peas and beans.
- More vegetables and fruits.
- Foods high in starch and fiber, instead of foods high in saturated fats.